Category Archives: News

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News, Takoma Park Newsletter

Chief Tony DeVaul: Motivating Police to Be Community Guardians

by Gayle Stewart
Takoma Park Police Department Chaplain

Over the summer, several police departments around the country were in searches for police chiefs in addition to being in competition for police officers. Chuck Wexler, the executive director for the Police Executive Research Forum, a police think tank, commented on the police chief searches and said, “It’s a real challenge to find someone who meets the goal of dealing with crime while also reforming a police department.”

When I saw those words, I thought, We are fortunate, as I sat across from Chief Antonio DeVaul in his office—his arm was just out of the sling, having undergone shoulder surgery. We are fortunate in that we have a chief who understands the needs of this community and how to lead a police department. His office shows his love of policing. It is full of memorabilia, challenge coins, miniature police cars, awards, and certificates detailing his life in policing.

I’ve watched this department ever since I moved here in 1984 when my colleague Tony Fisher was chief. I have watched as officers were hired, advanced through the ranks, and then retired and went to other police departments. In the 1990s, I worked closely with the department in the implementation of community policing.

We’ve had a pretty good police department over those years, but with Chief DeVaul, we have an excellent police department, and he’s been able to do what Chuck Wexler believes is missing in policing: deal with crime and reform the department. During his five years as chief, he’s overseen a turnover of 70% of both sworn and civilian personnel. We have a brand-new police department that is aligned with and responsive to the needs of this community.

Tony Fisher, our first African American police chief, had an impact on 15-year-old Tony DeVaul, whose family moved to Takoma Park when he was 3 years old—such that when DeVaul joined policing, he wanted to emulate Fisher. Like many African American youth, DeVaul had not always had a good relationship with the City’s police, but he admired Chief Fisher and community sports leaders like Lee Jordan.

Tony DeVaul knew he wanted to make a difference when he joined policing, pursuing his career with Maryland-National Capital Park Police, before coming back to Takoma Park as the police chief.

Chief DeVaul says that preventing crime means looking at the root causes of crime and disorder and putting programs in place that address those issues. The chief is a proponent of recreational programs like those he participated in. He wants to help make sure that people have housing, jobs that pay a decent wage, and an education that points to a future. He wants young people to have the upbringing and opportunities he had because he knows that people—particularly young people—who have opportunities, who know they are valued don’t commit crime. He’s excited about the City’s mental health pilot program, through which two mental health counselors are embedded with police officers. Calls can be diverted from the police to those counselors, who are trained to handle people who are experiencing mental health crises. This frees up police officers for other calls that require their services.

Chief DeVaul encourages a guardian mentality rather than a warrior mentality. All of this is a culture change for the police and for the community. It takes a strong constitution to advocate for and make these changes—because there will be complaints, there will be pushback from those who want the police to just lock up people and from those who just don’t understand.

He has worked to raise morale among all department employees. Since Tony DeVaul became chief, the starting salary has been increased, and there are other incentives for officers to transfer from other departments. The reward and promotional systems have been changed so fairness is the underlying component. Transparency is also key when it comes to sharing crime data throughout the community. The department is fully staffed, something most departments around the country cannot say.

Diversity is key in the department that serves a diverse community. Across the department, officers speak seven languages. Residents can see themselves reflected in the backgrounds of the police officers, in the racial, gender, and sexual orientation of department members.

Is there still crime? Of course, there is. The only way to eliminate crime is to have a police state—and even then there will be crime. But, here, data are used to deploy officers and to determine how crime is managed. The focus is on serious crime, and officers are assigned to areas where they will have the most impact. Again, the focus is on prevention, with arrests as necessary. There are no arrest quotas in this department. Good police work is rewarded and encouraged.

The Takoma Park Police Department culture gives officers the latitude to make decisions in the best interests of the residents. That is innovative. And it is also difficult in a national climate in which every action of police officers is scrutinized and videotaped.

Chief DeVaul is both thankful for and proud of the department’s personnel who never know what type of reception they will receive when responding to a call or answering the phone. But there are more compliments than complaints and the chief is quick to praise personnel formally and informally. Personnel have gone out of their way to assist people in need and that is because of the culture that values people regardless of their circumstances.

Police personnel work with the weight of the world on their shoulders and then go home to their own families—that is the goal, to go home to their families. These officers have experienced horrific incidents, and still they keep plugging on.

Under Chief DeVaul’s leadership, the department was among the first police departments in the state to sign the 30/30 pledge which commits the department to having 30 percent of sworn personnel female by 2030. They have signed a pledge committed to transparency concerning body-worn camera footage. The department’s use-offorce policies are consistent with #8CantWait, which requires de-escalation before using deadly force. All operational procedures have been evaluated to ensure that they align with best practices and that they were consistent with the department’s changed philosophy to truly serve and protect.

Personnel have undergone Active Bystandership Law Enforcement (ABLE) training offered by Georgetown University that trains officers to “successfully intervene to prevent harm and to create a law enforcement culture that supports peer intervention” when they observe bad behavior on the part of other officers. His job, according to the chief, is to maintain a culture that encourages personnel to remain.

We have a police department that can serve as an example to others around the country. To be the chief of police is to be the hinge point between the department, the community, and government leaders. It is to be our contact for policing at the country, state, and federal levels.

To be chief is to put a human face on a system that resists reform and is derided by many—sometimes with good cause. And at the end of the day, to be chief is to be that 15-year-old teen who saw something in another chief and ended up leading that very same department.

News, Takoma Park Newsletter

The Little Chatbot that Could (but Should It?)

By Jessica Jones

It’s hard to read the headlines now and not encounter news stories, think pieces, and personal opinions of varying levels of informed-ness about artificial intelligence (AI). We can feel all kinds of ways about it, but I believe we all have an obligation to do what we can to learn to recognize, use, and coexist with it, in order to mitigate harmful potential.

To be clear, a lite version of AI is what we are seeing now with ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, and Microsoft’s Sydney. None of these are really what we associate with the term “artificial intelligence.” None are 2001: A Space Odyssey’s HAL, for instance. They are powerful programs and algorithms that can be widely manipulated, though—so for the purposes of this article, when referring to “AI,” I am referencing the likes of ChatGPT, Bard, and Sydney.

Much of my personal background is in the humanities (emphasis on human-ities), and I fully recognize that it is a bias I bring to this topic, so efforts have been made to perform due diligence in understanding the positive potential of AI, as well as its pitfalls.

I wanted a more holistic look at the implications of AI in our lives, so I spoke with a friend who has as well-rounded an outlook on it as I could imagine. Dr. Jason Hemann is a professor of computer science at Seton Hall University with degrees in history, philosophy, and computer science—a perfect combination to put AI in context.

Dr. Hemann says that he has already changed how he teaches based on AI’s accessibility to the public. He believes that the technology isn’t going anywhere and that we need to adapt to it. For instance, in addition to straightforward coding assignments, Dr. Hemann has asked students to give a chatbot instructions to write the code for a program. The students have to learn how to effectively delegate tasks to it and understand its limitations. To demonstrate mastery of the material, he asks them to evaluate the programs that AI writes, as well as scale the programs up to test their flexibility and usability.

This type of assignment is an excellent example of applied machine learning, a field that is gaining exponential prominence in computer science and engineering curricula. Machine learning is essentially the practice of teaching computers (machines) how to learn and produce the desired outcomes.

Machine learning will facilitate the automation of many tasks, but humans still need to understand the code it generates. AI will never fully replace programmers in the same way that Google hasn’t replaced librarians (as so many people have been predicting … for years). But, just as the Internet has changed the way libraries operate, AI will likely change the programming landscape.

Will we need as many programmers in five years as we have today? I don’t know, but as AI comes for white collar jobs, I do expect conversations about universal basic income to escalate. But that’s another topic for another day!

One of the benefits of AI and machine learning is that programming and coding will become more accessible to people who do not have extensive experience and training—much of which is expensive and time consuming. Less gatekeeping can mean more inclusive innovation and fewer barriers to entrepreneurship. It can also be a form of informal oversight.

A more diverse programming landscape is good for all of us, especially in light of the biases that programmers can bring to their code. Scientific American published an article in May 2023 that found that “law enforcement agencies that use automated facial recognition disproportionately arrest Black people. We believe this results from factors that include the lack of Black faces in the algorithms’ training data sets, a belief that these programs are infallible and a tendency of officers’ own biases to magnify these issues.”

The AI bot Midjourney was asked to generate images of professors in different areas of study, and almost all of the generated images appeared to be white people, and the majority appeared to be men. That is not entirely misrepresentational of the demographics of American academia, but is it what academia should look like? Is that an impression we want to reinforce? This is a rhetorical question of course, because a diverse instructional body is better able to connect with a more diverse study body, which in turn facilitates better learning outcomes.

Earlier this year, a new Drake and The Weeknd track, “Heart on My Sleeve,” hit streaming services and quickly went to the top of the chart, but it wasn’t actually Drake and The Weeknd. Their voices, lyrics, and beats were generated by AI. The artists’ record companies immediately mobilized to have the tracks taken down because of copyright infringement, but the other issue that arises is
more existential: What is the role of authenticity in our lives now?

Is “Heart on My Sleeve” a real song? If the person(s) who wrote the commands that generated the work is not Black, does using Drake’s and The Weeknd’s likenesses count as cultural appropriation? How do we know how to respond to art when we doubt its origins?

I listened to the song, “Heart on My Sleeve,” and it was good! It sounds like Drake’s and the Weeknd’s voices, the lyrics are interesting, and the beat is catchy. If AI can fake art this convincingly, I feel for the English and history instructors out there who are already inundated with AI-generated essays and papers in their grading piles.

AI is a powerful tool, but it is not above criticism. It opens doors, but it can also reinforce problematic practices and ideologies from racism to plagiarism to copyright infringement. Now, none of us is above falling for a fake. Keep questioning, keep factchecking, and, when in doubt, go to the Library!

For more articles like this, check out the August Newsletter: https://takomaparkmd.gov/news/newsletter/

News, Public Notices

Feeling Unsafe on Maple Avenue: Reasons for a Roadway Redesign

 

Since 2018, there have been six crashes on Maple Avenue that involved pedestrians or bike riders, and over twenty crashes involving vehicles alone. One resulted in severe injury and hospitalization of a bike rider. Active crashes aren’t the only thing that impacts an individual’s sense of safety: how long it takes to cross in a crosswalk (if there even is a crosswalk), how fast cars are driving by, the experience of “close calls”, the lighting of the sidewalk at night or the maintenance of the sidewalk’s surface, and even the number of other people around can impact how safe someone feels.

Every day, people use Maple Avenue for a multitude of reasons, from walking kids to school, to commuting to work, to getting some fresh air on a bike ride to the park. City staff also regularly hear about how unsafe walkers, bikers, riders, and drivers feel on Maple Avenue. And it’s no wonder! The southern section of Maple Ave is narrow and steep, while the northern section has lanes that are wider than on a freeway and gaping intersections designed for moving cars through the area as quickly as possible, at the expense of everyone else. These were design decisions made at some point in the past, and new design choices can work to counteract those aspects that do not work. We don’t need to wait until another serious crash happens before we do something about it.

The Maple Avenue Connectivity Project aims to increase the sense of safety and comfort for all road users, with special priority for pedestrians and bike riders. After all, even drivers and especially transit users are at least part-time pedestrians on their way to and from their rides. The project will explore different design options that use different strategies to achieve this goal:

  • Increase Visibility: design elements like high-visibility crosswalks, curb extensions, and restricted parking close to crosswalks help increase how visible pedestrians are, either by putting them in brighter contrast to their surroundings, elevating them, or removing visual obstacles, like parked cars.
  • Reduce Subconscious Incentives to Speed: painted lane striping doesn’t sound like much, but studies show that when drivers feel like the road is narrow or has more obstacles to consider, they subconsciously slow down substantially. Narrowing vehicle lanes, adding elevated crosswalks or flashing beacons as crossings, and even planting street trees that take up space in a driver’s line of sight all have subtle, subconscious effects on how comfortable a driver feels going fast.
  • Add Physical Deterrents to Speed: sometimes subconscious strategies aren’t enough. Adding features to the road such as speed humps, posts or bollards, or even strategically arranging on-street parking can be effective tools (and leave some overly reckless drivers with a lasting reminder of their transgression.)
  • Reduce Mixing Zones: the places where different modes of transportation cross one another can be some of the most dangerous, in part because there isn’t always a clear understanding of who should be where and how each should behave with each other. This becomes apparent with bike riders who feel uncomfortable sharing an unmarked driving lane, or seniors crossing private driveways on their stroll to the bus stop. Mixing zones can never fully be erased, but they can be minimized by the use of dedicated bike lanes, reduction in unnecessary driveways, and leading pedestrian intervals at intersections (as a few examples).

 

These and other strategies will be explored over the next few months to generate preliminary designs for the project. To weigh in on the safety issues that are important to you and stay up to date on the project’s progress, visit the city’s project web page: https://bit.ly/MapleAvenueConnectivity.

News, Public Notices

Takoma Park Minor Master Plan FAQs

 

Source: City of Takoma Park

To see a listing of all blog posts for the Minor Master Plan – visit the Minor Master webpage.

 

  • If I live in an area that gets rezoned, will I be forced to change anything about my property?
    • No. The adoption of the Minor Master Plan Amendment will not force anyone to sell, give up, or change a property that they already own. There may be impacts on property value (likely increase), but how an owner chooses to keep, develop, or sell their property will remain up to them.
  •  Have Washington Adventist Healthcare and Washington Adventist University been involved in the planning process to date?
    • Yes. The Montgomery Planning team and City staff have been in regular conversation with both Washington Adventist University and Washington Adventist Health through the duration of the process, including monthly coordination meetings. Both organizations are stakeholders in the process, but do not drive the planning process; all stakeholders are taken into account.
  •  Will the green space at the corner of Maple Ave and Sligo Creek Pkwy, next to Essex House, be developed?
    • No. The green space being discussed is owned by Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) and is treated as a part of Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park. The Minor Master Plan Amendment treats the green space as a conserved area important for stormwater management. In particular, the space may be impacted by the recommendation to “address failing outfall infrastructure and unstable banks at Brashear’s Run where the stream daylights on parkland.” (p. 87) There are no recommendations for new building structures of any kind to be built on the parcel.
  •  What will the influence of the MMPA’s recommendation of a Green Promenade be with the Maple Avenue Connectivity Project?
    • The Maple Avenue Connectivity Project is already in the design stage, ahead of the Minor Master Plan approval. However, the Minor Master Plan was developed with the awareness that the Maple Ave project is underway, and deliberately leaves room and flexibility for the development of the project, without points of conflict.
  •  Will the County conduct a Climate Assessment, and when does that happen?

    • As required by Bill 3-22, approved by the County Council in July 2022, Montgomery Planning staff will prepare a Climate Assessment for the Planning Board draft of the Takoma Park Minor Master Plan Amendment that will be transmitted to the County Council hopefully later this year. The document will be publicly available at that time.
  •  What kind of racial equity considerations or analysis is included in the planning process?
    • The County Racial Equity and Social Justice Act (Bill 27-19) requires the County Office of Legislative Oversight to prepare a Racial Equity and Social Justice Impact Statement for the County Council for bills and Zoning Text Amendments and for the Planning Board to consider racial equity and social justice impacts when preparing a Master Plan, which includes Minor Master Plan Amendments. As part of this “Equity Agenda for Planning”, Montgomery Planning closely considered equity in examining the history and existing conditions of the Plan area and surrounding communities, the community engagement strategy, the plan’s data analysis, and the development of recommendations.During staff work sessions following September 14, 2023, Public Hearing, the Planning Board will consider and discuss the racial equity and social justice impacts of the Minor Master Plan Amendment. Additional information on Montgomery Planning’s Equity in Agenda for Planning can be found online at https://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/equity-agenda-for-planning/. Any new development that advances from this planning process would also be subject to the City’s racial equity initiative mandate to explore the racial justice impacts.

 

  • The next step of this process is for the County Planning Board to set up work sessions; what is the purpose of these, how is a given topic selected and by whom?
    • Maryland law requires the Planning Department to conduct a “comprehensive review” of the numerous aspects related to land development (e.g., land use, environment, transportation, schools, and more) before zoning can be changed for a defined Plan Area. As also required by the law, the Planning Board holds a Public Hearing on the Public Hearing Draft Plan to receive public comment. Oral testimony provided at the Public Hearing and written testimony provided to the Planning Board within the designated timeframe collectively constitute the Public Record for the plan. The purpose of work sessions is for the Planning Board to discuss the comments received on the Public Record and determine if zoning, text, or other changes are needed to the Public Hearing Draft Plan.  After reviewing the Public Record, Montgomery Planning staff will schedule work sessions during the Planning Board’s regular meetings, with recommended topics to discuss at each.  The Planning Board ultimately determines the topics to be addressed at a work session.
Arts & Humanities, News, News Alert

“Dancing Joy” Film Screening Transports Viewers Across the World on Sept. 29

DANCING JOY Free Film Screening 

Friday, Sept. 29 at 7:30 pm

Takoma Park Community Center

7500 Maple Avenue

In a celebration of music and dance, a film crew traveled 56,000 miles to four continents to film local dance troupes performing traditional dances to Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

The City of Takoma Park’s Takoma Park Arts series will feature a free screening of Dancing Joy at 7:30 pm on Sept. 29 in the Takoma Park Community Center auditorium at 7500 Maple Avenue. All are welcome, and no tickets or reservations are required.

More than 200 dancers choreographed and performed dances in Indonesia, Fiji, Nepal, Korea, Botswana, Greece, Northern Ireland, West Virginia, and a dozen other locales.

In a female-led production, producer Kate Tsubata prepared for 12 years before embarking on the film’s production. Film director Lan T. Lee—herself a choreographer and dancer—utilized the language of dance to guide the performers, many of whom didn’t speak English. Closer to home, the film also featured deaf and hard-of-hearing dancers at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

“We wanted to honor Beethoven’s own battle with hearing loss so the first group we approached was the Gallaudet Dance Company, which was founded in 1955,” Tsubata said. “They originated ASL dance and play a key role in the film with sign language-based dance moves that interpret the choral lyrics.”

Authenticity was a priority for the filmmakers. Capturing the historic and natural beauty of the varied locations as well as the dance traditions of each culture was paramount. Handheld camera work, drone, and GoPro action cameras, brings viewers into close proximity with the performers.

Tsubata and film editor Mie Smith will take part in a Q&A with the audience after the screening. There is a trailer and more info about the film at joydancemovie.com.

During two months of shooting, the film crew experienced summer and winter in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, high altitudes, and tropical climates. “Local crews in each nation helped with translation, local regulations, and wardrobes,” Tsubata said.

The Takoma Park Arts series, which is organized by the City’s Arts and Humanities Division, includes many free film screenings, art exhibitions, concerts, theater, and poetry readings at the Takoma Park Community Center.

Please go to takomaparkmd.gov/arts and sign up for our e-newsletter to get more info about our upcoming events.

News, Public Notices

How Will the City’s Stormwater & Tree Protection Policies Impact the Minor Master Plan?

Process for Stormwater Permit

Stormwater management is regulated by the City of Takoma Park. The purpose of the stormwater permit process is to ensure the safe conduct of stormwater runoff for certain properties when being developed or expanded. It identifies both quantitative aspects (volume) and qualitative aspects (pollution removal). The permit requirements are identified in City Code, Section 16.04.140 and are based on the Maryland Dept of the Environment Stormwater Management Design Manual. The Maryland Manual defines the scope and extent of Environmental Site Design (ESD) elements and how they can be quantified to achieve ESD to the Maximum Extent Practical (MEP) as defined by law.

All institutional, commercial or industrial construction projects within the City limits require a stormwater permit, regardless of the size of the project. (For residential construction, the project must disturb 5,000 square feet in order to require a permit.)

The process includes three steps:

  • Concept Plan Review,
  • Site Plan Review,
  • Final Permitting.

For residential projects and smaller commercial projects, the concept and site plan review phase can be combined. During the Site Development phase of the permit process, the City will require geotechnical analysis, both for construction and for the stormwater features of the building. The final step concludes with issuance of a stormwater permit, providing the plans have been verified and meet the requirements.

Sediment and erosion control are a process overseen by Montgomery County, through the Department of Permitting Services. An applicant is required to apply for a Sediment and Erosion Control permit, as per the requirements of the County’s construction permitting process. The City does not review or issue approval for sediment and erosion control. However, the City works with the County inspector to ensure that the permit conditions are being followed and reports any perceived violations to the inspector.

The requirements for stormwater management are specified by City Code (Title 16), which references adherence to the Maryland Stormwater Design Manual (MDE Manual), and State of Maryland requirements outlined in Maryland Stormwater Design Manual:
https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/water/StormwaterManagementProgram/Pages/stormwater_design.aspx .

The MDE Stormwater Management Manual and the City’s permitting process and review guidelines are detailed on the City’s website:

The vacant hospital campus is approximately 20 acres, and the proposed Minor Master Plan amendment requires that “Redevelopment on site should be addressed under a single Sketch Plan application to the greatest extent practicable to ensure the site as a whole meets the recommendations of this Plan.”

The site currently has no stormwater management quality controls and all run-off from the site flows to the surrounding area and into Sligo Creek through over land sheet flow or via a limited number of inlets and discharge pipes. The stormwater management requirements for the site will require treatment of 50% of the run-off from the existing impervious area and treatment of 100% of run-off from the new impervious area added over the existing impervious area for the one-year storm.

The proposed stormwater management plans may include a number of different measures:

  • green roofs,
  • bioretention facilities,
  • permeable paving,
  • infiltration basin,
  • riparian buffer
  • and other options.

County requirements include a 100-foot buffer from the stream for any new development.

Process for Tree Removal & Tree Protection Permit

While the County does have tree replanting and protection requirements for development projects, the City maintains separate requirements related to tree removal and protection.

When a final site plan is determined, a developer will formally apply for the tree removal and Tree Protection Plan permits, if necessary. The City’s arborist will review the applications and assess the final number of tree replants as well as the conditions for tree protection. The City’s tree removal permit process requires the planting of replacement trees or payment of fee in lieu.

The details of the tree removal permit process are on the City website:

The details of the Tree Protection Plan requirements are on the city website:

 

News, Public Notices

Extended: Call for Youth Council Applications

The City Council is seeking applicants for the 2023-2024 Takoma  Park Youth Council.

Application Form

Applications have been extended for the Takoma Park Youth Council until Friday, August 25.

The Takoma Park Youth Council was established by the City Council:
  1. To provide an opportunity for the youth of Takoma Park to acquire a greater knowledge of and appreciation for local government through active participation in the system.
  2. To help the City Council to address problems and accomplish the goals of this community by working directly with the representatives of youth.
  3. To serve the youth of Takoma Park 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.

Youth Council members receive SSL hours for their service!

Youth Council Charter

Youth Council web page

Please contact Jessie Carpenter, City Clerk, with questions or requests for additional information: jessiec@takomaparkmd.gov or 240-723-0437.

News, Public Notices

What is the Maple Avenue Connectivity Project?

 

The Maple Avenue Connectivity Project aims to redesign the roadway on Maple Avenue to prioritize the safety, comfort, and convenience of adults and children who walk, ride bikes and scooters, and take transit. In the process, we hope that it will make driving a car safer, too!

Maple Avenue is one of the most diverse roadways in the city. The one-mile corridor from the DC border to Sligo Creek Park traverses through three wards, past some of the most expensive single-family homes and some of the densest, most affordable apartment buildings

Along the route, there are:

  • a public elementary school,
  • a church,
  • senior living services,
  • public parks,
  • the city services contained in the Community Center (library, city offices, recreation spaces, and the police department),
  • and local retail shops.

The route is a vital transportation connection for public transit riders, hundreds of students and families walking to school, and bicycle commuters and recreationalists accessing the Sligo Creek Trail and DC’s bike lane network.

The Maple Avenue Connectivity Project, a reboot of the project previously known as the Maple Avenue Complete Street project, will spend Fall 2023 re-evaluating past preliminary designs for the roadway. There were many strong elements to the previous version, but we also heard from many corners of the community that more time was needed to create a design that is maximally inclusive and effective in creating a sense of safety and accessibility. Feedback will be gathered during a series of pop-up workshops along the corridor, focus groups, and a large format community meeting during the months of August, September, and October. 

Once a revised preliminary design is completed, the city’s consulting team, RK&K, will advance to a more detailed stage of design, known as semifinal or 60% design plans. In this stage, the broad brushstrokes of the preliminary designs are refined with more  technical analysis and permitting b in order to advance the design. Also during the early part of this stage, additional rounds of community feedback will help guide the design refinement. A complete, semifinal design plan is expected by Summer 2024, and a complete final design plan is expected by Fall 2024.

To find the schedule of community pop-ups, as well as information about the project and how to sign up for regular project updates, visit the project website: https://bit.ly/MapleAvenueConnectivity.

News, Public Notices

The Minor Master Plan and Protecting Affordable Housing on Maple Avenue

 

The Minor Master Plan recommends preserving and improving existing affordable housing in the area while supporting the creation of a diversity of new market rates and affordable housing. The Plan proposes the increase of affordable housing opportunities and sets the benchmark of achieving no net loss of affordable housing (Public Hearing Draft Section 3.3.2).

The Minor Master Plan is  built on the goals of Thrive Montgomery 2050, which strive to make housing more affordable and attainable both through new construction and preservation. The Plan proposes new zoning for Maple Avenue from Philadelphia Avenue to Sligo Creek Parkway. The purpose of the new zoning is to clean up old zoning that is obsolete, to make existing buildings compliant with zoning laws, and to allow for a mix of both commercial and residential uses.

Existing Conditions

The current zoning in the Maple Avenue District is predominantly residential, with an overlay zone which allows for small amounts of retail. Most of the Maple Avenue properties are zoned R-10, the densest residential zone, and a few are R-20, moderately dense residential. Under current zoning, in an R-10 district, multi-unit properties may be redeveloped under the standard method to a maximum height of 100’. Currently, several of the largest buildings in the District are 12 stories, with a maximum building height of 17 stories. Most of the buildings were constructed in the 1950s and 1960s, and many are in need of reinvestment to ensure quality, affordable housing.

There are approximately 1,260 housing units in the Maple Avenue District;  condominiums make up 16 percent of the units; approximately 40 percent are market-rate rental units governed by the City’s rent stabilization laws; and 44 percent are affordable rental units, also known as “deed restricted subsidized housing”.

Affordable Housing and Market Rate Housing:

The City of Takoma Park has policies in place that offer protections for current renters on Maple Avenue. It is a multi-layered picture of how rent-stabilization policies, for-profit building owners, and non-profit affordable housing providers create and manage housing in the community.

Condominiums

Condominium units are individually owned and taxed, just like single-family homes. A condominium property is governed by a condo board, who oversees property improvements and maintenance. If a condominium owner decides to rent their unit, that rental unit would be subject to the City’s rent stabilization ordinance.

Market Rate

The City’s rent stabilization ordinance first implemented over 40 years ago, allows landlords to use the first five years after the creation of the rental unit to establish the base rent.  After five years, the landlord may only increase rent by a factor of inflation, as identified by the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) adjustment. (3.7% in FY24).  In Montgomery County, larger multi-unit development is also impacted by the Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) law, which requires development to set aside at least 12.5% of new units for residents making no more than 65% AMI (for garden-style apartments) or 70% AMI (for high-rise apartments).

Deed-Restricted Subsidized Housing

There is a category of housing that does not fall under the rent stabilization laws of the City because it is “deed-restricted subsidized housing,” meaning there are covenants and easements on properties to guarantee units remain available only for low-income households. The federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department and other affordable housing financing programs will set maximum allowable rents for deed restricted subsidized housing. The maximum rents are set so households pay no more than 30% of their annual income in housing expenses.

The existence of Takoma Park’s rent stabilization ordinance has succeeded in preserving highly affordable rents in the City as compared to the broader Washington Metro region. The below compares regional median rents based on the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year data survey. In Takoma Park, 93% of non-subsidized, market-rate rental housing rents at below the maximum federal limit for low-income (50% AMI) households.

Regional Median Monthly Rents

DC Metro AreaMontgomery CountyCity of Takoma Park
$1,783$1,844$1,198
Diversified Housing:

In the Washington area, there is a shortage of housing. Takoma Park generally has two types of housing available: affordable apartments, or single-family housing, which in today’s market is out of reach of younger or lower income residents. The City  lacks the diverse housing options needed for an economically, socially and racially diverse community.  In October, 2019, the Takoma Park City Council adopted the Housing and Economic Development Strategic Plan. The overarching themes of the Strategic Plan are to:

  • Preserve existing businesses and affordable housing in Takoma Park, including in revitalizing areas;
  • Produce more housing and opportunities for businesses to start and grow across the income spectrum and in neighborhoods across the City to meet the diverse housing and economic needs;
  • Protect renters, homeowners, and local businesses from discrimination and displacement; and protect our environment from destruction.

The Strategic Plan includes details under each category: The following objectives are listed under “Produce:”

    1. Increase the number of units and variety of housing types across the affordability spectrum that are attractive to a diverse demographic and do not result in economically segregated communities or increase existing economic segregation.
    2. Encourage the construction of new moderate and higher density infill commercial, residential and mixed-use development and redevelopment, consistent with the recommendations of the City’s Sustainability and Climate Action Plan.
    https://takomaparkmd.gov/initiatives/project-directory/housing-and-economic-development-strategic-plan/

The Draft Minor Master Plan also presents recommendations for housing production, affordable housing production and preservation of housing and affordability. The following recommendations are for Housing Production:

  • Support a creative diversity of housing options including personal living quarters and/or micro units; “missing middle” housing types such as tiny houses, cottages, duplexes, townhomes, multiplexes, and small apartment buildings; shared housing, cooperative housing, co-housing, live-work units, and accessory dwelling units (ADUs), to help meet housing needs and diversify housing options.
  • Provide financial and other incentives to boost housing production for market rate and affordable housing, especially near transit and in Complete Communities.
  • New housing developments in the Plan Area should strive to increase the quality and quantity of housing units that are accessible to people with disabilities and older adults.

Public Hearing Draft Spring 2023 (3.3.2.1) (p.68-70)