Community
Prince George’s Residents Wary of Developer’s Massive Warehouse Plan
WASHINGTON INFORMER — Area residents railed Thursday against plans to build a massive warehouse in Westphalia that proposes to create nearly 1,800 jobs, arguing it will also generate unwanted noise and traffic congestion. More than 100 people packed a board room at the administration building in Upper Marlboro for a Prince George’s County Planning Commission meeting on the 4 million-square-foot warehouse, with most of them opposing the project.
Area residents railed Thursday against plans to build a massive warehouse in Westphalia that proposes to create nearly 1,800 jobs, arguing it will also generate unwanted noise and traffic congestion.
More than 100 people packed a board room at the administration building in Upper Marlboro for a Prince George’s County Planning Commission meeting on the 4 million-square-foot warehouse, with most of them opposing the project.
Lena Young, an Upper Marlboro resident who has lived in her house since 2015, said truck traffic for the proposed warehouse, which would operate around the clock, would create noise and pollution without a natural buffer near her neighborhood.
Another woman, who declined to identify herself, said she came to get information for her daughter, Shannon Chapman, who lives near the 78-acre site and wrote a four-page letter opposing the Westphalia Town Center project.
“Construction and operation of a logistics warehouse will lead to increases in traffic, environmental detriment and further delay in access to a grocery store and fresh food options,” Chapman said in the letter. “This directly impacts community health, as the food desert we live in has limited fresh food options.”
The land was rezoned more than 10 years ago, undergoing three different variations to its current iteration as a mixed-use, transportation-oriented zoning district.
After nearly nine hours, the planned commission conditionally granted approval to the project, which will be subjected to a 30-day appeal period before heading to the District Council.
The District Council, which consists of county council members who review land-use and zoning matters, decided this year to add the definition of a merchandise logistics center and amend definition of regional urban community in the zoning ordinance.
According to the ordinance, a merchandise logistics center would be a business “where goods or products are received and may be sorted, packed and stored for the purpose of distribution to parcel carriers or delivery directly to a consumer.”
Tom Haller, an attorney who represents the applicant, Conshohocken, Pennsylvania-based Duke Construction Limited Partnership, presented a few changes to the proposal that included shuttle bus services for workers if no agreement can be reached with Metro.
He also presented letters of support from three county organizations: Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable, the Chamber of Commerce and the county branch of the NAACP.
“This project would not only help the tax base, but also bring jobs,” said NAACP President Bob Ross in a phone interview. “Everybody doesn’t work for the federal government. We need jobs for everybody.”
Some residents, including Leathey Chandler, who moved into her home from Landover in March, suggested the vacant Landover Mall site would serve as a better location for traffic adjacent to the Beltway.
The current tract in Upper Marlboro sits about two miles south of Interstate 95.
“This will impact my son’s health,” Chandler said. “The traffic going to work will be a nightmare. Think as if you were living there.”
This post originally appeared in The Washington Informer.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
City Government
Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Special to The Post
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.
Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”
According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.
“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”
When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.
At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”
While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.
On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.
“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.
The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.
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