Member Spotlight Series: Episode 2

Our new Member Spotlight series debuts with videos focusing on those who are active in Members United.  Learn more about who we are and our backgrounds as members in GHI. Future videos will feature interviews with other members of GHI and the Greenbelt community.  

Missed Episode 1?  Watch it on our YouTube channel here.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to get notified when future videos are released.

Interested in becoming more active with Members United or being featured in a future video?  Reach out to us at wearemembersunited@gmail.com to find out how you can become more involved.

Check Out Our New Member Spotlight Series

Our new Member Spotlight series debuts with videos focusing on those who are active in Members United.  Learn more about who we are and our backgrounds as members in GHI. Future videos will feature interviews with other members of GHI and the Greenbelt community.  

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to get notified when future videos are released.

Interested in becoming more active with Members United or being featured in a future video?  Reach out to us at wearemembersunited@gmail.com to find out how you can become more involved.

National Night Out: Tuesday, August 6

Come visit Members United during National Night Out!  Greenbelt’s National Night Out event will be Tuesday, August 6 from 6:30-8:00pm in Roosevelt Center.  Other participants include:

• Mishkan Torah
• GHI Member Outreach
• Proteus
• Town Center Realty
• Coop Supermarket
• Greenbelt Elementary and Middle School PTAs
• WAGS
• Greenbelt Dog Walker Watch
• Greenbelt CART
• Greenbelt CERT
• Greenbelt Pride
• Peace and Justice Coalition
• Greenbelt Community Church
• Good Samaritan

We hope to see you there!  You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram @MmbrsUntd for live updates!

Save The Date (April 23, 2019): Public Workshop on Widening I-495 at Eleanor Roosevelt High School

What?

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) State Highway Administration (SHA) are holding Public Workshops at Eleanor Roosevelt High School on the widening of I-495 and I-270.

When?

Tuesday, April 23, 2019, first session starts at 6:30 PM, second session starts at 8:30 PM.

In Support of Green Spaces

Editor’s Note: This is part two in a small series of articles by author James Wisniewski about the important and significance of green spaces in Greenbelt. Read his first article here.

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“Perhaps nature is our best assurance of immortality.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

It is easy for us to take Greenbelt’s beauty and green spaces for granted in much of the same way many Washingtonians take the monuments and other DC landmarks for granted.  We do so knowing that green spaces are only a short distance away. After the Prince George’s County Council introduced a new zoning ordinance on October 23, 2018 allowing for increased density, increased building height, and less green space, Greenbelt Homes, Inc. (GHI) and the City of Greenbelt acted quickly to get the county to create an exception based on the historical significance of Greenbelt, known as the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay Zone (NCOZ). Due to the complexity of the terminology in the proposed NCOZ, we need to make sure that the regulations:

1. Do not allow for the removal of green spaces and
2. Keep the integrity of historic Greenbelt intact.

Green Spaces Are The Place To Be

Greenbelt is … green.

When I first met my wife, I had spent my entire life living in one Montgomery County zip code. As our relationship grew, we discussed which of us would move. I enjoyed living in my neighborhood, but Lauren loved Greenbelt. It was the only place she had ever lived and she told me she never wanted to leave. Why? What about her neighborhood was any different than the neighborhoods in which I had been raised? Spending any amount of time here in Greenbelt quickly changes that perspective. Greenbelt’s location, accessibility, and affordability are hard to rival in DC’s metropolitan area and the small, intimate community feel is also quite appealing.

New Zoning Ordinance Could Bring Dramatic Change to Historic Greenbelt’s Density, Open Spaces, and Skyline

On October 23, 2018, the Prince George’s County Council voted to approve a new zoning ordinance. This new ordinance is estimated to become effective in 2020. At that time, the current zone which caps density (the number of residential dwelling units) in Historic Greenbelt will go away.

The new zoning ordinance will allow for:

• Increased Density – the number of dwelling units which may be built in GHI
  would increase by over 500%!
• Increased Building Height – up to 5 stories for townhouses/apartments and no height limitation on commercial buildings
• Less Green Space – as a result of infill development on existing green spaces

The County Council also authorized the creation of a Neighborhood Conservation Overlay (NCO) Zone for the Greenbelt, Maryland National Landmark District that includes GHI. This NCO will provide a framework for protecting the existing character of Historic Greenbelt.