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 right-of-way to avoid costly driveway grading and to protect drainage inlets. “When you bump the curb line farther, it gets a little bit more difficult to accommodate that drainage,” Stacy (staff) said, noting underground utility and drainage constraints can limit where full 5-foot sections can be provided.

Residents raised several substantive concerns. Ken, a Wellesley resident, opposed the expansion and said a new sidewalk would add an onerous shoveling burden: “I live on the north side … I would want it on the north side opposite my street because I don't want the extra effort of having to shovel a 100 plus more feet,” he said. Sherry (Ken’s wife) asked whether the city would consider exceptions for older residents who would struggle to clear added sidewalk area.

Nancy, who lives at Creighton and Wellesley, said that intersection floods during heavy rainfall and that plows sometimes leave snow piled on front yards, which would make sidewalk clearing especially difficult for older residents. Jacob responded that staff are updating sidewalk listings and will coordinate crew awareness about ramps and plow behavior to reduce unintended impacts.

Other residents offered contrasting views: Mike Williams, who identified himself as a Wellesley resident, said he and his household endorse Alternative 1 and praised the design team for the neighborhood benefits. Wendy, Mike’s wife, noted a possible tree that might need review but said the sidewalk would improve safe access to the lake and trail.

On outreach, some residents questioned whether invitations and lists favored nearby Sweet Briar addresses and asked staff to broaden direct mail and knock on doors. Jacob said staff will send a targeted follow-up survey to Wellesley Drive addresses and that an earlier, broader community survey and a resident mailing (sent 10/01/2025) were part of prior outreach. He told participants that the anonymous poll run during the meeting showed 12 respondents preferring the north side and none for the south side at the time, but that staff will review chat comments and the full survey before making a recommendation to council.

Several attendees asked whether a no-build option would be offered. Jacob said no-build is not included in the current targeted survey because the project had already been approved for design in the CIP budget process; staff treat resident sentiment as part of the recommendation packet they provide to council before council action.

Staff emphasized next steps: after the targeted resident survey and further engineering refinement staff will prepare a recommendation packet for the city council, which must approve the final side selection. The one-year contractor warranty for sidewalk and driveway replacement was confirmed. Jacob closed the meeting by asking residents to submit further feedback by email and said the targeted survey will remain open into April.

The immediate technical constraints—drainage patterns, underground utilities and driveway grades—will determine whether continuous 5-foot sidewalk sections are possible everywhere; staff said they will run engineered sections once a preferred alternative is chosen. The city will present a refined design and timing to residents and the council before construction begins.