Friday, May 11, 2012
Residents, officials and attorneys provided testimony and closing arguments at the sixth and final district council hearing for Cafritz.
5:20 p.m.: Hearing is Adjourned Seven hours after it began today, the hearing before the Prince George's County District Council is adjourned--without a continuance. Before Harrison dropped the gavel, People's Counsel Stan Brown provided a closing argument. He reminded listeners that his role does not involve supporting one side or the other. Among his points: He noted that the planning board took more than its allowable 105 days to submit a recommendation to the district council, which "is not fatal to this application, but it is there," he said. He also said that the planning board's recommendation came with conditions rather than the allowable modifications. "One could argue the planning board decision is erroneous because it allows for…
Monday, May 7, 2012
Proceedings will resume this Friday, May 11 at 10 a.m.
Editor's note: A fifth day of proceedings in the District Council's Cafritz hearing wrapped up Monday afternoon. Below is a recap. --- 4:20 p.m.: An end in sight The Cafritz hearing has been recessed to this Friday, May 11 at 10 a.m. for what seems likely to be the final day of proceedings. The applicant's attorneys, Riverdale Park counsel Frederick Sussman, and College Park counsel Robert Manzi tell the council they have exhausted their witness lists. However, University Park Mayor John Tabori has yet to testify and was unable to do so today due to illness. Attorney Susan Dorn says there are additional residents who had planned to testify on Friday believing they would not be able to today. Attorney Jayson Amster says he also plans to …
Friday, May 4, 2012
Proceedings will resume Monday at 11 a.m. in Upper Marlboro.
Another six hours of testimony, yet there was still no decision regarding the rezoning of the Cafritz property. The hearing will resume Monday in Upper Marlboro, making it the fifth in a series of meetings that have lasted anywhere from six to 12 hours each. The Prince George's County District Council must decide whether or not the 37-acre property on the northern end of Riverdale Park should become mixed-use town center zoning over its current residential zoning. A proposed $226 million dollar project hangs in the balance— a project which would include a 120-room hotel, 990 housing units, office and commercial space including a Whole Foods. Yet some residents in Riverdale Park, University Park and neighboring communities are voicing their…
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
An overview of media coverage following Monday's marathon District Council hearing.
Attorneys, local residents, and county officials spent another 12 hours debating the merits of the proposed Cafritz project Monday as the Prince George's County District Council resumed its hearing on the developer's rezoning plan. Procedings were ultimately continued to this Friday, May 4 at 10 a.m., but the marathon session attracted plenty of media attention. Below is a roundup of coverage from other outlets. • Gazette.Net: No decision yet on Cafritz rezoning "Testimony and cross-examination Monday—in front of a crowd of nearly 100 people—ranged from resident concern about increased traffic to speculation about the intention of the 1994 area master plan, a document intended to guide development. Nearly three hours were spent by …
Monday, April 30, 2012
The District Council spent nearly 12 hours Monday hearing testimony and weighing the merits of the developer's controversial rezoning proposal.
The District Council's hearing on the proposed rezoning of the Cafritz property resumed Monday in Upper Marlboro. Below is a summary of the procedings. --- 9:57 p.m.: See you Friday Almost 12 hours after it began, chair Andrea Harrison takes the Cafritz hearing into recess until this Friday, May 4 at 10 a.m. 9:54 p.m.: No need to strike Chief zoning hearing examiner Maureen Epps-Web says that because the council had the opportunity to cross-examine Dr. Fuller, she does not believe his report needs to be stricken from the record. Chair Andrea Harrison notes that she is "troubled" by the lack of supporting information offered by Fuller, and that she will decide on the question Friday morning. 9:51 p.m.: 'Into the 21st century' University …
Sunday, April 29, 2012
This week's top Prince George's County news.
Police Urge Extreme Trail Caution After Fifth Rape in W. Hyattsville After another sexual assault in the vicinity of the Northwest Branch Hiker/Biker Trail near the West Hyattsville Metro Station, the similarity of suspect descriptions has police thinking they might be dealing with a serial rapist. Yet, police do not have any evidence to link the assaults. Man Sentenced in Shooting Death of UMd. Student Deandre Ricardo Williams, who was charged in the fatal shooting of University of Maryland student Justin DeSha-Overcash in January 2011, was sentenced Wednesday to 49 years in prison for first-degree murder. Upper Marlboro Teen Charged in VA Killing Was Out On Bond A Virginia State University student from Upper Marlboro is being sought for…
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Several neighbors grew concerned this week when heavy machinery was deployed at the site.
A team of workers boring soil on the Cafritz property raised alarm early this week among nearby residents, some of whom were concerned that the developer had jumped the gun on its mixed-use blueprint for the site. Shortly before noon on Tuesday, several workmen could be seen clearing brush with a chainsaw and maneuvering a large piece of drilling equipment around the densely-wooded section of Riverdale Park. That observation followed a similar report from Riverdale Park resident Joe Kelly, who emailed Patch and other area residents Monday night to note that heavy machinery was present at the site. The Cafritz team is seeking to have its 37-acre parcel redesignated from single-family detached residential (R-55) to mixed-use town center (M-…
Friday, April 13, 2012
The hearing was gaveled to order again on Friday before immediately going into recess.
The Prince George's County District Council resumed its hearing of the Cafritz rezoning application Friday morning before immediately recessing to Monday, April 30 at 10 a.m. The short-lived meeting followed a five-hour session on Wednesday marked by procedural objections and confusion over the hearing format. Few in the audience were initially aware that the District Council process would be quasi-judicial, meaning it would include sworn testimony, cross-examination, and other evidentiary constraints. After many members of the public declared that they had not come ready to testify under oath, Chair Andrea Harrison decided to continue the hearing to a later point, giving residents more time to prepare. Because the council had already …
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The District Council will resume proceedings Friday morning with the intention of recessing quickly to another date.
The District Council hearing on the proposed rezoning of the Cafritz property went into recess Wednesday afternoon after more than five hours of proceedings. Below is a recap. --- 5:06 p.m.: Recess The Cafritz hearing is now in recess until 10 a.m. Friday, at which time—according to Chair Andrea Harrison—the District Council will attempt to recess quickly to later date (TBD). 4:53 p.m.: 'The threat of Whole Foods' After extended debate about balancing the board's legal commitment to meet on Friday (as advertised) and the desire of residents to prepare for an evidentiary hearing, Chair Andrea Harrison brings some clarity to the matter. She says the board will meet this Friday, April 13 and attempt to recess quickly to a later, yet-to-be-…
With the District Council set to review the hotly-debated development Wednesday, Patch runs down the 'consensus conditions' and how they came to be.
Editor's note: The District Council's hearing on the Cafritz property is scheduled to begin Wednesday at 10 a.m. Check back with Patch throughout the day for the latest news out of Upper Marlboro. Back in December, as many were busy preparing for the holidays, local and county officials were hard at work on something else altogether: crafting a list of conditions for the proposed Cafritz development. Now, those same conditions—along with the rest of the project—will face a key test as the Cafritz rezoning plan comes before the District Council on Wednesday. Composed of the members of the Prince George's County Council, the body will have the final legislative word on the developer's application. Working up to today's hearing, in meeting …
mike arnold
12:46 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
If 80% of the area residents testified as against the zoning change, that would be noteworthy! Even if it is an 80-20 split as to those who testified, it does not represent a majority opinion of the surrounding communities, only of those who showed up to the hearing. As was pointed out in the hearing numerous times, no one has a proxy to speak for others at a public hearing. In most development … more ›