College Park staff present two sidewalk options for Wellesley Drive; residents split over snow clearing, driveway and outreach concerns

City of College Park staff on a public meeting reviewed two conceptual sidewalk alignments for Wellesley Drive and asked residents for feedback on which side of the street should receive a 5-foot sidewalk.

Jacob (engineering staff) said the project is part of the Complete and Green Streets program and was included in the city budget; design funding is in the current fiscal year and construction is scheduled for next fiscal year (July 2026–June 2027). “Construction will take about 6 months,” Jacob said, and staff plan to sequence work in the direction of traffic depending on which side is selected.

Ari, the presenter, described Alternative 1 as a north-side 5-foot sidewalk with selective 2–3-foot curb bump-outs to tie into existing driveways and preserve trees, and said the route would end at a crossing by the Anacostia Tributary Trail System. He described Alternative 2 as a south-side alignment that would meander behind utility poles in spots to avoid relocating utilities and retain a grass buffer in some locations.

Staff said the design team tries to limit work to the…