On Wednesday, June 23, 2021, the Takoma Park City Council passed Resolution 2021-19, recommending that the Montgomery County Planning Board disapprove the site plan Neighborhood Development Company (NDC) submitted in January 2021 to develop Takoma Junction.

The site plan reviewed by the City Council lacks the necessary agency approvals for NDC’s proposed layby – the only proposed means for deliveries in the plan – and additional concerns remain about the available public space, parking, stormwater management, and the rear façade.

The Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) still has not approved the layby (or an optional shorter layby) proposed by NDC and has raised serious concerns regarding a number of safety-related issues in numerous communications.  In the absence of an approved layby, there is nothing in the current plan presented to the City Council to accommodate deliveries and trash removal.  Despite the City’s recommendation that NDC waits until work with SHA had resulted in an SHA-approved design, NDC insisted on presenting the plan to the Council. The Council’s June 23 resolution permits NDC to return to the City for review if changes to the proposed site plan address the absence of an approved layby and/or other issues raised.

Significant questions remain as to whether the current site plan could remain in its present form, or anything close to it if changes are needed to create a different layby or other delivery mechanism for the project.  Having no layby or a very different kind of layby for deliveries would likely affect the amount and configuration of public space, and could affect parking, stormwater, and other aspects of the site plan. The City Council would want to review the revised site plan if these changes were made.

The resolution continues to cite the City’s goals for the project at Takoma Junction to “act as a stimulus to the commercial district and locally-owned, independent businesses; improve the aesthetic appeal of the district, and be contextually sensitive and environmentally sustainable.” For the history of the project see here. For information about the development review process see here.

The City’s resolution was transmitted to the Planning Board on Thursday, June 24th.  Presently, NDC is tentatively scheduled to appear before the Planning Board in July.

The City Council has sent a letter to the Montgomery County Council opposing the passage of Zoning Text Amendment 19-07 (Telecommunications Towers – Limited Use) as currently drafted.

“The City of Takoma Park wants every resident of Montgomery County to have equitable access to affordable broadband internet. However, everyone should have a voice in the planning process. This ZTA, as currently drafted, would cut municipalities and residents out of the planning and siting process for many new “small” cell towers and strip us of our voices.”

Read the complete letter

Free COVID-19 Vaccinations Available
in Takoma Park

FEMA’s mobile vaccination trailer will be parked in the Washington Adventist University lot at the intersection of Carroll and Flower Avenues.

• Free MODERNA and Johnson & Johnson vaccines 
• Safe for ages 18 and older
• Plan to wait for 15-30 minutes after you receive your vaccine.
• Return to the same location for the second dose on July 13 to July 18
• Walk-ups accepted
•  Return to the same location for the second dose on July 13 to July 18

First Dose:

June 15 – 20, 2021

• Tuesday to  Friday: 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
• Saturday and  Sunday: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

Second Dose:

July 13  – 18, 2021

• Tuesday to  Friday: 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
• Saturday and  Sunday: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

On Wednesday, June 10, 2021, City Council passed a resolution to express appreciation for the Senior Leadership Team.

WHEREAS, the past fifteen months have been extremely challenging ones for the City’s Senior Leadership Team, which consists of department and key division heads; and WHEREAS, this time period included the COVID-19 pandemic and all of the work related to the shutdown of City facilities, continuity of City services, care of employees, and provision of assistance to residents and businesses; the death of George Floyd and its impacts; national and local elections; the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol; the second impeachment of President Trump; and preparations for the transition to a new City Manager;

Read the entire Resolution here.

The City street resurfacing project, originally planned to begin on Thursday June 10, is now expected to start on Monday, July 14. The program is expected to continue over two weeks, weather dependent. Flyers will be delivered to all properties on the affected streets with more detailed information and likely work dates. The milling (scraping two inches of old asphalt) will take place first and the resurfacing will follow 5 to 7 days later. The streets will be posted with ‘No Parking’ signs prior to the work dates.

The work will take place in the following order:

1. New York Avenue: from Takoma Avenue to Baltimore Avenue
2. Baltimore Avenue: from New York Avenue to Philadelphia Avenue
3. Birch Avenue: from Cedar Avenue to Barclay Avenue
4. Maple Avenue: from Philadelphia Avenue to Maplewood Avenue
5. Maplewood Avenue: from Maple Avenue to Flower Avenue

Key Points:

• The work hours are from 7am to 5pm
• Access to the street will be limited or blocked during milling and completely blocked during paving
• No parking will be allowed on the streets during the work, but can resume after 5pm so long as they are moved before 7am
• If residents have critical, scheduled events (dialysis appointments, medical transport, appliance delivery or household move), please contact Public Works: (301)-891-7611
• Speed humps and street markings will. be reinstalled a week or so after the paving is completed

The Takoma Park Reimagining Public Safety Task Force (RPSTF) first convened in March 2021. The purpose of the Task Force is to develop recommendations that make Takoma Park a safer, more livable community for all residents, with an emphasis on addressing racial inequalities that exist regarding public safety. The City Council created the Task Force as an opportunity for the City to bring community voices into the process as we take stock of what is working, what is not, and explore best practices in public safety in our City.

To date, the Task Force has met weekly as a full Task Force and established subcommittees related to Alternate Methods to Policing, Community Quality of Life, and Community Engagement and Transparency. The group has received and analyzed data from City agencies on traffic stops, arrests, and budgeting. The Task Force invited a number of subject matter experts to present information on topics ranging from housing and mental health to communications and complaint management. A complete record of meeting recordings and summaries can be found on the RPSTF project page here.

The Task Force has hosted two Community Listening Sessions so far where community members were able to address Task Force members directly.  The City has also created a number of opportunities for Takoma Park stakeholders to engage with this project. LINK Strategic Partners and Expectant Advisory, the Task Force’s facilitation partner, have conducted a series of stakeholder interviews with individuals in Takoma Park including school principals, renter community members, long-term residents, community leaders, and more. LINK also facilitated a focus group discussion for local community leaders and two focus groups with Takoma Park police officers. In the coming weeks, we are working with the business community to hold discussions to receive additional feedback. There is also an online survey open to the public to provide written comments that can be accessed here.

In the next six weeks, the Task Force will continue to meet to draft and refine recommendations for the City of Takoma Park. This timeline extension allows the Task Force to process additional community feedback and work with subject matter experts on further research while also ensuring that recommendations are finalized and communicated to the City Council in time to leverage funds anticipated from the American Recovery Plan Act.

As their efforts progress, please provide feedback to the Task Force using the public comment form on the project website here. The Task Force will hold a final Community Listening Session in mid-June to present initial recommendations for feedback – stay tuned for more information on how to participate.

Overview of Past Meetings: 

• March 16: Deep dive into the focus of the Task Force; discussed timeline, structure and process; spent time defining success for the work
• March 23: Task Force members received an overview of city government and agencies; discussion of subcommittees and structure; begin to identify subcommittee focus areas
• March 30: Task Force members went into breakouts to discuss subcommittee structure; what is working, what is not, and what can be done moving forward; resources and subject matter experts needed to accomplish the tasks.
• April 6: Chief DeVaul presented detailed traffic stop data as requested, overall and by race, and took questions from Task Force members.
• April 13: The proposed subcommittee assignments and their facilitators were announced. The subcommittees met to begin their work, map out recommendations for action, and identify further resource needs.
• April 20: Task Force citizen leads were announced, and they and subcommittee members reported on the themes developed during the subcommittee meetings of 4.13
• April 27: Grayce Wiggins, Manager of Housing and Community Development, was the guest speaker for the open portion of the meeting. City subject matter experts met with the subcommittees to respond to questions about their areas of expertise and their agencies’ operations.
• May 4: Chief of Police Antonio DeVaul gave an overview of arrest data for Takoma Park 2015-2020 and took questions from Task Force members. City Manager Suzanne Ludlow gave an overview of the Takoma Park budget and took questions from Task Force members.
• May 11: Subcommittees continued to dig into data and identify subject matter experts specific to their focus areas.
• May 18: Subcommittees reported on their process and progress. The Task Force and attendees heard from subject matter experts they had requested: Claudia Tolson, Takoma Park Police Department Victim/Witness Coordinator, and Dr. Simone Walton, Mental Health Subcommittee Lead on the Montgomery County Task Force.
• May 25: Subcommittees worked to further refine the recommendations developing from their research. Subject matter experts requested by Task Force members met with the subcommittees: Dara Baldwin, Director of National Policy, Center for Disability Rights; Bernice Mireku-North, The North Law Group, Co-Chair, Montgomery County Task Force; Marc Mauer, Senior Advisor at The Sentencing Project, Co-Chair, Montgomery County Task Force; Donna Wright, Takoma Park Communications Specialist; Andrew Powell, Deputy Chief & Internal Affairs Representative Takoma Park Police Department; Dan Frishkorn, Captain, Takoma Park Police Department; Jessica Clarke, Takoma Park Deputy City Manager
• June 1: Subcommittee report-outs on refining recommendations. Subject matter experts Delegate David Moon and Ann Ciekot of Public Policy Partners provided an overview of legislative reform efforts related to public safety at the State level

Timeline Graphic

Members of the Community,

I am thrilled to be joining the City of Takoma Park in August as your new City Manager. My family and I are very appreciative of you and many in our community who have and continue to reach out and welcome us.

I have a passion for public service and the impact we have on the community from building inclusive teams, programming, community events, arts, transportation investments to innovative health and wellness opportunities to public-private partnerships for economic prosperity.

I believe Takoma Park has a dedicated and professional workforce, strong commitment to racial equity, strong local employers, and diverse schools. The community is uniquely prepared for a strong future post-COVID-19.

What also attracted me was that this opportunity provided the right blend of cultural and educational opportunities in a region with a unique set of community assets that is unmatched given the proximity to Washington, DC for our young family.

My wife Jaimee and I will have two young kids and we were interested in an environment where we can not only re-establish family roots but also where we can make a significant impact on the community. I grew up in the DMV, particularly in northern Virginia and this opportunity will allow me to relocate closer to my family, who like many families over the last year have been impacted by the pandemic and need support and assistance.

We saw Takoma Park as a beautiful community that shared our family values and where we could raise our family. My family and I look forward to connecting with you in the community. We are very excited to take part in future community festivals, shop at both farmers markets and Takoma Park Silver Spring CO-OP and take advantage of all the City has to offer.

I want to thank you in advance for your grace and understanding as we embark on our journey together. The late Coretta Scott King once said, “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members, a heart of grace, and a soul generated by love”. As we collectively prepare for my tenure, I encourage us all to embrace the spirit of compassion with acts of kindness and a willingness to work together to solve the most pressing issues facing our community.

***

Link to PDF of Letter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Release

Mayor and City Council Designate Jamal T. Fox as Takoma Park’s Next City Manager

“After conducting a thorough national search and an extensive interview process, we are pleased to welcome Jamal to the City. His experience, background and leadership will serve the residents and employees in Takoma Park and its future very well. We are looking forward to having Jamal join our team to assist our community as we look to recover from the pandemic and move forward on racial equity, housing, climate change, reimagining public safety and other initiatives,” said Mayor Kate Stewart.

“I am very honored by Mayor Stewart and the City Council to be selected to serve as the City Manager for Takoma Park. I am thrilled about this opportunity to join a strong, dedicated, and talented team. I am looking forward to collaborating with the City Council, staff, residents, and the business community,” said Fox.

Mr. Fox currently serves as the City Administrator in Camas, Washington. He has also served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Mayor and was the city’s Parks Property & Business Development Manager for the City of Portland, Oregon. Previously, Fox worked in the City Manager’s Office and in the Planning and Community Development Department in the City of Greensboro, North Carolina.

Mr. Fox has a Master of Public Administration degree from the Capella University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from North Carolina A&T State University. At the age of 25, Fox became the youngest person ever to be elected and serve on the Greensboro City Council representing District 2 (northeast Greensboro). He is a former adjunct professor in political science at North Carolina A&T State University and high school teacher with Guilford County Schools.

Fox and his wife, Jaimee, have one son, Jamal Jr., who is 2 years old and a daughter on the way in July. Fox is a proud father, husband and member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Fox is looking forward to becoming an active member in the community and region.

Mr. Fox will begin work at the City of Takoma Park on August 2, 2021.

The City of Takoma Park operates under a council-manager form of government. The City Manager is responsible to the Mayor and the Council for the day-to-day management of city operations. Under provisions of the City Charter and code, the City Manager prepares a budget for the Mayor and Council’s approval; recruits, hires, and supervises staff; serves as the Mayor and Council’s chief administrative officer; implements Mayor and Council policies; and provides professional recommendations.

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Read the Press Release here

Media Contact:
Donna Wright
Communications Specialist
donnaw@takomaparkmd.gov
301-891-7236