City Council considering proposal to recognize former Bowie Mayor Robinson

By Mike Rauck

Former Bowie Mayor G. Fred Robinson

Councilman Henri Gardner will present a proposal during Monday’s city council meeting to recognize former Mayor G. Frederick Robinson by naming a road and the new ice arena after Robinson.  

Although the council agenda doesn’t include a formal resolution, an email sent to some constituents by Gardner provided details of the proposal.  The plan calls for the city to rename Excalibur Road in front of City Hall to Mayor Fred Robinson Road and to name the new ice complex Mayor G. Fred Robinson Ice Arena.

Robinson served as Bowie’s mayor from 1998 to 2019, and he served on the City Council from 1986 to 1994.  The construction of the new City Hall and plans for the new ice complex were approved during Robinson’s tenure as mayor, and he was an active and vocal supporter of both projects.

According to a recent city manager’s report to the council, the city is in the process of obtaining the building permits for the new ice complex, and construction is expected to begin in March.

The new ice complex is expected to open in 2021.

Bowie area projects moving forward after Planning Board approval

By Mike Rauck

The Prince George’s County Planning Board approved applications for three Bowie area development projects after public hearings were held earlier this month.  Approvals were given to the Amber Ridge, Pecan Ridge, and Melford Mansions projects.

The Planning Board approved a conceptual site plan application for Amber Ridge, a 19-acre development just outside the city limits on Route 301 South – just north of Mitchellville Road.  A total of 187 townhouses are planned, and space is being reserved for 20,000 square feet of retail space.  A detailed site plan for the residential component of the property will still have to be approved prior to construction, but the remaining approvals are only contingent upon plans that follow development guidelines.

Retail space including a grocery store was originally planned for the Amber Ridge site decades ago, but property owners changed their focus to residential after they couldn’t secure an anchor.

A traffic light and a cutover to Route 301 North were considered for the project, but the Maryland State Highway Authority determined that the expected traffic did not warrant the cutover.

Caruso Homes and Ryan Homes have been lined up to build the townhouses at Amber Ridge.

A detailed site plan was approved for the Pecan Ridge subdivision, a development of 80 single-family homes located just outside the City of Bowie along the WB&A trail on a 41-acre horse farm currently operated as Temptation Farm.

Developer Caruso Homes proposed a Public Benefit Conservation Subdivision for Pecan Ridge, which is meant to preserve open space and/or site features. According to county law, Public Benefit Conservation Subdivision developments in the Rural Residential Zone like Pecan Ridge must preserve at least 40% of the land, and developers can build on up to 60% of the property with minimum lot sizes of 6500 square feet (0.15 acres). Caruso will conserve 42% of the property for green space.

Among the areas of the property being conserved is a buffer with the Horsepen Hill Farm property, a buffer with the Blue Skys Stable property, and a grove of Pecan trees that dates back to the early 20th century.

A detailed site plan was approved by the Planning Board for the Mansions at Melford Town Center, an apartment complex that includes 435 units in nine separate residential buildings in the Melford section of Bowie.

The Melford Mansions complex is the second apartment complex approved for the Melford Town Center. A detailed site plan for the 389-unit Aspen apartment complex was approved in 2018.

According to an article in commercial real estate publication Bisnow, Andrew Roud from St. John Properties announced that ground will be broken on both the Aspen and Melford Mansion apartment complexes by the end of the summer.  Some grading and work on the storm water system has already taken place.

Committees to hear testimony on race track bills tomorrow

By Mike Rauck

The Maryland Senate and the House of Delegate both introduced versions of the Racing and Community Development Act of 2020 in the Maryland General Assembly earlier this month, and the two committees will hear testimony about the bills tomorrow (Tuesday) in Annapolis.

The House Ways and Means Committee will be in session starting at 1:00pm tomorrow to hear testimony on HB1056, among other bills, and the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee will be in session starting at 2:30pm to hear testimony on SB987.  The House Ways and Means Committee meeting may go into the evening given the number of bills on the agenda.

Click here for an overview of how the two bills affect the future of the former Bowie Race Course property.

The House Ways and Means Committee meeting will be taking place on Tuesday, February 25th at 1:00pm in Room 130 of the House Office Building, 6 Bladen St, Annapolis.  Click here for guidelines for providing oral and/or written testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee.

The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee meeting will be taking place on Tuesday, February 25th at 2:30pm in Room 3 of the Miller Senate Building, 11 Bladen Street, Annapolis.  Click here for guidelines for providing oral and/or written testimony to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.

Click here for information on parking in Annapolis for the 2020 legislative session.

WMATA Bowie bus line cuts proposed; Metro public hearing tomorrow in New Carrollton

By Mike Rauck

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is holding open houses and public hearings to provide information and solicit feedback for the organization’s fiscal year 2021 budget.  The closest event to Bowie is taking place Tuesday night, February 25th at 6:00pm, Metro Points Hotel, 8500 Annapolis Road, New Carrollton.  An open house will begin at 6:00pm, and the public hearing will begin at 6:30pm.

The proposed plans include cutting two Bowie area bus lines:  the C28 Pointer Ridge route and the B29 Crofton-New Carrollton line which includes stops on Northview Drive, including the commuter parking lot.  A Metro report indicates that these bus lines are experiencing low ridership. The B21 and B22 bus lines will still service the Bowie Park & Ride Lot on Northview Drive if C28 and B29 lines are shut down.

Click here for more information.

Renovations underway at Bowie High School Annex on Belair Drive

By Mike Rauck

Work crews recently began the first phase of a multi-million-dollar partial renovation of the Bowie High School Annex on Belair Drive.  Hess Construction was awarded a $15.8 million contract for the initial work.

The first phase of renovations includes the following improvements, according to Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS):

1. Replacement of entire suspended ceiling system;

2. Replacement of the 1989 roofing system & update to the failing drainage system;

3. A new sprinkler system throughout the 1963 facility (includes service upgrade to the water main);

4. Replacement of all classroom unit ventilators and related piping;

5. Replacement of the entire steam system to a four-pipe hydronic system (includes two new chillers for full air conditioning capacity);

6. Educational enhancements/renovation to science classrooms 121, 122 & 123; computer lab 116; family & consumer room 114; and 9 standard classrooms along with corridors, restrooms and storage spaces;

7. Abatement & replacement of all asbestos-containing floor tiles throughout the school;

8. Painting throughout the school;

9. Repair of structural earthquake-related damage; and

10. Purchase & installation of six portable classrooms to remain after construction completion (option chosen to avoid moving the school to another location during construction).

A total of $23.4 million has been approved for the project, although school officials indicated that there are other costs for the renovation above and beyond the Hess Construction award.

Additional improvements have been identified for Phase 2 of the project, but PGCPS is waiting to announce those details until it’s clear how much money will be available after the completion of Phase 1.

City of Bowie courting Trader Joe’s

By Mike Rauck

Bowie Mayor Tim Adams announced during last night’s City Council meeting that he sent a letter asking the Trader Joe’s CEO to consider Bowie for the store’s next Maryland location.  “I also asked our federal, state, and county elected officials to send their own letters supporting Bowie’s request,” Adams said.

A link is now available on the city’s web site to allow residents to submit their own requests to Trader Joe’s.  Click here for the city’s web page for Trader Joe's.

At least one resident suggested bringing Trader Joe’s to the city during the recent council listening sessions, and multiple residents expressed the need for better retail options in the city.

The latest initiative to bring a Trader Joe’s to Bowie is not the first.

Two Bowie residents created the “We Want Trader Joe's in Bowie, MD” Facebook page in 2012 after the Safeway grocery store in the Bowie Marketplace closed.  The purpose of the page was to gather followers and show local support for Trader Joe’s.  The page has been dormant for more than seven years.

The closest Trader Joe’s to Bowie is in Annapolis, and Trader Joe’s has no stores in Prince George’s County.

Planning Board to hold hearings for two area development proposals on Thursday

By Mike Rauck

Pecan Ridge

The Prince George’s County Planning Board will conduct public hearings tomorrow (Thursday) for multiple development plans including applications for the proposed Pecan Ridge and Melford Mansions projects.  The meeting starts at 10am in the Council Hearing Room in the County Administration Building, 14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive in Upper Marlboro, and residents can sign up to speak during the hearings.

Pecan Ridge is a proposed 80-unit residential housing development located just outside the City of Bowie along the WB&A trail on a 41-acre horse farm currently operated as Temptation Farm.

Developer Caruso Homes is proposing that the Pecan Ridge development be a Public Benefit Conservation Subdivision, which is meant to preserve open space and/or site features. According to county law, Public Benefit Conservation Subdivision developments in the Rural Residential Zone like Pecan Ridge must preserve at least 40% of the land, and developers can build on up to 60% of the property with minimum lot sizes of 6500 square feet (0.15 acres). Caruso is proposing to conserve 42% of the property.

Among the areas of the property identified for conservation is a buffer with the Horsepen Hill Farm property, a buffer with the Blue Skys Stable property, and a grove of Pecan trees that dates back to the early 20th century.

The Bowie City Council voted unanimously last month to recommend that the county reject the preliminary plan of subdivision proposed by Caruso Homes for the Pecan Ridge development citing residents’ concerns about the environment, traffic safety, and school overcrowding.  The Planning Board, however, will likely base their decision on less subjective criteria for school and traffic capacity as prescribed by law.

The Planning Board will also conduct a hearing Thursday for a detailed site plan application for the Mansions at Melford Town Center, an apartment complex that includes 435 units in nine separate residential buildings.

The Melford Mansions complex is the second multi-family application being considered for the Melford Town Center.  A detailed site plan for the 389-unit Aspen apartment complex was approved in 2018, although most of that project is still in the permitting phase.

Click here to see the agenda for Thursday’s meeting.

Click here for instructions for signing up to speak during one of Thursday’s hearings.