Wednesday, January 9, 2013
The amendment, which could clear the way for thousands of new homes, will be discussed at a public hearing March 4.
Thousands of homes as well as retail and service stores may be built on the large Melford property in Bowie after the city council voted to allow its staff to draft an amendement to covenants that currently restrict how that land can be developed. The amendment allowing for new types of development will be discussed at a public hearing on March 4. The city council move comes after St. John Properties, the developer of the office campus already at the Melford tract, said it was having trouble leasing commercial space due to a lack of nearby amenities. “We need to provide amenities to the (office) park,” said Andrew Roud, development director with St. John Properties who urged council to expand the uses of the land. However, the city …
Friday, December 7, 2012
Two of the ordinances passed at Monday's meeting may make walking and driving in Bowie a little easier.
Two ordinance amendments passed by the Bowie City Council on Monday night may make the streets and sidewalks more friendly to passing cars and pedestrians. One ordinance makes it illegal for any tree or shrubbery on private property to obscure traffic or street signs, or to create and “imminent danger” or “public nuisance” to any public right of way or to city property. If residents don’t clear the offending greenery after being notified by the city of the violation, city staff can come on the property and take care of it themselves, at a cost to the property owner. Another ordinance passed unanimously by the Council prohibits the parking of RVs, cargo trailers, boat trailers on city streets. According to city staff, parking large vehicles…
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The officers were sworn in during Monday's city council meeting.
The city of Bowie got a little safer this week. Three new police officers were were sworn in by the Bowie City Council during Monday's regular council meeting. Joining the Bowie Police Department are Pvt. Aaron Foote of Annapolis, formerly of the Baltimore City Police Department; Pfc. Aaron Saunders of Crofton, formerly of the Maryland Natural Resources Police and Pvt. Matthew Titman of Bowie, recent graduate of the Prince George’s County Community Policing Institute. Bowie Police Chief John Nesky and Deputy Police Chief Dwayne Preston were both on hand for the swearing in ceremony. Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories delivered right to your inbox or smartphone everyday with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here. …
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
The Bowie City Council urges residents to support incubent Verjeana Jacobs for the District 5 Board of Education school board seat.
- OPINION
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Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Dear Bowie Residents, We, the undersigned, who serve as your non-partisan, elected leaders of the City of Bowie are all enthusiastically supporting Jeana Jacobs, Esq., current school board chair, for the upcoming non-partisan School Board Election in District 5 serving the Bowie area. As you know, our school system has many challenges facing it in the near term; the hiring of a new school superintendent, shrinking resources from our state government and recruitment/retention of the best and brightest teachers to instruct our children. Ms. Jacobs, the current school board chair, has been on the board for six years and has been selected by her peers to lead them for the past 5 years. That alone is a testament to her leadership and ability …
Thursday, October 11, 2012
On Oct.1, the Bowie City Council passed a proclamation to recognize Oct. 11 as the International Day of the Girl.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Jenni Pompi
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Thursday, October 11, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
BGE faced the Bowie City Council again this week to defend the safety and prudence of smart meters.
BGE took the podium at Bowie City Hall again last night to answer community questions about smart meter installation, operation and safety. Questions were raised about smart meter installation notifications at last month's council meeting when Mayor G. Frederick Robinson and Mayor Pro Tem Diane Polangin both stated meters had been installed and they had not received a postcard notifying them in advance. Several other residents told Patch they had similar experiences, either coming home to find new meters or discovering workers in their yards installing meters without any advance notice. At the request of the city, BGE imposd a temporary moratorium on installing smart meters in Bowie, but not before approximately 3,500 were installed within…
Friday, September 28, 2012
City staff have been approved to enter into discussions with the developer about the future of the property.
The Bowie City Council last week voted unanimously to allow representatives from St. John Properties Inc. (SJPI) to enter into talks with city staff about the future of the property known as Melford. Due to covenants on the property, the city is in a unique position—one that allows them considerable say in how the property is developed. The property, located at Rt. 50 and Rt. 301, is currently home to hundreds of thousands of feet of office space, and there are about 90 acres of undeveloped land that SJPI envisions as a mixed-use retail and residential community with a significant senior citizen housing component. The covenants on the land do not classify residential development as an approved use of the property, according to City Manager…
Monday, June 4, 2012
A short rundown of tonight's City of Bowie Mayor and council meeting.
The City of Bowie Mayor and City Council will be holding a regular legislative meeting tonight, June 4, at 8 p.m. at the Bowie City Hall. Here are a few things you can expect to see on the agenda. There are several items on tonight’s consent agenda, including a resolution establishing an Executive Board for the Bowie Green Team, accepting a bid proposal for hot-mix asphalt resurfacing and milling, an amendment to the city code dealing with election districts, and an amendment the fiscal year 2012 budget to pay for anticipated expenses. The mayor and council will also hear a presentation by the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation on their 2040 Master Plan, and they will receive a briefing on the Bowie Business …
Employees will receive a $1,000 bonus and a 1 percent salary increase in fiscal year 2013.
City of Bowie employee paychecks will be a little fatter when the new fiscal year begins in July. So will those of the city council. The Bowie City Council approved $1,000 bonuses for each of the city's 312 full-time employees, reported the Gazette. “It’s in recognition of the employees’ contribution to the city,” City Manager David Deutsch, told the Gazette. “It’s additional compensation that’s not built into the wage base.” Full-time employees will also receive a 1 percent cost of living adjustment as stipulated in their labor contract. Last year’s cost of living adjustment was 1.75 percent. Together, the increases will account for around $412,000 of the city’s $43 million operating budget, which was adopted by the city council on May…
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
The additional acre of land sold by the city is necessary for the developers to meet tree conservation requirements.
The Bowie City Council voted Monday night to sell one acre of land to the developers of Harmony Place for $25,000, reported the Gazette. Harmony Place is a planned, 286-unit high-end apartment complex that will be located near the Bowie Town Center. The acre of land was required so the site can meet tree conservation requirements. The plans include one 247-unit building with an enclosed five-story interior garage; a smaller 39-unit building with a garage; a swimming pool; a clubhouse; a tot lot; and trails. Eight Bowie residents have raised concerns about traffic, school enrollment numbers, and landscaping buffers, according to the Gazette, but Harmony Place owners have agreed to help address these concerns. Questar, Harmony Place’s parent…
Ed Leyden
5:03 pm on Friday, January 11, 2013
As a City resident of twenty-years tenure with a demonstrated long-term interest in matters of Economic Development here in Bowie and intimate familiarity with the evolution of the City's posture concerning the Melford center, I can, hopefully, add some clarity to these discussions by pointing out (strictly in my capacity as a private citizen and NOT as Chair Emeritus of the City's Economic … more ›