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By
Mike Rauck
In July 1970, three months after the first Earth Day celebration, the Bowie City Council passed an ordinance requiring all bottled beer and soda purchased in the city to be sold in returnable bottles. This was an attempt by city officials to address a growing litter problem in Bowie.
The city changed the ordinance in early 1971 to instead require refundable deposits on all beer and soda bottles and cans. The modified ordinance matched state legislation being considered in Annapolis at the time.
Bowie’s bottle bill was scheduled to go into effect on April 1, 1971, but area liquor dealers and soft drink bottlers challenged the city’s ordinance in court. The issue was finally settled in 1975 when the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that municipalities like Bowie can implement and enforce legislation requiring consumers to pay refundable deposits on beverage containers.
The Bowie City Council chose to delay implementation of the bottle bill in 1975. The thinking at the time was that the bill would not be as effective unless the county or other nearby jurisdictions implemented similar legislation. Former Bowie Mayor Leo Green and some of his fellow councilmembers who passed the legislation were no longer on the council in 1975.
Although bottle bill legislation was considered multiple times by Maryland lawmakers, bottle and can deposits have never been required in Bowie.
Oregon passed bottle bill legislation in May 1971. The Oregon bill is frequently cited as the first bottle bill in the nation, but it was passed after the Bowie City Council passed similar legislation. Bowie’s ordinance, of course, was never implemented.
Former Bowie Mayor Leo Green is pictured here in November 1970 giving the thumbs-down sign in response to the 10,000 cans and 800 bottles collected by Bowie High School students along city roadways over a two-day period. The students were members of an ecology group organized at the high school by Don Murphy, a government teacher at the school.
Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day, and the Bowie City Council has proclaimed 2020 to be Earth Year in Bowie.
To recognize the anniversary, check out the city's 100 Acts of Green and see what you can do to help the environment, your health, your neighbors, and to save a little money while at it. Many of the acts are perfect for social distancing because they involve actions in your own home or being outside away from crowded areas. Click here to see the city's 100 Acts of Green.
By
Mike Rauck
Alvin McNeal with the Maryland-National Capital Parks & Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) will present options to repurpose a portion of the new Bowie IcePlex for non-ice recreation uses during Monday’s Bowie City Council meeting.
According to an M-NCPPC proposal provided to the council, one sheet of ice at the new IcePlex would be maintained year-round, and a second sheet of ice would only be maintained from October to April each year. Basketball, volleyball, pickleball, and indoor soccer are some of the sports that could be hosted on the “dry floor” at the facility from late spring to the end of the summer during a time of year that the proposal refers to as the “off-season.”
“There really is no off-season when it comes to skating,” local figure skating coach Abigail Snyder told Bowie Living. “During the time when there are no competitions or hockey tournaments is when our skaters do their most intense training.”
“On the figure skating side, we have national competitions that continue into June,” Snyder explained. “Many of our skaters are looking forward to finally being able to do that training in Bowie rather than having to travel far to other rinks that offer more expensive ice times.”
“We also have very popular summer camp programs that take kids out of the heat to experience something new,” Snyder shared. “Being able to have teams and skaters train on one sheet of ice while camps are running on the other sheet is a scheduling opportunity that we are eager to implement once we have availability.”
“I’m anxious to hear the proposal because it may address some of our recreation capacity issues, but there are a lot of unanswered questions,” District 3 Councilmember Adrian Boafo explained to Bowie Living. “We need to understand the cost to implement, the impact to the construction schedule, as well as changes to the anticipated annual operating cost and revenue for the new facility. We also need to determine if the change in use is permitted under the terms of the bonds that were issued to pay for construction of the IcePlex.”
Many Bowie residents have expressed concern about traffic and safety along Church Road and the potential impact that projects like the IcePlex will have on traffic.
“Church Road runs through and along portions of District 3,” Boafo said. “My constituents are going to want to know if the proposed changes will create more traffic.”
The fact that M-NCPPC is presenting the proposal is significant. The city has relied on outside vendors in the past to study options and costs for recreational facilities, but M-NCPPC became involved because of possible partnership opportunities with the city over the management of the new facility.
“We have to figure out how costs, revenue, and responsibilities are split in a partnership,” Boafo explained. “One opportunity I would like to explore is whether or not a partnership with the county might help bring additional road improvements to Church Road. That would be great for District 3 residents.”
Construction of the Bowie IcePlex is expected to be complete by the fall of 2021.
Monday’s meeting will be hosted virtually for councilmembers and other participants. Residents can see the meeting live online, on Verizon Channel 10, and on Comcast Channels 71 and 996. Video of the meeting will be posted on YouTube (most likely by Tuesday).
Testimony for public hearings or comments for the Citizen Participation portion of the meeting will be accepted via email at cityclerk@cityofbowie.org or via text at 240-335-3282. Comments must be received by 7 p.m. Monday to be included in the meeting.
Click here to see the M-NCPPC presentation.
Click here to see the agenda for Monday’s Bowie City Council meeting.
By
Mike Rauck
A group of volunteers calling themselves Sew Face Masks Maryland have created and delivered more than 2,400 cloth face masks to more than 40 area organizations including food banks, police departments, and hospice centers in Anne Arundel County and Prince George’s County. Volunteers coordinate their efforts using a Facebook group, Google Docs, and SignUpGenius.
Are you interested in helping? Patterns are available for those willing to sew, drivers are needed for contactless pickups and deliveries of masks, and supplies are needed (100% cotton woven fabrics - like quilters cotton and especially 1/8"-1/4" elastic). Click here to request to join the Facebook group to become a volunteer, and read the post at the top of the page for instructions.
Representatives from organizations interested in requesting masks can click here to fill out a request form.
Sew Face Masks Maryland only makes masks for organizations in Anne Arundel County and Prince George’s County, and the group does not make or sell masks to individuals.
The group has strict rules for members that include no promotion of products, services, or political agendas, no hate speech, and no bullying. Members are expected to be kind, courteous, and respectful of the privacy of all members.
By
Mike Rauck
During a week where the news is trending more negative than positive, members of our community continue to fight the trend. Senior Pastor Dione Bowlding from Bowie City Church announced in a weekly recorded message on YouTube Sunday that the church donated $1,000 to the Bowie Interfaith Food Pantry in response to a theft that occurred at the pantry early Friday evening.
According to Bowlding, the church has a program to assist the Bowie Interfaith Food Pantry in every calendar month that has five Sundays. On the fifth Sunday of those months, the church budgets about $4,000 to give to church families to shop and deliver goods to the pantry.
This month has five Sundays, but due to a scheduling conflict, the church donated to the food pantry on the first Sunday of the month. Bowlding said that the church happened to have $1,000 remaining in this month’s donation budget, and that money was delivered to Bowie Interfaith Food Pantry Director Debbie Langdon over the weekend.
"The pantry is so fortunate to have such generous support from the community,” Langdon shared with Bowie Living. “We are overwhelmed by their kindness and compassion. These last few days have seen an increase in donations - some due to the pandemic and some due to the break in."
The pantry has had to make slight changes to their operations due to the temporary closure of city buildings where some of the pantry’s drop-off sites are located, but donations are still being accepted in the back of the Kenhill Center. Visit the Bowie Interfaith Pantry and Emergency Aid Fund Facebook page for the drop off hours and list of items needed.
Monetary donations can be made via the pantry’s web site by clicking here.
The mandatory shutdown of some businesses due to concern about the Coronavirus will create a greater need for the pantry's services.
The Bowie Police Department identified 57-year-old Michael James Treyfry this afternoon as a suspect in the pantry theft. Anyone with information about the theft or the whereabouts of Treyfry is encouraged to contact Detective Booth, Bowie Police Department Criminal Investigations Section at (240) 544-5700. Callers can leave anonymous tips by calling (240) 544-5770.
Have you supported the pantry in the past? Are you part of an organization that supports the pantry? Share your stories in the comments.
By
Mike Rauck
Seritage SRC Finance is seeking to increase the number of residential units allowed on the Sears property at the Bowie Town Center for a proposed mixed-use project that could include retail, office, hotel, and residential buildings. The 10.8-acre site is only one of several parcels that make up the 72-acre Bowie Town Center, and it currently includes the vacant Sears building, BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, and several acres of parking.
Seritage filed a zoning map amendment earlier this month to permit up to 800 multi-family units and up to 150 townhouses or assisted living beds on the property. The proposal represents a 670 unit increase over the 280 units that are permitted on the property under previously approved plans.
The application that Seritage filed with the county is one of three applications that require review and approval before any buildings are constructed.
The City of Bowie plans to review all three applications using the city’s development review guidelines. The guidelines call for a stakeholders’ meeting, a Bowie Advisor Planning Board public hearing, and a City Council public hearing for all three applications that Seritage anticipates submitting.
Seritage is a 2015 spinoff of Sears, Roebuck and Company. Sears owned a considerable amount of real estate throughout the country, and those holdings were transferred to Seritage as part of the spinoff.
Seritage has sold some of the former Sears properties, found tenants for others, and demolished some to make way for mixed-use projects.
In the company’s most recent earnings report published in February, Seritage detailed plans for three new projects to convert former Sears properties to mixed use sites – one each in Dallas, Chicago, and Redmond, Washington. The projects will be built in phases with an average of 500 residential units per property if all goes according to plans.
Multiple residents expressed concern about the current state of the Bowie Town Center during recent City Council listening sessions. The quality of the stores and the number of vacant units were mentioned.
Traditional brick-and-mortar retail stores have suffered in the wake of increased online shopping, and retail properties are commonly repurposed for other uses including restaurants, fitness clubs, entertainment venues, and residential.
The Sears property is part of collection of parcels that make up what is known as the Bowie New Town Center (BNTC) Comprehensive Design Zone (CDZ). Other properties in this CDZ include the rest of the Bowie Town Center, the Shoppes at Bowie Town Center, Bowie City Hall, the Palisades townhouses, Heather Ridge Apartments, and several commercial and residential properties across from the Bowie Town Center on the north side of Route 197.
A Comprehensive Design Zone is like a custom zone where residential density caps and other property restrictions are tailored for a cluster of properties – unlike more traditional zoning where density restrictions must be strictly followed. Planning officials have more flexibility when approving new and modified plans for CDZs, and approvals are handled on a case by case basis.
All property owners have the right to submit development applications for review, and the fact that the application is being reviewed by the city should not be seen as an endorsement by city staff, the Bowie Advisory Planning Board, or the City Council. City Council recommendations emanate from the review process. The city’s position should never be assumed just because a development application is being considered.
City review of the Seritage zoning map amendment application is expected to begin in late spring.
Click here to view a January 2019 video where the Sears property owners discuss possible uses for the site.
By
Mike Rauck
Three months after an election where the impact of development projects was considered a major concern for voters, members of the Bowie City Council divided into two camps for last Monday’s votes on two detailed site plans for the South Lake project – councilmembers who wanted to send a symbolic message and councilmembers who wanted to participate in the county’s process despite having a restricted role.
Mayor Adams and councilmembers Boafo, Harrison, Nbdebumadu, and Turner voted to recommend approval of the South Lake plans, and councilmembers Estève and Woolfley voted against. The 5-2 split was reminiscent of vote tallies from the previous council where Estève and Woolfley typically voted against recommending development applications before the council.
City Council development project votes generally have no binding authority. The decisions typically serve only as recommendations when the plans are considered by the Prince George’s County Planning Board and the District Council.
City Council recommendations, however, typically include more than just an up or down vote on a project. City planning staff and the Bowie Advisory Planning Board generally provide the council a list of recommended conditions for approval. Common conditions for approval include widening of a road, adding a sidewalk, increasing parking spaces, adding a trash receptacle, changing the type of bike rack used, and installing signs.
Developers seeking a positive recommendation from the Bowie City Council tend to accept staff’s conditions for approval, thus giving the city some limited leverage on development projects even though the city has no power to stop these projects. That leverage is lost when the city rejects a development application (e.g., Pecan Ridge), and that leverage is lost when the city decides to take no action on a development application (e.g., Amber Ridge).
A City Council recommendation to reject a development application can also affect a project, but only if the City Council provides reasons that are applicable to the criteria that the Planning Board and the District Council can consider by law for the particular type of application being considered.
School capacity was cited as a factor in the City Council’s decision to reject the Pecan Ridge proposal, but the county adopted rules years ago that prevent development applications from being rejected due to school capacity issues. The county instead charges a per-unit fee for new development projects to fund school capital improvement programs.
“South Lake is going to happen regardless of whether the Bowie City Council takes a stand or not,” District 4 Councilmember Roxy Ndebumadu explained during Monday’s meeting before voting to approve city staff’s recommendations for the project. “We need to have a seat at the table.”
The South Lake development is being built in Ndebumadu’s district.
District 2 Councilmember Dufour Woolfley argued that changes to the project recommended by city staff are minor in nature. “They really don’t address the overall concerns that the community has, and they’ve had for a long time, and that’s of course with traffic and the impact on education,” Woolfley pointed out. “Nor does it fairly represent the real world of retail and how it’s changing, and I don’t see how introducing new retail into our environment is all that helpful.”
The council’s consideration of the two South Lake detailed site plans on Monday was constrained by commitments made by the previous council when the property was annexed into the city. Ndebumadu suggested that voting against the project could subject the city to a lawsuit from the applicant.
After consultation with the city attorney, Woolfley recommended indefinitely tabling a decision on the South Lake detailed site plans as a way of abiding by the terms of the annexation agreement without showing support for the project.
District 1 Councilmember Michael Estève concurred with Woolfley’s approach. “We have to be careful about what we signal to residents, and we have to be careful about what we signal to the community at large,” Estève said. His comments were met with applause from a handful of people present Monday night who oppose the South Lake development.
“We have to figure out the best way to be most effective given our restricted role,” Councilmember Boafo told Bowie Living. “We know that the City Council doesn’t have the power to stop development projects, but we do want to be able to influence plans. Someday the Sears property owner will submit a plan to redevelop that site, and we need to have our voices heard.”
Boafo would like the City Council to work more closely with the Prince George’s County Planning Board to better understand how the council can best address future development. “I’m looking forward to spending time with the Planning Board in the near future,” Boafo said.
Despite differences in how councilmembers voted on the South Lake applications, there is broad consensus in the council that traffic and the state of the schools in Bowie are major concerns.
A public hearing for the two South Lake detailed site plans will be held by the Prince George’s County Planning Board on Thursday, March 19th.
By
Mike Rauck
As of 11am this morning (Tuesday, March 3rd), customers calling the phone number for Sardi's Bowie location will hear a recorded message indicating that the restaurant is closed after a recent fire. According to the message, the recording will be updated when the status of the restaurant changes, and no estimate was provided for the length of the closure.
The phone number for Sardi's Bowie location is (301) 383-2167.
Please send Bowie Living a note if you hear any info. Thank you!
