LIBRARY TO CLOSE APRIL 1 After years of planning to renovate the Hyattsville Branch, management has set a date for closing. P. 3
City staff presented council with options for future facility planning. Find out what decisions must be made soon. P. 6
Citizens propose connector shuttle By Ellen Treimel
Hyattsville adopted the slogan “A World Within Walking Distance” in October 2006, and with a total area of 2.7 square miles in the city, it seems like this could easily be the case. As Hyattsville has undergone economic redevelopment in the last several years, walkable pockets between residential and commercial areas have sprung up. Unfortunately, they do not all link together, and residents end up driving to parts of the city that have limited parking options. Councilmember Edouard Haba (Ward 4) has submitted SHUTTLE continued on page 11
SANCTUARY CITY DEBATE
NO EASY SOLUTIONS
First public hearing on proposed ordinance draws an overflow crowd. See what supporters, and those opposed, had to say. P. 4
Life&Times
Vol. 14 No. 3
Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper
March 2017
Council supports planned West Hyattsville development New community expected to have 183 townhomes, 300 apartments and retail space
By Krissi Humbard
The City of Hyattsville has seen a lot of development in recent years. Most of that development has centered in areas near the Arts District or the Mall at Prince Georges, but West Hyattsville
will soon get in on the action. At the Feb. 6 council meeting, councilmembers unanimously approved a letter of support for the planned Riverfront at West Hyattsville Metro development, provided a few conditions are met. The list of 13 conditions, which
came from input from a previous council meeting and public comments, was laid out by Assistant City Administrator Jim Chandler at the meeting. “I think that the conditions and DEVELOPMENT continued on page 12
A little more than a local book store Robert Harper Books offers performances, local art, book signings and poetry readings
By Mark Goodson
Charisma Wooten changed out of her Jackie “Moms” Mabley wardrobe and joined the audience in the back of Robert Harper Books after her Feb. 25 performance. “This is better than Blues Alley,” she said of the Riverdale book store and concert venue, comparing it to Georgetown’s jazz club. The intimate setting felt more like an artist’s salon than a licensed auditorium. Wooten’s play “A Night with Jackie ‘Moms’ Mabley,” once nominated for the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play, is a medley of puns and turns of phrase. Jackie “Moms” Mabley, the stage name of Loretta Mary BOOKSTORE continued on page 8
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