Villas at Laurel Update

At a gathering of South Laurel Community Leaders at the Montpelier Arts Center on Dec 19 with the developer of the planned town house community Villas at Laurel, Mr. Kareem Abdus- Salaam, presented two new alternative plans which supersede all earlier plans.

There was frank and cordial discussion (described below) between the developer and the association leaders present on many still unresolved issues, and no commitments were made by the developer:


The two different schemes presented reflect primarily ongoing negotiations with WMATA, the state and the county about the placement of the bus lot, for purposes of convenient and safe ingress and egress by buses.

Scheme 1

Scheme 2

Both plans have 90 bus lot parking spaces

Scheme 1 will be changed to include a North Exit for residents and buses. That may reduce TH density a little.

Both new plans have now increased to 96 Town Houses

More TH Density: That is 11 more THs than the previous plan of 85.
No Rationale: The developer gave no rationale for this increase in THs & Density Claims Exception: The developer said that his "Transit Oriented Development" (TOD) "luxury townhouse" project allows him to have higher density than a regular Town House community plan (Euclidean?).

Still More Green Space Needed: The developer said that the District 1 County Councilman wants to see still more more green space in the Villas at Laurel plan -- which would consequentially reduce the number of town houses and density.

Scheme 1 has a neo-traditional park

The developer was asked to look at putting social focus centers of green space (picnic areas, etc) in several pockets distributed throughout the Villas. He was referred to an early but still representative conceptual plan (click to enlarge browser image) of the recently approved Montpelier Hills TH completion project.

Adequate Public Facilities for Schools -- The developer said that the county (and MNCPPC) rules calculating the number of public school students to be generated by Villas at Laurel -- for purposes of determining the
Adequate Public Facilities for Schools fee he will have to pay -- are not appropriate for his Transit Oriented Development (implying that the total APF fees the developer would have to pay the schools would be lower than a regular TH development) .

Schools are already over capacity: There ensued a lively discussion about this point between the developer and newly elected District 1 School Board representative Rosalind Johnson (present representing Applewalk HoA

Technical Amenities for Near-by Schools
A/V & Computers: The developer has met with the principals of the four nearby public schools (Oaklands ES, Deerfield Run ES, Montpelier ES and Eisenhower MS) and is discussing how best to donate and distribute technical amenities such as computers and networks, Audio-Visual systems, etc.

The Community Center in Villas at Laurel - status unclear -- issues remain

  • Will there really be a Community Center? How firm is this amenity in the plan?
  • Will it be publicly accessible (such as Seniors at adjacent Park View) or only for Villas at Laurel residents? Where? When asked where the community center was on the plans, the developer pointed generally to the area in the lower center of Scheme 1 where there are two buildings that don't look like town houses.
  • Who pays? The developer said that Parks ("Sam Parker" = MNCPPC?) would "maintain and operate public recreational and educational programs at the Community Center -- but nothing is firm yet.
  • Villas at Laurel Residents to Pay: The developer said that costs for Community Center maintenance, operation and insurance, etc. would be paid by Villas at Laurel residents through their association fees.
  • Technical Amenities at Community Center? Unlike the developer's offer of computers etc for the schools, there has been no discussion of such technical amenities for the possible Community Center (a computer center for checking email, web research, etc?) which would be particularly useful since there is no public library in South Laurel.
  • A Library Annex? The was no discussion of the Community Center serving as a P.G. County Library Annex, since South Laurel has no public library
Traffic Light - Promised
The developer seems confident that the county and state support his proposed traffic light at Briarcroft Lane and also his proposed intelligent signaling for pedestrian crossing (seconds to go display, etc). The new traffic light is to be synchronized with lights to the south up to Cherry Lane.

The developer said that this traffic light at Briarcroft lane would actually expedite traffic up and down Rt 197 and in and out of Briarcroft Lane (from the west in/out of the Briarwood community and from the east in/out of Park View and the Church. There was some question about that -- which may or may not be adequately addressed in the county's formal traffic required later in the formal approval process after formal site plan submission --- unless citizens participate vigilantly in that study.

Sidewalk - 8-foot wide - Promised
The developer promised an 8-foot wide sidewalk along the east side of Rt 197 along the Villas at Laurel property. He said he is telling State Highway Commission that they do not need to complete their narrower sidewalk in that area because of his plans.

No Pool
A pool was deemed to be too expensive for a small community to pay for.

No Tot Lots
Rationale Unclear: The developer could not yet describe the predominant demographic for buyers of these town houses -- (Dual Income No Kids (DINKs)?. Young families?) He said he wasn't seeking senior buyers (no kids) because of so many other nearby Senior Living communities.

What Children's Recreation? There are no recreational facilities at all, much less for kids. Recreational facilities would increase open space and reduce TH density.

Homeowners Association or Condominium Association? -- Issue not Discussed.
In meetings with the developer to date, the issue has not come up whether the town houses would be owned as fee-simple homes (in a Homeowners Association) or as condominium units (in a Condominium Association) -- so any issues related to such differences have also not been discussed.

Prices & Features:
No elevations (TH exterior designs) are available yet
$450-$500K, 2300 square feet, 3-level, Rear 2-car garage, 4 to 5 Bedrooms

Buy-Down: Developer said that the PG Redevelopment authority may agree to buy-down the selling price of 10% of the units by 25-50% to create "affordable housing". Discussion suggested that Villas at Laurel may or may not qualify for redevelopment funds -- and if so, PG Redevelopment may not buy-down 25-50% for 10% of the units

TH & Guest Parking - no public visitor parking in all of Villas at Laurel. The current plans have a 2-car garage and 4 more parking spaces in each private driveway -- but no other guest/visitor parking spaces. In other words, the only parking in the plan is on private property -- so if you have more than 4 visitors -- there is no place for them park. The developer suggested visitors could use the bus lot -- but it was pointed out that the buses run at night so bus lot spaces are not always going to be available and that only helps a little for THs on the east end of Villas, and is not a very safe option at night in any case. The developer referred to the county's low parking requirements for TH parking (Euclidian?) -- It was pointed out that the current lack of real visitor parking did not constitute "luxury townhouses". The developer promised to redo visitor parking some where other than just private property. That may reduce the TH density.

Green Development
Maybe:
When asked, the developer mentioned only generally some environmentally friendly features of his other developments but did not say anything specific about "green" features and options for Villas at Laurel -- such as whether roof-top solar panels would be offered.


Major Transformation of Laurel Mall?

This very informative article from the Just Up the Pike blog is a detailed and comprehensive Special Report on soon to be announced plans for major transformation of the Laurel Mall complete with photos and graphics of the proposed plans.

For a growing compilation of information related to this development project, see the link Laurel Mall under Nearby Development in the sidebar menu of this site.

Montpelier ES Lock-Down, Code Red Dec 12

During the afternoon of Dec 12, 2006 Montpelier Elementary School (and possibly other public schools in South Laurel, such as Oaklands E.S and Eisenhower M.S.) apparently instituted "lock-down (code red)" procedures to ensure student safety, possibly related to the double homicide that NBC News reported occurred earlier in the day 3-miles away on Engleman Dr. in South Laurel.

Liquor Licenses Renewal Hearings & Protest Deadline 2007

P.G. County Liquor Board - OFFICIAL NOTICE

Pursuant to Section 10-302 of Article 2B of the Annotated Code of Maryland, Notice is hereby given that all alcoholic beverage licenses in Prince George's County will expire as follows:

Class A, Licenses expire on April 30th
Class B, Licenses expire on May 31st
Class C, Licenses expire on June 30th
Class D, Licenses expire on June 30th

In order to process a protest against the granting of the 2007 - 2008 License Renewal, a protest notice must be submitted to the Board of License Commissioners no later than March 1, 2007.

Protest of a renewal shall be filed on or before March 1, 2007 at the Board of License Commissioners, Room 204, County Service Building, 5012 Rhode Island Avenue, Hyattsville, MD 20781.

Should you have any questions, please contact the Board's Office at 301-699-2770.

BOARD OF LICENSE COMMISSIONERS
(LIQUOR CONTROL BOARD)
FRANKLIN D. JACKSON, CHAIRMAN
SHAIHI MWALIMU, VICE CHAIRMAN
ARMANDO CAMACHO, COMMISSIONER
EARL J. HOWARD, COMMISSIONER
DAVID DAESOK SON, COMMISSIONER
Attest:
Diane M. Bryant
Administrative Assistant
November 13, 2006





P.G. Board of Education Meetings TV Schedule

Beginning, December 15th, 2006 all School Board Meetings will be rebroadcast on Channel 96 on Friday, Saturday, Sunday at 7 PM and Monday at 2 PM.

This is an important change. The new board wanted the citizens of Prince George's County to have more opportunities to monitor their proceedings on TV, soon after each public meeting.

This information was provided by our newly elected Board of Education local District 1 Representative, Rosalind Johnson.

Tony's Liquor License Hearing Jan 23, 2007

No apparent opposition has arisen against this requested liquor license transfer for continued use at Tony's Liquors in the Crystal Plaza.

QUOTE:

BOARD OF LICENSE COMMISSIONERS
(LIQUOR CONTROL BOARD)
HEARING
JANUARY 23, 2007

A hearing on the [below] application [among others] will be held at the County Service Building, 5012 Rhode Island Avenue, Hearing Room 200, Hyattsville, 20781, 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, January 23, 2007, at which time anyone wishing to testify either for or against the application may attend the hearing. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the Board's Office at 301-699-2770.

Eyaya Arega, President/Secretary/Treasurer for a Class A, Beer, Wine and Liquor License for the use of HCH Liquors, Inc., t/a Tony's Liquors, 12637 Laurel Bowie Road, Laurel, 20708 transfer from Edric, Inc., t/a Tony's Liquors, 12637 Laurel Bowie Road, Laurel, 20708, Sung Joo Kim, President/Secretary/Treasurer, Bo Kan So, Vice President.

Atty: Simon Osnos, Esquire

Opposition: [none]

A Public Hearing is also scheduled for Regular Session/Administrative Voting Session on February 7, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. and Regular Session/Administrative Voting Session on February 14, 2007 at 7:00 p.m., Hearing Room 200, County Service Building, 5012 Rhode Island Avenue, Hyattsville, 20781. At the meeting the Board will consider the agenda as posted that day and any other matters taken under advisement from previous meetings.

END QUOTE:

New Passport Requirements in 2007

City of Laurel

Official Press Release

New Passport Requirements for Travelers in 2007

Mayor Craig A. Moe would like residents to know that, [according to changes in federal law] beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document.

As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security.

Applications for passports are accepted at the Laurel Municipal Building, Passport Office on Mondays and Thursdays, from10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and on Tuesdays, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Applicants will need the following items to apply for a U.S. passport: proof of citizenship, proof of identity, and two passport photos. Please call the Passport Information Line at 301-725-5305 for more details and information.

END QUOTE

Anyone can use the City of Laurel passport office -- not just Laurel residents.