I have lived in College Park all my life. On the corner of New Bern Avenue and Raleigh Boulevard it has flooded for over a decade. So you mean to tell me that over a decade you’re only going to fix this for Bus Rapid Transit. You talk about environmental justice. You know this council just celebrated Juneteenth and that is the most racist thing I’ve ever heard.
Rezoning proposals that violate the tenets of our carefully crafted and hard-won UDO including Neighborhood Character Overlays, Historic Districts and Landmarks protections should not be considered unless they support preservation of historic structures, vistas, character, affordability and generational wealth.
Highlights from July 5 Council Meetings. Council on hiatus until August 15.
To date, there hasn’t been any communication on project status unless specifically requested by residents. So again I ask, please direct this to the appropriate committee so there is a path forward. We may be achieving the objective of slowing motorists but I don’t think we are achieving that goal in the safest, most effective manner.
We had some grand architecture, but we have gradually lost most of it. We still have some interesting historic districts that tell the story of our City. But these historic districts will survive only if they are protected by a historic overlay. And in the last few years, City Council has allowed pieces to be taken out of several historic overlays.
What we do not accept is people routinely breaching, vandalizing and stealing from our property, casually vandalizing city property (street signs) and actively being funneled to our residential neighborhood at 3am directly as a result of city policy.
This budget does NOT adequately provide for affordable housing, despite the $80 million bond. The parks bond is $250 million. Apparently the Dix Park and Smoky Hollow Parks are more important than making sure our residents are properly and affordably housed. The small amount allocated for rehabbing naturally occurring housing is not getting the job done.
The City is its people, and we have not asked for this rezoning. This neighborhood is a City success story in saving a historic neighborhood from previous urban renewal rezoning policies. It is a kick in the teeth now for us to be once again fighting for our neighborhood.
I heard that since the City Manager was named Interim City Clerk, she has stopped the practice of recording and filing minutes of closed session meetings. And, she has stopped allowing anyone from the Clerk’s office to attend closed session meetings.
Public comments focused on gentrification, homelessness, crime, Glenwood South, transit, traffic calming, historic preservation, and several criticisms of Mayor Baldwin and her actions or lack thereof.