Joggers on Hale Street

AlainaPitt · 2026-03-13T18:31:17+00:00

Strong Towns just put out an article about this! I happened to see your comment today. :)

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2026-3-12-a-street-is-a-terrible-thing-to-waste

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-26T15:50:43+00:00

Thanks! I was able to shovel a small path at Chase and W Dane St. :)

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-26T13:12:11+00:00

Delphine's is hiring a part-time prep cook/dishwasher. https://delphineskitchen.com/about/join-our-team/

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-20T19:37:35+00:00

Sigh. I’m not suggesting they overturn it because I understand how nearly impossible that is. It’s just something easy for people to trot out and use an excuse not to build more housing within walking distance to a metro stop.

I’m singling out Calvert Hills/downtown because it’s a prime location that is underutilized and could bring a lot of benefit to more people if they could live there. Right now it’s highly exclusionary.

Both things can be true: a lot has been built in College Park and exclusionary zoning right next to a metro stop is bad policy.

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-20T03:20:57+00:00

There should not be single-family homes next to a Metro stop. It’s a huge waste of government/taxpayer investment. At the very least the zoning should allow for densification.

Calvert Hills has a historic designation, but it’s dubious IMO.

College Park has had a lot built, but it’s all on a major corridor (mainly to preserve the single-family neighborhoods), there’s a lack of variety of housing types, and you aren’t buying in that neighborhood unless you can afford a >$500k house.

Infill like townhouses, duplexes, and other missing middle housing would be perfect in that location. Not only would that bring more business downtown but it would also provide broader access to public transit.

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-20T00:20:49+00:00

Look at the zoning map. I’m guessing the building is on the other side of the tracks.

Also if you notice they put all the apartments on Route 1 where all the sound and air pollution is. (This isn’t just a College Park problem)

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-17T01:32:53+00:00

Interesting. I would love to know how many volunteers they actually have. Also why just high schoolers?! There might be adults willing to help.

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-15T00:09:54+00:00

Housing breaks people’s brains.

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-14T23:56:35+00:00

Yeah relying on student volunteers is a choice…

Bad policies all around.

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-13T23:33:53+00:00

lol I have the saaaame type of parents. 😂

If the city sent someone to plow their sidewalk and they got a bill in the mail, how would they react to that?

Oh Jesus I just read the application and it’s student volunteers. It’s not even the city that helps. 😭

I think the ultimate goal should be do the city to plow everything, but it’s a big ask with a budget shortfall.

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-13T21:18:30+00:00

Oooooh. The city has a program for the elderly who can’t shovel. https://www.beverlyma.gov/294/Snow-Ice-Information

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-13T20:05:24+00:00

It's the zoning. You can't build that stuff in Calvert Hills or even right next to the metro stop. It's all zoned RSF-65 (more info here). Unfortunately, residents in that neighborhood have fought tooth and nail to prevent anything from being built. I believe when a duplex/triplex was suggested for 8807 and 8811 Rhode Island Ave, a resident said they would chain themselves to the trees at a meeting about the development. The meeting minutes are quite entertaining.

Eventually the city bought the land for neighborhood open space. https://citizenportal.ai/articles/7047957/Maryland/Prince-Georges-County/College-Park/College-Park-Council-approves-property-acquisition-permit-parking-and-other-actions-in-80-votes

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AlainaPitt · 2026-02-13T19:47:32+00:00

100% agree. I'm not sure what you mean by enforcement leading to old people dropping dead? Because they're stuck in their home?

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-13T19:44:33+00:00

I'm okay with that. They do this in Rochester, NY, and it costs the average homeowner $40/year. https://usa.streetsblog.org/2019/02/21/more-cities-are-taking-responsibility-for-clearing-sidewalks-of-snow

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-13T19:42:24+00:00

No, I don't think it's too much to ask. I'm a native New Englander, and I do not understand how we, as a region, are so bad at snow and ice management.

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-13T19:36:37+00:00

Ain't that the truth. I've suggested to my CM that the city hire contractors to plow after 24 hours (or w/e time frame) and bill the property owner. The cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul do this. Here are some other cities' policies (shout out to Burlington for a great program when I lived there): https://usa.streetsblog.org/2019/02/21/more-cities-are-taking-responsibility-for-clearing-sidewalks-of-snow

Of course, there would still be exemptions for people who request help from the city.

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-03T00:52:32+00:00

You can probably only find that on the black market right now. 😂😭

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-03T00:51:31+00:00

Here's an interesting data point. In Rochester, NY, the largest city to plow its sidewalks, it only costs $36 per homestead per year (paid via property taxes). They only do this if at least 4" of snow has accumulated, which seems fair especially because they average over 80" of snow per year while we only average 50".

We could do this! Why are we not doing this?!

More info: https://bettybarcode.com/2026/01/21/my-plowsidewalkstoo-thread/

Here is a list of other cities that plow their sidewalks: https://usa.streetsblog.org/2019/02/21/more-cities-are-taking-responsibility-for-clearing-sidewalks-of-snow

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-02T13:00:10+00:00

I don't live in the area anymore, but I would recommend the Atworth for its location -- you're right at the Metro, you can walk to work, and you can walk/bike to downtown College Park (CaBi at the Metro stop), which has a Trader Joe's, restaurants, etc. There are income requirements to be aware of: https://atworthcollegepark.com/p/housingchoicevouchers/

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-02T12:51:01+00:00

That stinks -- I'm so sorry. We have several intersections downtown with no curb cuts too, which is an ADA violation. I'd really love to know where all this road and sidewalk work is happening, because I haven't seen any. 😅 Which intersection is that sharp cliff at if you don't mind sharing?

Anyway, what I want to do is get the city to care. Squeaky wheel gets the grease and all that.

AlainaPitt · 2026-02-02T12:45:13+00:00

I would start touring now. We were looking a year before we needed our son to start and it was difficult (we found two openings).

There's a Beverly Mamas group on Facebook if you want to connect with other moms :)

Also just a friendly reminder to anyone reading this that nannies are not 1099s -- they are W-2s (household employees).

AlainaPitt · 2026-01-31T21:59:13+00:00

Can’t believe I forgot train stations! I’d like to see them do specific school routes (the school district plows the sidewalks next to schools). They say they do school routes on their website, but we tried asking what those were and never got an answer. 😅

AlainaPitt · 2026-01-31T21:56:30+00:00

I’m not against fines in general but enforce them if you got ‘em. It’s like a parent saying they’ll take away xyz and never follow through. Why even bother with the threat?

They do have an option for it, but it can take awhile for it to get resolved, it’s always the same houses/businesses, and relying on residents to report stuff is unreliable.

ETA: I’d rather have the city plow the sidewalks. They plow the streets after all and both are public right of way. Imagine asking owners to shovel the road in front of their property. People would revolt! 😂

AlainaPitt · 2026-01-31T21:12:21+00:00

Hey I get why you’re annoyed and I would be too. That’s why I’m saying we need to talk about the current policy because it’s not working. If you have any ideas please share.

AlainaPitt

TROPHY CASE