Mayor And Council Snapshots (2-09-2009)

Last night I had the chance to attend part of the Mayor and Council meetings. Our Fair City’s leaders outlasted me, but here are a few odds and ends:>

• It was a capacity crowd for Citizens Forum, with people spilling our into the hallway, as there were a few hot button issues in the air.

• Many speakers rose to support the Redgate Golf Course. Late last month, in executive session, the Mayor and Council instructed the City Manager to explore with the Montgomery County Revenue Authority the possibility of their leasing from the City the popular but money-losing golf course. Many speakers last night were concerned that this in some way indicated the demise of the course, and wanted to defend it. Other speakers were concerned that the Revenue Authority would not run Redgate in the same neighborly, friendly, professional way that it is now. Some pointed out that of the public courses in the area, it is one of the few (only?) that holds tournaments. Finally, other speakers protested what they saw as secrecy about this episode. Members of the Mayor and Council pointed out that this exploratory move was just a first step and that there would definitely include public input — and, far from being the first step in closing the course, was actually a move to make sure the facility remains open. They also pointed out that, contrary to some community perceptions, no Redgate employees had been terminated. Finally, and this is just my impression, I did note that the depth of support did appear to move members of the Mayor and Council, and that it appeared that some of the arguments (especially the one that Redgate is operated in a superior fashion to other local public courses) seemed to hold weight.
• Another big item on people’s minds was the fact that, since Montgomery College has recently shifted to being a “tobacco-free” campus, college students have begun to congregate in the surrounding neighborhood in order to smoke, Princeton Place in particular because there is a gap in the College’s fence there. The residents have complained (they say it’s not just smoking and hanging out but includes less savory behaviors too) and the City has tried to press the campus to create smoking zones on campus so that students do not spill out into the neighborhood. To date, the college has held firm on its policy and is instead suggesting the fence gap be closed. There’s a wrinkle with that: the independent Planning Commission has required that the fence remain open. The College plans to go before the Planning Commission on Wednesday to ask for a variance to close the fence. (While closing the fence might alleviate the loitering issue, some residents are opposed to closing the fence as it has become an important cut-through for bikers and pedestrians alike). The Mayor and Council voted to take a few more steps in terms of pressuring the college (writing a letter, exploring alternatives) but the main question is what will the Planning Commission do. If they allow the fence to be closed, in the words of one council member: “the issue will go away.”
• On the agenda was a request from the Superfresh grocery folks (A&P, the parent company) for a letter in support of their request to the County alcohol board to establish a beer and wine section intheir yet-undeveloped store in Town Square. The city manager regarded this as good news, as it is a concrete signal that Superfresh really is planning on moving forward and putting a store in. One question was raised that this new beer and wine shop might take away from other similar businesses in town, but a representative of the landlord (Federal Realty Investment Trust) said they did not anticipate this to be an issue. The Mayor and Council voted 4-1 (if my notes are correct) to support the letter.
• On the agenda was also a worksession to discuss the Twinbrook Neighborhood Plan, which will guide future planning efforts. Alas, I gave out at this point and had to go home. I hope readers who were there and who have knowledge of this piece will write in and add to the conversation!

OK, that’s all for now. As always, if I got something wrong, please let me know. These are just one person’s notes. And do add your voice in the comments section.

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