The College Park City Council will hold a public hearing tonight, September 21, before voting on an ordinance that would authorize the City to purchase a vacant property at 4916 Tecumseh Street in West Berwyn. The proposed purchase price is $144,000, plus settlement costs.

The property is a 12,909-square-foot parcel. Purchasing it would give the City the opportunity to preserve land for a future public purpose. One possibility is long-term, owner-occupied affordable housing developed in partnership with the College Park City-University Partnership. Another is preserving the property as open space. The Council has not decided how the property would be used. That decision would come later, after further review and discussion.

Before the City completes a purchase, staff would examine the property’s zoning, title, survey, utilities, environmental conditions, and development feasibility. The proposed ordinance authorizes the acquisition for a public purpose; it does not approve a housing project or any other specific use. If the Council adopts the ordinance tonight, it is scheduled to take effect on October 12, with settlement planned for November 13.

I believe it is worth considering this purchase because opportunities to acquire land for a public purpose are limited. At the same time, residents should have the chance to weigh in before the Council acts and again when we consider what should happen on the property.

The public hearing and vote are part of tonight’s 7:30 p.m. Mayor and Council meeting in the second-floor Council Chambers at City Hall, 7401 Baltimore Avenue. Residents may attend in person or join by Zoom⁠.