The city of College Park will assume responsibility for improvements at the intersection of Knox Road, Mowatt Lane and Guilford Road in an effort to improve pedestrian safety near Terrapin Row.
The College Park City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to accept $25,000 from Toll Brothers — the development company behind Terrapin Row — to take over the pedestrian safety improvements the company was initially required to complete.
Toll Brothers was required to construct elements such as barriers and curbs to improve pedestrian safety in an agreement with the city in 2013. However, any pedestrian safety improvements would make turning in the intersection especially tight for trucks and buses, which concerned the company, said Tom Haller, a Toll Brothers zoning attorney, at Tuesday’s council meeting.
Because of the tight turn radius, Toll Brothers told the city it would not install the safety improvements unless the city would waive the company’s responsibility for pedestrian safety and prohibit University of Maryland buses from using the intersection.
City attorney Suellen Ferguson told the council it should be wary of accepting Toll Brothers’ conditions, and suggested that city staff take control of the project.
“My recommendation is that you not accept those conditions that they have placed on this,” Ferguson said. “They have concerns because they are obviously worried about liability.”
Prince George’s County also plans to contribute to improvements at the intersection, but would “probably take about five years” to complete the construction, she said.
The increased foot traffic around the intersection has also had an impact on the Hope Lutheran Church and the Catholic Student Center, said Ray Ranker, a campus pastor with the Hope Lutheran Church.
“I’m definitely concerned about the five-year time frame and wondering why this has taken so long, and why wasn’t this a priority as the construction went straight ahead,” he said.
Council members suggested looking into the possibilities of creating a pedestrian footbridge and additional sidewalks.
“I just would like to see this happen sooner rather than later,” District 4 Councilwoman Mary Cook said. “Lives are at stake.”
