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’Age‑Friendly College Park’ work group updates council on score, pilot programs and outreach
Summary
Janine Miller, the city’s Age‑Friendly lead contractor, told the council College Park’s livability score is 56 and outlined ongoing initiatives including a proposed housing‑match pilot, ARPA‑funded home repairs and a University of Maryland Age‑Friendly University application.
The College Park Age‑Friendly work group updated the City Council on May 20, reporting progress on its AARP Livable Communities action plan and outlining near‑term projects to support residents of all ages.
Janine Miller, the city’s Age‑Friendly lead contractor, told the council that College Park’s current livability score, using AARP’s index, is 56. For context she said nearby Greenbelt scored 57 and Hyattsville 58; she also noted higher scores from small, densely populated municipalities that are not directly comparable to College Park.
Miller said the city joined the AARP Age‑Friendly Network in June 2021, and that the city’s action plan and addendum were approved by AARP in July 2023. The work group is now in the years‑three‑to‑five implementation phase and must file an AARP progress report in mid‑2026 summarizing accomplishments across the city and partner institutions.
Key initiatives and details
- Housing: Miller described a proposed housing‑match and home‑share pilot program the work group is exploring and said the group hopes to convene stakeholders later in the summer to hear a vendor presentation. She said the city will wait to consult the impending affordable‑housing task force and county planning work because state ADU legislation requires county implementation by Oct. 1, 2026.
- Home repair: An ARPA‑funded “aging in place” home‑repair program has completed projects for seven College Park homeowners; staff said an additional ARPA allocation included in the budget would add $150,000 and could support roughly five more projects.
- University partnership: Miller said the University of Maryland is preparing an application to join the Age‑Friendly University network and expected to submit the application this summer; the university’s participation could extend programming and coordination across campus and city.
- Outreach and services: The group produces regular articles for municipal publications and is developing a bilingual (English/Spanish) brochure of senior resources to distribute at city events and buildings. The group also hosts biweekly activities and informational sessions at the College Park Woods Community Clubhouse.
Questions from council members focused on communication and outreach. Miller and staff said reaching older residents who do not use digital channels remains a principal challenge; ideas discussed included printed inserts, distribution through civic associations, community bulletin boards and the city’s planned digital kiosks. Staff confirmed the project’s new contact email is agefriendlycommunity@collegeparkmd.gov.
Miller emphasized the work group’s intent to engage county planners on missing‑middle and accessory dwelling unit (ADU) policy given the state deadline for county implementation. She also noted the AARP progress report due in July 2026 will evaluate city and regional efforts together, including work by the university and county partners.
Ending
Councilmembers commended the Age‑Friendly team for quick progress and asked staff to continue outreach and to coordinate the planned housing‑match presentation with the upcoming affordable‑housing task force. Staff said they will circulate the bilingual brochure draft to the council and post resources on the city website.
