Your street is scheduled for resurfacing. The work will be done in two phases; first base correction followed by resurfacing with new asphalt. The work hours will be 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Access to your driveway will be limited or blocked during the work. Rain or inclement weather can delay the schedule.
Base work is scheduled: September 8 & 9
During the base operation, the contractor adds asphalt to the existing milled surface. This sets the shape of the road so the final surface properly sheds water and drains correctly overall. The process moves fairly quickly, first one side and then the other. There is no parking allowed on the street during the work. No Parking signs will be posted a couple of days prior. If the schedule changes, the signs will be revised. A single lane will be closed for the work. There will be limited ability to drive over the hot material for residents to access driveways. Always ask a present crew member first and get clear approval. Once the asphalt has cooled to a set temperature the street will re-open fully.
Paving is scheduled: September 10 & 11
During the paving operation, the contractor will first sweep the surface, then apply a tack coat, and then lay the asphalt. The affected lane will be closed during the paving and there will be NO ABILITY to drive through the lane during the work. (THIS WILL RESTRICT ACCESS TO DRIVEWAYS, SIDESTREETS, ALL CROSSINGS) Once the work is done the street will re-open. Please plan to remove any cars parked on the street prior to 7:00 AM.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact:
Construction Manager: Ian Chamberlain Phone: 301-891-7611 Email: IanC@takomaparkmd.gov
The Takoma Park Healthy Business Initiative is a response to the ongoing needs of our local businesses in the face of COVID-19 challenges and changes to business operations. The Healthy Business Initiative will support Takoma Park businesses in creating business environments that are safe and healthy for business owners, employees, clients, and customers. This initiative includes four crucial small business support programs that will help our Takoma Park businesses impacted by public health emergency closures and stay-at-home orders begin to adjust business operations to stop the spread of COVID-19 and adhere to state and county public health re-opening rules and guidance.
Business Support Program #1: Outdoor Seating & Hand Sanitizing Stations
The Takoma Streeteryon Laurel Avenue is open with outside seating available. Please make note that all social distancing and mask requirements are in effect.
In support of Takoma Park’s small businesses and needed steps toward healthy re-opening, the City Council authorized the closure of the northbound side of Laurel Avenue for outdoor seating, sales, and customer pick-up. As of June 12, the side of Laurel Avenue, where businesses are located, is closed to allow for outdoor dining and enjoyment, curbside pick-up, and other public uses to assist Takoma Park’s businesses, employees, and residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can share your experience with the Laurel Avenue closure in this online community feedback survey.
Additionally, hand sanitizing stations will be available near the Takoma Streetery and throughout the City’s business districts in Old Town Takoma, the Takoma Langley Crossroads, and Flower Avenue to encourage cleanliness and reduce the spread of germs and viruses.
The City will continue to work with businesses, residents, and commercial property owners to provide additional outdoor dining and shopping options. An updated list of restaurants that offer outdoor seating can be found at the “Takoma Park To-Go” website.
Business Support Program #2: Public Health Signage
Public health signs will be supplied to local storefront businesses for free to remind the public of mask requirements and social distancing rules. The signage will include messages in multiple languages for wall and floor display. Signage distribution will be coordinated with Takoma/Langley Crossroads and the Old Takoma Business Association. If you are members of these associations, you have already been counted in the initial order of signs.
If you are not a member of either association and your business needs printed public health signage, please submit your request using thePublic Health Signage Request Form.
Business Support Program #3: Business Recovery Cleaning
Business Recovery Cleaning program will provide financial assistance for deep cleaning and disinfecting following the positive test of an owner or employee. To ensure that disinfectant products are CDC registered to destroy the COVID-19 virus, businesses will be encouraged to utilize cleaning providers arranged by the City. Assistance of up to $1500 in cleaning will be provided.
Business Support Program #4: Healthy Business Grant
The Takoma Park Healthy Business Grant program assists businesses in making necessary operation improvements to adhere to public health mandates. Grant award amounts will range from $500 to $2,000 unless greater need is determined. The grant will also reimburse business owners for re-opening expenses incurred during the initial Montgomery County, MD Phase 1 re-opening on June 1, 2020.
Eligibility Criteria:
Small businesses located in Takoma Park with a storefront or office space that receives customers and clients (including restaurants, retail, professional services, healthcare offices, and daycare centers) are eligible to apply.
The grant may be used for the following business needs in response to COVID-19:
Purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE) for owners and employees.
Purchase of cleaning supplies and disinfectant.
COVID-19 testing of owners and/or employees.
Other adjustments to business operations to comply with and support re-opening rules and guidelines.
The City will accept applications for review on an ongoing basis according to the timeline and until funding is expended. Applications can be submitted online here: Healthy Business Grant Application (Round 1 Application closed)
Questions regarding the Healthy Business Initiative can be sent to Samira Cook Gaines: samiraCG@takomaparkmd.gov
Final comments by reviewing agencies have been filed in the Montgomery County Development Review Committee online tracking process for the most recently submitted Takoma Junction Redevelopment Project plans. The City’s development partner, Neighborhood Development Company (NDC), will take those comments and work to revise its plans into the proposed Site Plan and proposed Preliminary Plan that will eventually be considered by the Takoma Park City Council and the Montgomery County Planning Board.
Because the process of getting comments and revising plans goes back and forth and is complicated, it is easy to be confused about the next steps and when and where it is most effective for public comments to be made. Here are the steps ahead:
As noted above, the Development Review Committee reviewing agencies submitted comments in response to NDC’s July resubmission in Montgomery County’s development review tracking software. Note that City of Takoma Park’s professional staff is one of the reviewing agencies and their comments cite City Council Resolution 2018-41and other City standards and requirements. It should also be noted that the Maryland State Highway Administration did not provide substantive comments as a reviewing agency, which is highly unusual for the Montgomery County Development Review process.
Neighborhood Development Company staff will work on refining their plans given the comments provided. There will likely be some back and forth discussions between NDC and the various reviewing agencies if clarifications are needed.
Besides revising the plans, NDC has other elements to prepare or update before submitting their full plans to the City Council and the Planning Board. Most notable among them is a new or revised traffic impact study. They will also be submitting preliminary tree plans (identifying planned removals and new plantings) and revised stormwater plans.
Over a number of weeks, City staff will be working to review the evolving plans in light of City Council Resolution 2018-41, City Council Priorities, City regulations regarding stormwater and tree removal and protection, as well as noting how the revised plans incorporate the comments of the various reviewing agencies. There will be some back and forth with staff of NDC in the same manner as the other reviewing agencies while the proposed Site Plan and Preliminary Plan are finalized for consideration. City staff will prepare a document of findings that will assess how the revised plans meet the City’s requirements, including the City Council requirements enumerated in Resolution 2018-41. The findings can be the basis of a City Council resolution making recommendations to the Planning Board.
The revised plans and the document of findings prepared by City staff will be transmitted to Council and made available to the public for review. This is the best time for members of the public to pay attention to the plans because the plans will not be changing as much and the technical analyses of the various reviewing agencies and professionals will be available to consider. The Council then has several options, as shown below. Note that at a minimum a public hearing is required for any of the following actions.
• The Council could choose to vote on a resolution making recommendations to the Planning Board to approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the proposed Site Plan and Preliminary Plan. As will be seen below, the Planning Board would need a supermajority vote to act contrary to a recommendation of the City Council.
• The Council could choose to vote to terminate the project, consistent with the terms of the Development Agreement with Neighborhood Development Company, in which case the application would not proceed to the Planning Board for consideration. (For that reason, the Council would not likely make a recommendation to the Planning Board to disapprove the application.)
• The City Council could adopt a resolution that says it is not taking a position on the proposed Site Plan or Preliminary Plan; in this case the application would proceed to the Planning Board for consideration without a City Council recommendation. Note that this is contrary to a resolved clause (lines 502-508) of City Council Resolution 2018-41, but is possible to do.
The Montgomery County Planning Department needs at least a week to review the new City Council resolution and address the Council’s recommendations in its staff report. The Planning Department must then post its staff report to the Planning Board at least 10 days before the Planning Board considers the plans. The County Planning staff report will recommend approval, approval with conditions, or disapproval of the Site Plan and Preliminary Plan, based on the findings of the Development Review Committee agencies, the City Council recommendation, and other input that had been received to date.
The Planning Board will hold a public hearing and consider the Site Plan and Preliminary Plan. They may choose to approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the plans. Note that the Planning Board would need a super-majority to take a position that conflicts with the recommendation of the City Council.
If the Planning Board approves the plans or approves with conditions, the applicant must then go back to the Historic Preservation Commission for a Historic Area Work Permit and must get a final stormwater permit and tree removal and tree protection permits from the City of Takoma Park. Then they will need to go through the building permit process.
Please note that if significant changes to the plans are made during this process, the plans may need to go back to the Development Review Committee reviewing agencies for additional review before being considered by the Planning Board.
The most important places/times to provide public comments are to the City Council (step 5 above) and the Planning Board (step 7 above). These are the two deciding bodies. At the point the plans come before them, the technical reviews will have been compiled and the plans will have stopped changing. If the City Council and the Planning Board approve the plans, they will likely be approved “with conditions.” This means that there will be some plan or process changes or steps required of the applicant but that the plans will not need to come back for another hearing.
Public comments are most useful when they are specific and when they focus on impacts or on approval criteria:
Impacts:Identifying impacts that are wanted or not wanted are important. As an example, it is very helpful for a resident to say that they want to make sure lighting from the project does not shine in their home window. That may be more helpful than requesting the relocation of a particular light fixture as there may be several ways to ensure that the light does not cause a negative impact. It is also very helpful to identify the aspects of the project that are liked. Changes required in one aspect of the plan may result in tradeoffs and adjustments to other areas. It can be very frustrating for people to see that a change to the plans made by the Planning Board to address one issue removes an aspect of the plan that people liked.
Approval Criteria:Public comments that reference specific criteria that the reviewing body is using are often more helpful than a more general comment.
The City Council will be reviewing the plans in light of the provisions enumerated in Resolution 2018-41 and the City Council’s Priorities. While the Council is not restricted to those documents in making its recommendation, it is likely that those documents will guide the consideration.
The Planning Board will be reviewing the plans in light of the provisions of the Montgomery County Subdivision and Zoning Regulations. Chapter 50 Subdivision regulations relate to the review of the Preliminary Plan and are online athttps://montgomeryplanning.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Adopted-Chapter-50.pdf. Section 50.4.2 outlines the approval procedures, while section 50.4.2.D. lays out the required findings. Section 4.3 identifies the elements of a technical review. Section 59.7.3.4 of the Zoning Code lays out the requirements for review and approval of Site Plans, while section 59.7.3.4.E lays out the required findings for Site Plan approval. Division 59.4.6 lays out the development standards for the NR and the other Employment Zones. Section 4.9.16 lays out the requirements of the Takoma Park/East Silver Spring Commercial Revitalization (TPESS) Overlay Zone. Chapter 59 may be found online at: http://library.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll?f=templates&fn=default.htm&vid=amlegal:montgomeryco_md_mc
Public comments on the plans can be submitted by email at any time to the Montgomery County Planning Department for the lead reviewer’s consideration and public record. The Montgomery County Planning Department’s lead reviewer for this project is Elza Hisel-McCoy, who may be reached at Elza.Hisel-McCoy@montgomeryplanning.org. Comments may also be submitted at any time to the Takoma Park City Manager at SuzanneL@takomaparkmd.gov or the Takoma Park City Council at clerk@takomaparkmd.gov.
Once dates are set for City Council and Planning Board consideration, members of the public are encouraged to submit public comments and/or sign up to testify in the methods identified in the processes for the hearings. Comments to the City Council may be sent to clerk@takomaparkmd.gov. Comments for the Planning Board may be sent to MCP-Chair@mncppc-mc.org. In general, comments for the Planning Board are sent close to the hearing date.
Timeline
The timeline below is very general and any stage may take longer than is shown here. Major elements that come into play are the time that NDC needs to prepare its plans in response to the agency comments, and City Council and Planning Board agenda scheduling. Nevertheless, here is an idea of how the consideration of the project may move forward:
Now through the fall: NDC works on revising plans based on agency comments and preparing materials required for submission to City Council and Planning Board for consideration. NDC will likely request an extension of the development review timelines, postponing Planning Board consideration until later in the fall or winter, to allow adequate time to complete its submission and have the City Council consider the plans and adopt a resolution regarding them.
Now through the fall: Takoma Park City staff will be reviewing the plans and materials and preparing a set of findings and recommendations for use by the City Council as it considers the plans. The findings and recommendations will be available to the public in time for members of the public to review them and prepare testimony to the City Council and the Planning Board.
Fall or winter: City Council consideration of the plans, involving hearing from the applicant, staff and public and then voting on a Resolution transmitting its recommendations to the Planning Board.
Winter: County Planning staff prepares its report, referencing agency comments and the recommendation of the City Council. The report must be submitted to the Planning Board and be available for public review at least 10 days prior to the Planning Board’s consideration of the plans.
Winter: Planning Board holds a public hearing and considers the plans. They will vote to approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the plans. A supermajority vote is required for the Planning Board to vote in a way that differs from the recommendation of the City Council.
Spring: Assuming the plans are approved or approved with conditions, NDC then goes back to the Historic Preservation Commission for a Historic Area Work Permit and proceeds for a final stormwater permit and tree removal and tree protection permits.
Although the COVID-19 health emergency is keeping our City facilities closed to the public, City staff are continuing to serve Takoma Park residents. We are working hard to keep information up-to-date on our webpage, we answer your phone calls and emails, and we often meet with residents in virtual meetings on a number of subjects.
Recently, there have been some questions about Public Information Act requests and other requests for information. If someone has a question about a project, they can go to the City’s website and look under Initiatives(for example, Takoma Junction Development Review or Bus Stop Improvements), or they can directly contact the staff person associated with the project. City staff readily answer many questions a day from residents and Councilmembers. If certain information is not on our website and we realize it is of interest to more than a few people, we add it to our website or we do a social media campaign or a Takoma Park Newsletter article to get the word out. We work hard to be responsive to residents’ questions and concerns.
Sometimes, there is interest in the production of records (such as copies of emails or financial data or Police reports), which qualifies as a Maryland Public Information Actrequest. Pursuant to the provisions of State law, we produce records that have been requested. Sometimes the collection of the records is time-consuming, so a charge*is required for more than two hours of work, recognizing that some large requests could take staff away from other duties. In these cases, staff of the City Clerk’s or City Attorney’s office communicates with the requester to see if there is a way to modify or narrow the request to limit the cost of the work involved in producing the records. This is the approach outlined in State law. In having these communications, we frequently learn that the requested records may not actually be the best way to obtain the information and we can help the requester get the information they need in a different way or for a more precise time period.
* Here is more information on fees. (The City’s fee waiver process is handled by City staff and necessarily follows the statutorily prescribed process. With respect to a fee waiver, the statute requires that one be requested. The request must be made with specificity as to why it should be granted, but that is only the first step in the process. The second step under the statute is whether the applicant meets the criteria for a waiver. Under the Maryland law the criteria may be met if the applicant for the fee waiver is indigent (an affidavit of indigency is required in support). Alternatively, after the official custodian considers the ability of the applicant to pay the fee and other relevant factors, the custodian may grant the request if the custodian determines that the waiver would be in the public interest. Maryland cases are sparse on the public interest analysis. Maryland’s Attorney General’s Public Information Act Manual recommends reviewing federal Freedom of Information Act cases regarding the public interest analysis. The nature of the analysis applied by the federal courts depends on the basis for the fee waiver request).
If you’re having difficulty finding the information you are interested in, please call the main City’s phone number at 301-891-7100, the City Clerk at 301-891-7267, or the City Manager at 301-891-7229 or SuzanneL@takomaparkmd.gov.
During these challenging times, different questions may arise, but we are still here to help!
As part of the City’s commitment to climate justice and race equity, City Planning staff undertook a comprehensive study of bus stops to improve the public transit options in the City.
Staff highlighted the bus stop at the intersection of Ethan Allen and New Hampshire Avenues as a high-priority location for a bus shelter, with an average of 91 people a day, predominantly people of color, boarding a bus at this location.
This bus shelter was provided free of charge to the City by Insite, the company that manages the advertising on the bus shelters.
City Planning has inventoried all bus stops within the City for ridership numbers and the presence of amenities and created this interactive mapshowing this information. More information about Bus Stop Improvementscan be found on the project page.
July is the first month of Fiscal Year 2021 and the City of Takoma Park is in a place it has never been, as is the rest of the country and world. Please read my message about what is happening right now, and what is expected in the coming year.
Topics to be covered here are:
Our Situation at this Time
Staffing
Elections
Transition of the City Manager
Major Initiatives
Development and Planning Projects
Policing and Public Safety
Summer Storms
Our situation at this time
At the moment, the number of cases of COVID-19 are lower than they have been for some time in the Washington, D.C. area, but there are still many deaths per day in the region from the pandemic. Montgomery County has lost more than 700 residents to the disease so far, and the larger DC area has lost more than 3,000 people.
Other regions have a skyrocketing number of cases and I have no doubt the numbers will rise again in this area. We have learned some ways to be safe, including the very simple step of just wearing a mask. We have learned ways to cope, to get by – it shows how resourceful we are and how caring we are in helping others who are having a harder time.
But it is horrible. We can just say it.
City Manager Suzanne Ludlow
And then we must move to making things better, to getting through the next day, to making the world a better place.
As Manager of the City of Takoma Park, I have a great responsibility to implement the goals of the City Council for the community and to direct and care for our wonderful City employees. As is everyone, we are challenged by the impacts of the pandemic and the calls for confronting institutional racism. At a time when communication and dialog is more important than ever, we can’t easily have the face to face discussions that would be helpful. What I do hear from the staff, though, is a real commitment to overcoming the constraints of the pandemic so that we may help build a better world. We are not all at the same place in this, but we are talking, challenging each other, and proposing ways forward. I am very honored to work with the staff of the City of Takoma Park.
Staffing
Doing the regular work of the City is very difficult right now. We have many fewer staff available and a larger workplan than ever.
Several staff are doing pandemic emergency management work. Our Emergency Preparedness Manager Ron Hardy coordinates our City’s pandemic response and our submissions to Federal and County agencies for COVID-19 expense reimbursement. And, as the Chair of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Chief Administrative Officers Committee, I am actively involved in the regional efforts to monitor and respond to the pandemic in the D.C. area.
Those staff who were non-permanent part-time employees (mostly Recreation and CityTV staff who provided afterschool, front desk or event coverage) have been laid off for now, starting July 1. We are not using seasonal temporary help for garden maintenance. There are several critical vacant positions we are trying to hire for, and there are several other vacant positions that are on a “hold” list while we evaluate economic impacts and priorities through the course of the year.
In addition to having fewer staff, many City staff are working remotely to the extent possible, which means that work conversations have to be scheduled, rather than just dropping by a cubicle or yelling a quick question down the hall. This means that even rather simple activities (such as preparing an agenda packet item for Council or getting a contract reviewed and signed) can take longer or use unfamiliar systems.
Still, I have to say that what the City staff is doing is absolutely AWESOME! We are getting regular work done AND we are doing amazing helping residents and businesses that have been really hurt by the pandemic. We were able to help people much earlier than the County or the State governments. The amounts we had to give were small, but our early and timely response was critical to so many – tiding them over until the other assistance became available.
The Year Ahead
Elections
This year is an election year. The Mayor and each Councilmember representing a ward will be up for election in November. Due to the pandemic, the City elections will be a VOTE BY MAIL election, and so it will be very different than past City elections. Please make sure you are registered to vote. Even Takoma Park residents who are 16 or 17 years old or not U.S. citizens can vote in City elections.
And, if you are interested in doing so, you may wish to run for office in Takoma Park. As a professional City Manager adhering to the ethics provisions of the International City County Management Association (ICMA), I give no preference to incumbents or other candidates for office. I look forward to meeting with all who might be interested in running for office in Takoma Park.
Transition of City Manager
Perhaps the most important responsibility of the incoming City Council is hiring a new city manager to run the City upon my retirement on July 1, 2021. Hiring a city manager is a time-consuming effort, and may be much more challenging during this pandemic. While the new Council will determine how they will proceed, a standard process is for the Council to agree to goals for the hiring process (including the role of community input), hire a recruiting firm, establish the position specifications, undertake a nationwide recruitment, narrow the number of applicants, hold interviews, then negotiate the hiring of the preferred applicant. For an executive-level position such as this, there is usually about two months between the hiring of an applicant and their first day on the job. This means that the City Council will be heavily involved in this work from December through July. Note that during this time, in addition to its normal policy work, the Council will also be considering the FY22 budget and advocating for matters before the Maryland General Assembly and Montgomery County Council.
For my part, I have been working to ensure a smooth transition to the next city manager. Step One was the hiring of an excellent Deputy City Manager – Jessica Clarke. Step Two is making sure our internal processes are clearly documented and cross-training and succession planning are done to the extent possible. Working on the transition is a little more difficult during the pandemic, but I feel it is one of my most important responsibilities to the City as a whole and to City staff.
Major Initiatives
Within the last six months, the City Council has adopted the Housing and Economic Development Strategic Plan, theClimate Emergency Response Framework, and is working on the Tree Ordinance and Tree Canopy Resolution. Also during this time, there is interest in looking at how public safety and policing is done in Takoma Park. All work is done within a race equity framework. Each of these initiatives has a large impact on staff work in preparing implementation plans, carrying out work items, and thinking of staffing in different ways. Suffice it to say that it is a lot of work to be done by or overseen by just a few key senior staff.
It is exciting, challenging work, but has the added challenge of pandemic-related staff and budget constraints.
Development and Planning Projects
Several planning and development projects are underway despite being in a pandemic.
Planning for a renovated Takoma Park Libraryis one that is well underway. The architect is working on the plans (and looking forward to direction on the desired exterior appearance) so that cost estimates can be obtained for consideration by the Council at a later point. The library will still be small and friendly, but it will be ADA accessible, more environmentally efficient, have some space for Young Adult books and a separate room for programs. As has been shared multiple times, the money is set aside for the library and not easily usable for other City activities. The current library building is on its last legs and in a flood zone, so could not remain with just minor modifications. I am very excited about the plans for the library and the ways it will serve those most in need in Takoma Park.
The Montgomery County Planning Department will be beginning a Minor Master Plan planning process for the site of the Washington Adventist Hospital / Washington Adventist University campus and Maple Avenue down to the Community Center. Gwen Wright, the Montgomery County Planning Director, is tentatively scheduled to come to Council on July 22 to share with us how that process will be undertaken. It is a major step in rethinking ways to meet critical needs for education, housing and community health services in Takoma Park. I appreciate that the calls for such a planning process by the City were heard by Montgomery County and put into their FY21 work plan.
The Takoma Junction Redevelopmentproject remains in the Montgomery County Development Review process and will be there for some time. Recent messages to the City Council regarding the project have included references to other uses and site plan arrangements that may be preferred by some residents. Unfortunately, a number of these are either not physically possible due to the space, would be very expensive for the taxpayers, or would be difficult to undertake. Most of the suggestions are not new ones and information regarding them has been compiled in several FAQ and project documents on the City’s website for resident review.
It is always appropriate to rethink priorities in times of crises such as these. I am very excited about the approaches being taken to not just survive the pandemic, but have a more equitable and environmentally-sustainable society on the other side. That means working on improving bus, bicycle, pedestrian accessibility, and building our Library. It means planning for enough school space for when our children can all go back to school, and thinking about how we really prioritize community mental health care so it is not left up to a person’s beleaguered family or the police.
Affordable housing is and will remain a huge issue for the D. C. area. Takoma Park has the most affordable rental housing of Montgomery County because we have rent stabilization, but the buildings are older.
I understand calls for new low-cost housing in Takoma Park, but no such units can be built without large subsidies. That was true long before the pandemic and is more the case now. And, the units need to look different – they may need to be for purchase and/or designed for multi-generational families. Frankly, there needs to be federal money either directly for this type of housing or indirectly through State and local governments. We will continue to press for these types of units in Takoma Park and identifying the appropriate locations for them. This is likely to be part of the conversation involved in the Minor Master Plan discussion.
The Takoma Park Recreation Center on New Hampshire Avenue is beginning its community planning process with the folks who live around it. Given the pandemic, the community engagement process will take longer, but needs to be focused foremost on the interests of people who live nearby, primarily people of color. We anticipate a new facility that combines a recreation center with housing, but the specifics of that are to come.
General planning work that is going on includes apublic space management plan (particularly with a race equity focus), New Hampshire Ave Bikeway planning, bus stop enhancementplans, and work in areas near the Purple Line to promote accessibility while reducing negative impacts. There is also always work reviewing development applications and providing “municipality letters” to residents who wish to apply for permits through Montgomery County.
Small development projects
Despite the pandemic, several small construction or renovation projects are underway in Takoma Park. Many of these are being done “as of right,” meaning that providing they meet the building and zoning codes, there is no role for action by the City Council or Montgomery County Planning Board. While it can be unnerving for neighbors to see construction in their neighborhoods, the building and zoning codes are in place to ensure appropriate development. Development as of right allows applicants to save money and time, which is particularly needed in the expensive D.C. market. I am grateful that there are several businesses and new home developers interested in building in Takoma Park. I have found that most are interested in working with the community to be good neighbors and attract new customers and employees. Please let them know you are glad they want to call Takoma Park home.
Policing and public safety in Takoma Park
The City of Takoma Park is fortunate to have an excellent Police Department led by an excellent Police Chief, Tony DeVaul. That doesn’t mean our staff does everything correctly and it doesn’t mean that there aren’t structural issues to address. In particular, the issues of institutional racism and how to care for and respond to persons with mental illnesses are critical here as well as elsewhere.
The City Council, the Police Chief and I are all interested in working through these issues. The Chief is assembling a good amount of information regarding the Department and how it meets policing and training standards that are being looked at across the country. An example is this review of the use of force provisions given the interest in the #8CANTWAIT recommendations. Please be attuned to the information being shared over the next weeks and consider participating in the discussions. Note that this is a discussion that primarily needs to be with Black people and other people of color in our community.
Mental illness is at a crisis in our country at this time. Community mental health has been underfunded for a very long time, and the pressure of the pandemic is making things much more difficult. The Takoma Park Police Department welcomes a community mental health approach to working with members of our community in need. Chief DeVaul is looking into options for this that would be appropriate for Takoma Park. For discussions on what would work best, we look to hear from residents with direct experience in this area, particularly those with a family member who has been affected by mental illness.
Summer storms
I know in the middle of a pandemic and the discussion of critical issues it is hard to focus on other things, but please take a few minutes to plan for summer storms. Check your emergency supplies and discuss your emergency plans with your family. With the constraints of the pandemic, it may require a bit more advance planning to have all of the supplies you need, including masks and cleaning supplies, so take the time now to be prepared.
Thank you!
I want to say a large “thank you” to the residents who reach out to me with their comments, to my staff for working so hard in such a difficult time, and to the City Council, which has also found the way to work on major issues remotely and effectively. It is an honor to be associated with Takoma Park.
On June 16th, Mayor Kate Stewart and the Takoma Park City Council welcomed the District 20 Delegation for an overview of state-level reform proposals regarding Maryland policing. State Senator Will Smith, and Delegates David Moon, Jheanelle Wilkins, and Lorig Charkoudian reviewed progress to date, specific reform goals for the 2020 session, and how Takoma Park residents and City officials can support these efforts.
Everyone is Invited! The Community Patio and the Takoma Streetery on Laurel Avenue will be open tomorrow, Friday, June 12, with outside seating available. Please make note that all social distancing and mask requirements are in effect.
It’s supposed to be a beautiful day tomorrow, get outside and enjoy!
Here is some information on the Laurel Avenue Closure!
Laurel Avenue Lane Closure Begins June 12 In support of Takoma Park’s small businesses and needed steps toward re-opening, the City Council authorized the closure of the northbound side of Laurel Avenue for outdoor seating, sales, and customer pick-up. Beginning June 12, the side of Laurel Avenue where the businesses are located will be closed to allow for outdoor dining and enjoyment, curbside pickup and other public uses to assist Takoma Park’s businesses, employees, and residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barriers and signage will be installed to announce the lane closure and detour around the church.
The handicap parking space will be relocated across Laurel, on the southbound side
The Takoma Park Post Office will not be impacted by the Laurel Avenue street closure. Hours and parking remain the same.
The businesses will begin using the outdoor space in order to re-open the restaurants, as permitted by the reduction of State and County restrictions, beginning on Friday, June 12, 2020.
The City has developed a new webpageto address the use of public space for these purposes, with the opportunity for the public to give feedback:
We are aware of the #8CANTWAIT recommendations for Law Enforcement agency use of force policies. We currently have in place policies that cover to some degree all of the eight of the #8CANTWAIT recommendations.
We are currently in the process of reviewing our use of force policies. Specifically, the ban of chokeholds except where deadly force is needed and the language used in the section “exhaust all other means before shooting.”
We look forward to working with members of the community and our City Council, as we review this and other policies in our efforts to increase community policing and building trust across the community. We are also compiling information to provide to the public about the training provided to officers.
Background on the #8CANTWAIT Use of Force Policy Recommendations
Below is an overview of the #8CANTWAIT recommendations and our related policies.
Duty to Intervene:
Each department member has the individual responsibility to intervene and attempt to stop any other member from committing an unlawful or improper act, including but not limited to, acts of brutality, abuses of process, abuses of authority, and any other criminal acts or major violations of department rules and procedures. Successful intervention does not negate a duty to report.
Require De-escalation:
Our current policies require all officers to use de-escalation techniques prior to using force.
Ban Shooting at Moving Vehicles:
Our current policy prohibits officers from shooting at or from moving vehicles unless circumstances would authorize deadly force.
Officers are prohibited from intentionally placing themselves in the path of a moving vehicle where an officer’s use of deadly force would be the probable outcome. When confronted by an oncoming vehicle, officers will move out of its path, if possible, rather than fire at the vehicle.
Ban Chokeholds & Strangleholds:
Our current policy bans the use of chokeholds except where deadly force is needed.
Require Comprehensive Reporting:
Our department requires comprehensive reporting and review of all use of force incidents. The list of reporting requirements is extensive. They can be found on our website under general orders, Use of Force, General Order 617.
Require Use of Force Continuum:
Our department has a use of force continuum that officers are trained in and must follow.
Exhaust All Other Means Before Shooting:
Our current policy requires officers to use only that amount of force, which is reasonable and necessary. Officers are required at all times to exhaust every other reasonable means of apprehension before resorting to the use of deadly force. Officers may use deadly force to defend themselves or another person from what they reasonably believe is an imminent threat of death or serious physical injury. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that any use of deadly force must be objectively reasonable. This standard will be applied to all uses of deadly force regardless of whether or not a suspect is fleeing when an officer employs deadly force.
Require Warning Before Shooting:
Our firearms training and policies require all officers to provide warnings before shooting.
June 1, 2020. Takoma Park City TV received a 2020 Hometown Media Award from the Alliance for Community Media Foundation. The awards program was established to honor and promote community media and local cable programs that are distributed on Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) access cable television channels.
City TV won in the $300,000-$650,000 category the Overall Excellence in Government programming, awarded to the overall production of the channel. “This is the best award we could win,” says Alvaro Calabia, production manager for City TV. He believes that “they have appreciated the diversity of programs we produce and how we try to reach all demographics in the City. Besides English and Spanish, in 2019 we produced shows in Amharic, Haitian Creole, and French. We also collaborated with the Thunderbolts to produce our first baseball games ever, and we have rooted deeper our relation with Takoma Radio, WOWD. We have a lot of partners in Takoma Park responsible for the award.” You can see City TV programs on their YouTube page.
Each year, a panel of judges evaluates over a thousand entries based on several factors including subject, experience, and budget. Awards are then presented to the most creative programs that address community needs, develop diverse community involvement, challenge conventional commercial television formats, and move viewers to experience television in a different way. Proceeds from the awards program are used exclusively for facilitating, preserving and promoting education in community media.
“The Hometown Media Awards celebrate both the excellence of work and the diversity of media that appears on community channels being produced around the country. The ACM Foundation is proud of their achievement and of how they represent their communities in their work,” said Mike Wassenaar, president & CEO, Alliance for Community Media.
and enjoyment, curbside pick-up, and other public uses to assist Takoma Park’s businesses, employees, and residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
rules. The signage will include messages in multiple languages for wall and floor display. Signage distribution will be coordinated with Takoma/Langley Crossroads and the Old Takoma Business Association. If you are members of these associations, you have already been counted in the initial order of signs.
City Planning staff undertook a comprehensive study of bus stops to improve the public transit options in the City.
northbound side of Laurel Avenue for outdoor seating, sales, and customer pick-up. Beginning June 12, the side of Laurel Avenue where the businesses are located will be closed to allow for outdoor dining and enjoyment, curbside pickup and other public uses to assist Takoma Park’s businesses, employees, and residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
production of the channel. “This is the best award we could win,” says Alvaro Calabia, production manager for City TV. He believes that “they have appreciated the diversity of programs we produce and how we try to reach all demographics in the City. Besides English and Spanish, in 2019 we produced shows in Amharic, Haitian Creole, and French. We also collaborated with the Thunderbolts to produce our first baseball games ever, and we have rooted deeper our relation with Takoma Radio, WOWD. We have a lot of partners in Takoma Park responsible for the award.” You can see City TV programs on their 