Council to continue fighting townhouses near Metro

In development approval’s final phase, city to focus on transit issues

The Takoma Metro is in Washington, D.C., but is used by many Takoma Park residents. Since 2000, the City Council has passed eight resolutions opposing the development, which would build up to 85 townhouses, some with two-car garages, on 6.8 acres of green space at the station.

In November 2007, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority agreed to sell the land, 75 percent of the total property at the Metro station, to EYA for $2.5 million.

Many residents and officials on both sides of the Maryland-District line have opposed the plan for years, because they say it would provide insufficient transit access, endanger pedestrians and destroy existing green space.

Staff asked the council whether they should refine their position on the development, and, if so, whether to focus their arguments solely on transit issues or broaden them to overall concerns about the site plan.

Council members agreed that discussing site plan options could be seen by transit officials as a softening of their resistance.

‘‘I just think it’s better to be firm: The transit issues are first and foremost,” said Councilman Reuben Snipper (Ward 5).

‘‘They can’t fix the transit issues and still build two-car garages,” added Councilwoman Colleen Clay (Ward 2).

Councilman Dan Robinson (Ward 3) said many constituents have told him that the council should stop spending resources on the almost-decade-long struggle, but he, too, agreed that the council should continue the fight.

‘‘It does use staff time, and it does use city attorney’s time, and it does use our time, but I think it’s worth it,” he said.

Other residents agreed.

‘‘I see a role for the council in advocating for transit,” said Sabrina Baron, president of the local preservation group Historic Takoma. ‘‘Everybody uses that station, Maryland and D.C. alike.”

City staff said the process has become complicated, however, because they do not know when WMATA and EYA plan on submitting proposals to the FTA and the D.C. Office of Planning. Deputy City Manager Suzanne Ludlow and City Attorney Susan Silber said they have not received a clear answer about the timeline from EYA.

‘‘Right now we don’t know what EYA is doing,” she said. ‘‘There’s been a whole period of paralysis.”

Candace Smith, a spokeswoman for WMATA, said there is no deadline to submit the proposal, but she said it would happen before the end of the year.

‘‘The plans will be submitted in the very near future,” she said.

Representatives from EYA could not be reached for comment Tuesday.