Category Archives: News

Category for general news items.

News, Public Notices

Notice of Proposed Code Amendments Regarding Tenant Displacement and Relocation Expenses

 

Notice of Proposed Code Amendments regarding Tenant Displacement and Relocation Expenses, which modifies Takoma Park Code, Chapters 6.16 Landlord-Tenant Relations) and 6.36 (Unsafe Buildings-Public Nuisance Abatement) – To clarify the requirements of landlords in the event of a rental unit condemnation.

An ordinance updating the Takoma Park Code is being proposed to clarify the requirements of landlords in the event of a rental unit condemnation. The proposed amendments lay out the timeline, payment requirements, and rights of tenants in the event of a rental unit condemnation.

 

To obtain further information about the proposed regulation, contact:

Devin McNally, Housing Manager
Housing and Community Development Dept.
301-891-7222
devinm@takomaparkmd.gov.

Written comments on the proposed regulation should be submitted to:

City Clerk
Email: clerk@takomaparkmd.gov.

 

 

News, Takoma Park Newsletter

How Do City Council Priorities Affect You?

Takoma Park City Council Priorities are considered a tool to guide policy and budget decision making and outline strategies to work toward desired outcomes for a wide range of major projects, initiatives, and ongoing activities. Policies established by the City Council affects many aspects of civic life in Takoma Park, so developing and sharing priorities inform residents, businesses, and regional stakeholders on what the council considers important.

The priorities are not policy, but they serve as the framework to shape future policy. All are encouraged to engage with the City Council to help shape how the priorities are implemented. You can engage in the process by attending a City Council meeting; by contacting your City Council member; or by joining a board, commission or committee.

On April 12 2023, the council updated its priorities through 2024. Below, you can read the main priorities, but more information can be found on the city website (search for Council Priorities).

Takoma Park City Council Priorities

1. Advancing a Community of Belonging.

  • Build on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic to increase residents’ and small businesses’ resilience to the impact of emergency situations, so that they can recover and thrive in the future.
  •  Further the City’s racial equity work.
  • Identify and prioritize programming needs in the community and develop approaches to meet those needs, emphasizing youth, families, seniors, and residents who tend to face barriers to opportunities such as Black, Indigenous, and people of color, immigrants, those with unsustainable lower-paying jobs or incomes, and people with developmental or physical disabilities.
  • Defend our status as a Sanctuary City and maintain our commitment to being a welcoming and inclusive community where all residents experience a sense of belonging.

 

2. Establish the City’s long-term fiscal sustainability strategy.

  • Explore expanding City revenue options to identify long-term solutions necessary to diversify the City’s revenue streams.
  • Explore ways to provide a more equitable property tax assessment system including providing property tax adjustments to residents in need.
  • Continue to build on improvements in the budget process, presentation of budget information, and communication to residents.

 

3. Environmentally Sustainable Community.

  • Climate Change Mitigation: Work towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goal by 2035.
  • Climate Change Resilience: Improve our ability to adapt and be resilient to local impacts of climate change.
  • Manage our Community’s Natural Resources Sustainably: Protect, maintain, and improve the health of our urban forest, natural resources, and water quality, with an emphasis on equity.

 

4. Engaged, Responsive, Service-oriented Government

  • Hire and onboard a new City Manager.
  • Advance City communications with residents and adopt innovative, culturally appropriate initiatives to improve public engagement and collaboration with residents, particularly with residents who may face barriers to participating in municipal government activities and community affairs.
  • Improve policies and processes to enhance resident interaction with the City government and the Council, including requests for government services, complaint systems, and code enforcement.
  • Review and reform the City’s approach to public safety to ensure racial justice and work toward a safer, more livable community for all residents.
  • Improve service delivery and reduce administrative burden by updating internal policies, IT infrastructure and software to support staff in doing their jobs

 

5. Community Development for an Improved and Equitable Quality of Life

  • Ensure that a range of safe, high quality, affordable, green and energy efficient housing options are equitably available in neighborhoods throughout the community.
  • Improve transportation planning, design, and implementation to create a safer, more environmentally sustainable and more racially and economically equitable community for all residents, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicle occupants.
  • Plan and prepare for development in the City and region while maintaining the special character and economic and racial diversity of Takoma Park
News, News Alert, Public Notices

Project Update! DDOT’s Plans for the Fort Totten-Takoma Leg of Metropolitan Branch Trail Construction: Starts Summer 2023

 

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) invites you to a virtual project meeting on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, at 6:00 PM to discuss the status of the Metropolitan Branch Train Project (MBT). DDOT will present an overview of the project and discuss project features and milestones. This segment of the trail will connect with Takoma Park’s half-mile of the MBT, currently undergoing a redesign process of its own. (More information on the Takoma Park section is available on the city’s project page.)

District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Meeting

DATE: Tuesday, July 18, 2023
TIME: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM


VIRTUAL MEETING: WebEx
Click here to view the virtual meeting and presentation:
tinyurl.com/MBTFortTottenToTakomaProject

Event Number: 2308 603 0092
Event Password: Join250! (56462500 from phones and video systems)

Dial-in option (audio only): 1-202-860-2110
Access code: 230 860 30092

  • The WebEx system will prompt you for a Numeric Webinar Password: 82659282. Press the # key to join the meeting.

 

For more information, please contact:
Kelsey Bridges, DDOT Transportation Planner
202-438-8972
near.northwestiii@dc.gov.

 

News, Public Notices

Proposed Amendment to Outdoor Cafe Permit Regulation – Opportunity to Comment

 

Administrative Regulation 2018-1 – Outdoor Cafe Permit Regulation, regulates the establishment and permitting of outdoor cafes operating within the public right-of-way as authorized in Takoma Park Code Section 8.16.090. The regulation has been in effect since 2018. An amendment to the regulation is being proposed to increase the permit and lease fees, enable annual fee updates by publication of fees on July 1 of each year, and remove the requirement for a “processing fee.”

Review the Proposed Amendment to the Regulation (PDF)

Pursuant to the requirements of the “Administrative Regulations Ordinance” (Authority: Chapter 2.12 “Administrative Regulations,” of the Takoma Park Code), a notice of the City’s intention to adopt, amend, or repeal an administrative regulation must be publicly noted allowing residents the opportunity to comment on the proposal.

 

To obtain further information about the proposed regulation, contact:

Ira Kowler, Acting Director
Housing and Community Development Department,
Tel: 301-891-7230
Email: IraK@takomaparkmd.gov.

 

Written comments on the proposed regulation may be emailed to Clerk@takomaparkmd.gov. The deadline for receipt of public comments is Monday, July 31, 2023.

Arts & Humanities, News, News Alert

Rhizome Party, Parade, Film Screening and Concert this Friday

CELEBRATING RHIZOME DC PARTY

Friday, June 30 

6 pm – Party at Rhizome at 6950 Maple Street NW

7 pm – Parade to the Takoma Park Community Center at 7500 Maple Avenue

7:30 pm – Film Screening and Concert at the Community Center

Since its founding in 2015, Rhizome DC has offered a home for experimental music, unconventional art, and eclectic performances tucked inside an unassuming house bordering downtown Takoma Park. Now we’re celebrating Rhizome with a multi-media party stretching across the city so bring your walking shoes!

Please join us at 6 pm on June 30 for a free party with music and conversation at Rhizome. Bring some noisemakers (kids can use their outdoor voices) for a festive parade at 7 pm from Rhizome to the Takoma Park Community Center at 7500 Maple Avenue.

At the Community Center, a free film screening will feature the Rhizome Is Home documentary along with a Q&A with film director Tatev Sargsyan. Using interviews and clips of previous performances, the film explores Rhizome’s representation of marginalized voices in the arts and resilience under threat of dislocation from the shape-shifting forces of gentrification.

Following the film screening, the CMW Players will take the stage for a short experimental music concert. Don’t miss it!

This event is part of the Takoma Park Arts series organized by the City of Takoma Park’s Arts and Humanities Division. The series includes free art exhibitions, film screenings, poetry readings, concerts, theater, and dance performances at the Takoma Park Community Center. Please go to takomaparkmd.gov/arts for more info and to sign up for our e-newsletter.

For more info about Rhizome, go to rhizomedc.org.

News, Public Notices

Ward 1 Information Session with EYA Representatives – Tuesday, June 6, 7:45 pm

It seems likely that the EYA project will pass through the DC permitting process and a mixed-use development will be built at the Takoma Metro Station. Evan Goldman, Executive Vice President Development and Acquisitions for EYA, and Caren Garfield, VP Multifamily Development, have both agreed to join Ward 1 at 7:45pm on June 6th in the Auditorium at 7500 Maple Avenue. Questions will be taken from the audience in the Auditorium and questions sent by chat will be taken over Zoom for those who cannot attend in person. The meeting will be recorded.

This meeting is hosted by Councilmember Fulcher (Ward 1)

Zoom link for those who cannot attend in person.

Arts & Humanities, News, News Alert

“Celebrating Sligo Creek” Art Exhibition on View Until Sept. 7

CELEBRATING SLIGO CREEK  Art Exhibition

Takoma Park Community Center

7500 Maple Avenue 

On view until Sept. 7 

Sligo Creek is a lifeblood for wildlife in Takoma Park, an important tributary in our watershed, and a source of creativity and inspiration for local artists.
Two photographers and a mixed-media artist will share their work inspired by the creek and its environs in the Celebrating Sligo Creek exhibition at the Takoma Park Community Center, with a free opening reception on June 15. The exhibition, which will be on view until Sept. 7, features work by Julius Kassovic, Lynn Alleva Lilley, and Steven Robinson.
Julius Kassovic is a fine-art photographer based in Silver Spring. Since 2005, Sligo Creek has been his major muse and the subject of his Intimate Waterscapes series.
While working around the world in staff positions with the Peace Corps, he used color negative film to document Peace Corps projects. His work has been exhibited in galleries in the D.C. area and in other states and countries.
“I have been intensively shooting photos in Sligo Creek, and I keep finding new expressions of its beauty,” he said. ”I wade into the creek to capture dreamlike images reflecting through the shallow water that appear to be double exposures but are true representations of the creek’s beauty.”
Lynn Alleva Lilley’s photography centers on personal connections to nature and place, which is inspired by poetry, music, painting, and science. Her photos of Sligo Creek and other locales will be featured in the upcoming photo book The Nest. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.
“Eight years ago, I walked into the woods of Sligo Creek and was struck by how the bright winter light fell on brambles in the early evening, creating masses of shimmering silver and red lines,” she said. “These lines in nature felt like possibility, a way to question and to weave a life from fragility, fracture, and chaos into a shifting, shimmering beauty.”
Steven Robinson majored in art in college and has worked as an advertising artist for various advertising firms. Using his photos of Sligo Creek as inspiration, he cuts and molds mixed-media work embellished with glass and minerals that represent the vast diversity of nature, including butterflies, insects, reptiles, and amphibians.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a strong awareness of the natural world, especially the small details of shapes, textures, and colors,” he said. “Using my photography and technical skills, I enjoy producing a unique perspective of our beautiful, complex, and perfect natural world.”

Arts & Humanities, News, News Alert

“Wellspring of Poetry” Poetry Reading on June 1

WELLSPRING OF POETRY Poetry Reading

Free Event 

Thursday, June 1 at 7:30 pm 

Takoma Park Community Center

7500 Maple Avenue 

Please join us for our next Takoma Park Arts poetry reading where four local poets will share their original work about healing, growth, and enlightenment in various forms. The featured poets include Claudia Gary, Brendan Kennedy, Neha Misra, and Pamela Murray Winters.

Claudia Gary teaches poetry workshops at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda and is the author of several chapbooks and a full-length collection of poetry titled Humor Me. She also is a health science writer, a visual artist, and a composer of tonal chamber music and art songs.

Brendan Edward Kennedy is a poet, voiceover artist, and actor who studied poetry at the University of Maryland.  He also is a company member of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in Baltimore.

Neha Misra is a first-generation immigrant poet, contemporary eco-folk artist, and award-winning climate justice advocate. Her multi-disciplinary Earth wisdom-centered creative studio uses the transformative power of art to build bridges between our private, collective, and planetary healing.

Pamela Murray Winters is a graduate of the University of Maryland and the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and she has received two Maryland State Arts Council artist awards. Her first book The Unbeckonable Bird was published in 2018.

The Takoma Park Arts series includes free poetry readings, art exhibitions, film screenings, concerts, theater, and dance performances at the Takoma Park Community Center at 7500 Maple Avenue. Please go to takomaparkmd.gov/arts for more info and to sign up for our e-newsletter.

Arts & Humanities, News, News Alert

“Meeting the Muse in May” Poetry Reading on May 18

MEETING THE MUSE IN MAY

Free Poetry Reading

Thursday, May 18 at 7:30 pm 

Takoma Park Community Center

7500 Maple Avenue 

Please join us for the Meeting the Muse in May poetry reading where three local poets will share their diverse range of work. The featured poets include Ryan E. Holman, Carol Jennings, and Melanie Weldon-Soiset.

Ryan E. Holman ‘s poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Maryland Literary Review, Corvid Queen, Quail Bell Magazine, and other publications. She enjoys writing about mundane and fantastic life through the lens of the elements.

Carol Jennings is a retired lawyer who worked for the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection for more than 30 years. She has two published poetry collections, including The Dead Spirits at the Piano and The Sustain Pedal.

Melanie Weldon-Soiset is a #ChurchToo survivor, contemplative prayer leader, and poetry editor at Geez Magazine. She also is a highly sensitive person who struggles with insomnia, yet values insights gained through dreaming. She loves to write poetry that creates safe refuge for sleep and connects with beauty that rings true.

The Takoma Park Arts series includes free poetry readings, art exhibitions, film screenings, concerts, theater, and dance performances at the Takoma Park Community Center. Please go to takomaparkmd.gov/arts for more info and to sign up for our e-newsletter.

News, Public Notices

May is National Bike Month! Annual Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 3, 2023

 

Bike to School Day! 

May is National Bike Month, which means that the City of Takoma Park is working on a host of bike safety and promotion initiatives. This includes the Annual Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 3rd!

Bike to School Day invites students, teachers, and staff to travel to and from school by bike (or scooters and other human-powered, wheeled devices). In the past, the City’s Safe Routes to School program has partnered with administrators and PE teachers to coordinate bike safety education, prize giveaways, and more!

Due to the ongoing staffing limitations, our programming for this year will continue to be modified from previous years. However, we are excited to offer resources and support to make this another great Bike to School Day event!

Available Bike-to-School Day Resources:
  • Bike Safety Swag to give away (reflective and light-up bands, bike lights, and more)
  • Bike Safety Banner Set
  • Bike Safety Tips for morning announcements for the days leading up to Bike to School Day
  • An event flier to send home (attached)
    – Without knowing the details of your programming, we didn’t want to add too much information, so we updated the fliers from last year. Feel free to give feedback or adjust on your own as desired. If you need printing support, too, please let us know.
  • City staff coordination support (we’re happy to brainstorm ideas for PE, curricular integration, or day-of programming!)