The City of Takoma Park is proud to announce that it has achieved recertification for its sustainability efforts and has been named Sustainability Champion 2017.
Takoma Park accumulated 650 points, 500 above the minimum requirement of 150 and completed the mandatory priority actions necessary for certification. Priority actions consisted of implementing a community garden, performing municipal energy audits, developing a municipal carbon footprint, passing a green purchasing policy, creating a watershed plan, and developing a stormwater management program.
“Takoma Park is thrilled to receive the Sustainable Maryland Certified award for our commitment and hard work to maintaining and creating a livable community for all who live, work, and visit our beautiful city,” said Mayor Kate Stewart.
Takoma Park has been a pioneer of sustainable initiatives in Maryland. The City is fully committed to the idea of acting locally while thinking globally. If we all do our part on the local level, we will ensure that generations have a healthy planet to call home.
Trying to determine if buying a home is the road you want to travel? Join us for this free first-time home buyer seminar, led by the Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC), a HUD certified housing organization, where you will gain a better understanding of all the steps necessary to successfully close on a new home. Attend the entire session and receive a Certificate of Completion, allowing you access to low interest loans.
First-Time Home Buyer Seminar:Saturday, November 4, 2017
8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, MD
Class size is limited and pre-registration is required. To register, please contact the Housing & Community Development Department at (301) 891-7119 or sign up at
It’s fall, it’s a beautiful day, and so much is happening in Takoma Park!
Including this evening, there are five Council meetings left before City Council elections. Topics to be covered in October include:
Getting the sense of the current Council on the Takoma Junction Concept Plan recently presented by NDC – this involves a Work Session discussion on October 11 and a vote on October 18
Presentation of the draft Housing and Economic Development Strategic Plan
Appointing members to the newly established Takoma Park Youth Council
The possibility of allowing sidewalk cafes that serve alcohol in Takoma Park
Overview of appropriate City financial reserve levels and policies
Possibly taking a position on the proposed northern bridge crossing of the Potomac River
Adding neonicotinoids to the classes of pesticides that cannot be used for cosmetic lawn care
I’d like to focus on three of these that will have long-term impacts on Takoma Park: Takoma Junction, the Housing and Economic Development Strategic Plan, and Appropriate City Financial Reserves.
Takoma Junction.
I know it is a hot topic for some Takoma Park residents right now. It is a critical project at a key location that sets an important precedent for our community. Fortunately, I am pleased that the Council and staff have been carefully following the transparent procedures and criteria put in place at the beginning of the project. All information is on our website and a supplement to the existing Question and Answer document, which will address questions that have come up since the NDC’s concept plan was presented, should be posted by Thursday. Continuing to follow a clearly documented process with public input sets a great precedent for future economic development work that is appropriate for Takoma Park.
The project on the City’s parking lot at Takoma Junction will help the walkability and appearance of the Junction while adding community amenities and to the commercial tax base. How it exactly looks and functions is a continuing process of proposals and reviews, with multiple opportunities for public comment to the City Council, the Façade Board, the Historic Preservation Commission, and the Montgomery County Planning Board. I believe strongly that a good project here helps the long-term viability of other businesses in the Junction area, including the Takoma Park-Silver Spring Co-op.
One issue that is on people’s minds is the traffic flow (or lack thereof) in the Junction. Part of the current problem is the failing of the State Highway Administration (SHA) to adjust timing of the signals as they are being transitioned over to Montgomery County control. State Highway is also failing to appropriately oversee its contractor that is supposed to be installing traffic and crosswalk signals all along MD 410 in Takoma Park. Mayor Stewart and our District 20 Delegation have been putting pressure on SHA to correct the signal timing at the Junction and get the other work completed ASAP.
Part of the Takoma Junction project will be a City funded traffic study complementing the work that NDC is doing as part of its development design. This is to ensure that all of the Junction’s traffic flow (cars, trucks, bikes, and pedestrians) is considered while the project design is being evaluated. Again, there will be public discussion of the findings and recommendations.
Please check out the Takoma Junction Project Page, listen to a call-in discussion of the project on Takoma Radio (94.3FM) Sunday afternoon at 4 pm, and attend or watch the Council discussions on October 11 and 18.
Housing and Economic Development Strategic Plan
If you attend the Council meeting on October 18, stick around for the presentation of the draft Housing and Economic Development Strategic Plan prepared by our consultants, the Cloudburst Group. The presentation will go over actionable steps for the City to take over the next few years to keep Takoma Park livable by having a stronger tax base and more, and more varied, housing options for residents of different income levels.
Appropriate City Financial Reserves
The Takoma Park city government provides a large number of services to our residents with a relatively small budget. Since much of the City’s revenue comes from State and County payments, the City’s finances can be strongly impacted when those payments are reduced due to economic downturns or other unforeseeable circumstances. Natural and manmade disasters seem to be occurring weekly in the United States and we need to be able to meet our financial obligations even when emergencies occur. For this reason, a discussion of the appropriate level of City financial reserves is timely. The Council that is seated in November will be establishing the level of reserves in advance of the preparation of the FY 2019 City Budget. I am committed to ensuring that City tax dollars are handled carefully, spent frugally, and protected in the long run. Please feel free to contact me or your City Council representative with your thoughts about the appropriate level of City reserves.
In the Near Future
Besides the issues that are before the current Council, the incoming Council will be reviewing many projects, including the City Parking Study (nearing completion) and detailed plans for the renovated and expanded Takoma Park Library; working on issues such as tax duplication, the future of the Takoma Park Recreation Center, construction of the Flower Avenue Green Street and Ethan Allen Gateway projects, and continued innovative environmental sustainability work; all while examining our programs through a Racial Equity lens. In the spring, we will also have a new Residents Survey to help us find out what residents believe we are doing right and where we need to improve.
incorporation of green space, including a large green roof
NDC did a nice job of incorporating many of the features which residents identified from community conversations and the online survey into the concept plan.
Moving forward, City Council will hold a work session to discuss the concept plan further during the October 11 City Council Meeting. Additionally, Council will hold a voting session expressing the sense of the Council regarding the Takoma Junction Redevelopment concept plan on October 18.
As always, public engagement is encouraged and we invite members of the public to join us at 7:30 p.m. on most Wednesday’s for our City Council Meetings.
In Takoma Park, we believe that everyone should be able to have their voices heard, no matter their age!
Keeping to this idea, the City Council has newly established a Takoma Park Youth Council to provide an opportunity for the youth in our community to actively participate in their government.
How will I serve?
The Youth Council, will serve their fellow youth by:
informing the Takoma Park municipal government of the needs and wishes of youth
planning and implementing social, educational, cultural and recreational activities for the youth;
working with the Mayor, City Council, City department heads, schools, civic clubs and service organizations to provide service and leadership opportunities for the youth of the City; and,
helping to instill a feeling of positive self-worth and esteem, teaching respect for the rights of others, and promoting community pride.
Who are we looking for?
YOU! The Youth Council will consist of nine members in grades 7 through 12, with at least one member representing each of Takoma Park’s six wards. Additionally, members must meet the following qualifications:
remain residents of the City and the ward they may represent;
attend at least 75% of Youth Council meetings;
maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average for the current school year;
fulfill the responsibilities of the office held; and,
A section of Sligo Creek Parkway near Glengary Place will have a single lane closure on Thursday 9/14 and Friday 9/15. The closure will enable a contractor to replace a collapsed storm-drain pipe under the Parkway. The work will take place between the hours of 9 am and 3 pm.
Members of the public are invited to a discussion on suburban deer management on October 16 at 7:00 pm in the auditorium of the Community Center (7500 Maple Ave). George Timko, Deer Management Expert from Maryland DNR, will conduct the presentation. The presentation will last about 30 minutes and will conclude with a Q&A session. For questions please contact Rick Baravechia at duaneb@takomaparkmd.gov.
The City of Takoma Park will hold an unveiling ceremony for two newly installed solar streetlights outside of the Takoma Park Community Center on September 7th.
The City is thrilled to participate in a pilot program in partnership with UNO, a South Korean business, and the Korean Institute for Civil Engineering and Building Technology. Takoma Park was selected as a pilot because of its reputation as a sustainability leader throughout the region.
“Being chosen as a testing site for this new solar streetlight driver technology is really exciting,” said Gina Mathias, Sustainability Manager. “Takoma Park will be able to provide feedback which will help the company develop better, more efficient, more sustainable products to cities around the world.”
The project not only complements the City’s ongoing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also will illuminate a footbridge which will increase overall pedestrian safety.
Members of the public are invited to join Montgomery County Councilmember Tom Hucker and Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart for the ceremony on September 7, 2017, at 1:00 p.m. in front of the Community Center (7500 Maple Ave).
Takoma Park is committed to fostering an environmentally sustainable community and this addition reaffirms that commitment.
The City of Takoma Park is proud to announce that it has achieved recertification for its sustainability efforts and has been named Sustainability Champion 2017.
