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Cheverly council readies focused comments to county on Cheverly Hill preliminary plan
Summary
Facing a March 20 deadline, the Cheverly mayor and council agreed to send a concise letter to Prince George's County that attaches planning board and Green Infrastructure Committee comments and presses for stronger commitments on open space, transit stops and pedestrian connections.
Mayor Micha Watson said the town will submit a tightly focused letter with attachments to the county by the March 20 Park and Planning deadline and asked council to narrow the list to the most important design and policy points.
"We have a deadline of March 20 to provide comments on the PPS, the preliminary plan of subdivision, to Park and Planning," the mayor said, urging a 2- to 3-page letter that includes the planning board and Green Infrastructure Committee recommendations as attachments.
The planning board chair, Carlos Silbiger, said the board spent months reviewing the developer's preliminary plan and sent the council three categories of materials: priority areas for town advocacy, information the developer should provide, and topics that will come up later in the process. He said the materials are in the packet and available to the public.
Residents and committee members urged the council to press the county for measurable commitments. Sheila Salo of Ward 2 asked the town to call attention to environmental and health risks at specific parcels, including a parcel near an existing gas station at 5801 Annapolis Road and a proposed concrete batching operation at 31301 Claybrink Road.
Council discussion focused on wording and leverage. Council member Tanzi and others recommended replacing vague terms with precise expectations that the county and developer can be held to, such as specifying materials for paths (permeable pavement/ADA compliant) and developer-funded bus-stop infrastructure (shelters, benches, real-time information). Members debated whether to frame some suggestions as "should" or "must" and how to link through-street proposals to the town's stated interest in annexation.
Vice Mayor Bridal and Council member Wade pressed for clarity about when issues such as homeowners associations and operations of public spaces should be decided; some members said those matters are best addressed in later phases, while others asked that the letter make the town's expectations clear now.
Mayor Watson said staff will produce a revised draft over the weekend, council members will have 48 hours to propose edits, and the council will either vote on a final letter next Thursday or adopt it at the March 19 virtual meeting so staff can meet the county deadline.
Next steps: the mayor and town administrator will circulate a revision, the council will review it in the coming days, and the letter is expected to be transmitted to Park and Planning before March 20.
