- Greenbelt Sector Plan Map
In case you didn’t know, after going into hibernation for several years, the 2005 Greenbelt Metro area development plan has recently found a new life. This happened after the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) this year threatened to close out the application if the developer didn’t take further action on it.
The Park and Planning will be hosting an information gathering session and community meeting on tomorrow (Wednesday) , 7-8:30pm at the Greenbelt community center.
So, why should north College Park residents be concerned about a development that is not inside the city boundary?
Well, for more than one reason.
The development plan may well affect the Narragansett Run water upstream in north College Park, and issues relating to storm water runoff and water quality and environment habitat.
There are also concerns from residents on high rise buildings in the north core of the development. These buildings, as the residents say, may overshadow single family homes on the north side of Greenbelt Metro.
At the February NCPCA meeting, a committee was charged with representing North College Park’s concerns at this development forum on behalf of the organization. The committee later decided to make the following points at tomorrow’s forum.
For the North Core,
(1) Building heights should step down from the center of the property to the Metro station – 53rd Avenue and vicinity should not be overshadowed with large buildings.
(2) The parking garage proposed next to the Metro station should be scaled back to serve only the Metro itself, not the other commercial properties as well. Again, the purpose is not to overshadow that area with a huge parking structure.
For the South Core,
(1) The Narragansett ditch drains a large part of North College Park, carrying water into Indian Creek. Proposals for filling in and redirecting that ditch could seriously affect the livability of our homes.
(2) The creation of a state park around Indian Creek will be an important recreational resource for this area, and people from North College Park should have easy physical access to it.
The Greenbelt Community Center is in Roosevelt Center in Old Greenbelt; it’s the old school building (painted white) — its neighbors are the Greenbelt Library, Greenbelt City Hall, the Youth Center, and the Aquatic and Fitness Center.