Posts tagged Mel Franklin
-
Jealous beats Baker for governor, Alsobrooks wins in Prince George’s, and Montgomery executive is too close to call
Ben Jealous beat Rushern Baker to be the Democratic pick against Maryland governor Larry Hogan in November. Angela Alsobrooks was nominated (and essentially elected) the next Prince George's county executive, while in Montgomery, the race was down to a mere 452 votes separating Marc Elrich and David Blair, with thousands of absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted. The Maryland primary election is not over! Keep reading…
-
No endorsement for Prince George’s County Council at-large
Unfortunately, unlike in the county executive's race where there are far more excellent candidates than can be elected, we feel that the candidates running for at-large in Prince George's this year are not likely to take progressive stances on development, urbanism, transit, and other smart growth issues and/or have other events in the recent past which make us reluctant to endorse them. Keep reading…
-
Prince George’s will replace most of its county elected officials this year. Will they set a good path?
Prince George's will select a variety of new elected officials in the Democratic primary on June 26. In a county where 79 percent of voters are Democrats, the primary is the election — so register to vote now! Keep reading…
-
Breakfast links: Metro is repeating itself
The fate of late night; Political theater and the WMATA Board; Crowdsourcing accessibility; A breath of fresh air; Westbard power struggle; Phone theft is up; From Fannie Mae to condos; Mass transit on mass media; Fossil fuel failings; Copy, fail, copy again; Bus route blues; Contract pressure?; Station designs move forward; Empty homes create trouble; Ban the box; Have you seen this slick?; What’s in a (street) name?; Walk down to Electric Avenue; And…. Keep reading…
-
Prince George’s new general plan places too much emphasis on sprawl
Last year, Prince George’s County planners kicked off a bold effort to revise its general plan and direct most future growth to transit stations inside the Beltway. But a continuing focus on sprawling suburban development on the county’s fringes could thwart those worthy goals. The Planning Department has been working on “Plan Prince George’s 2035,”… Keep reading…
-
Prince George’s can stop validating sprawl
Approvals for many long-ago approved but unbuilt subdivisions in Prince George’s County will expire at the end of the year. But for the fifth year in a row, the County Council may decide to extend those approvals for another year. It may be time to stop. Today, the council’s Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development (PZED) Committee will consider three bills, CB-70-2013,… Keep reading…
-
Prince George’s considers two new TOD bills
Five months ago, public outcry persuaded Prince George’s councilmember Mel Franklin to pull two controversial fast-tracked bills to exempt Metro station developments from site plan review and public meetings. On Wednesday, the council will consider two new, and better, bills. Both bills would streamline the development review process near Metro stations. CB-6-2013,… Keep reading…
-
Controversial Prince George’s TOD bill still on fast track
Prince George’s County Councilmember Mel Franklin is still trying to exempt most development projects within a half-mile of transit stations from public meetings and site plan review. Unfortunately, his second hurried attempt at the legislation does not fix the problems which sparked outcry from community and smart growth activists. Franklin is placing his… Keep reading…
-
Could less review bring walkable TOD to Prince George’s?
Some Prince George’s County Council members want to make it easier to develop around the county’s transit stations with a pair of bills that would streamline approvals. But communities and smart growth advocates fear the bills would just encourage more of the unwalkable development that has been all too common near the county’s Metro stations in the past. Council… Keep reading…
-
Developers should provide sidewalks, not just road capacity
Prince George’s County, like many other jurisdictions, requires developers to pay for new roads around new buildings, even outside the project’s boundaries. But it never requires new sidewalks or bike lanes offsite. A bill in the county council would change that. “The Park at Addison Metro” is a prime example. It’s a new development of townhouses… Keep reading…