By Ally Lanasa, Staff Writer

(Oct. 29, 2020) The Berlin Mayor and Council discussed the transfer and disposition of property located at the south end of Maple Avenue that belongs to the Town of Berlin to Willows at Berlin during its meeting on Monday.

SITE PLAN COURTESY INGERMAN INC.
The Berlin Mayor and Council discussed options to transfer an 11,000-square-foot property at the south end of Maple Avenue to Willows at Berlin during its meeting on Monday.

The mayor and council had been scheduled to discuss deeding the property right-of-way for Route 376, but members of the State Highway Administration could not attend the session. The conversation about the Maple Avenue property was then added to the agenda.

“The reason that this was changed was because depending on the action that the council would like to take with this property, there are some advertising deadlines that we have to meet,” Mayor Zackery Tyndall said.

Planning Director Dave Engelhart said the property where Wolfe Terrace now sits on is going to be redeveloped by Ingerman Inc.

He added that he is within days of permitting the project.

“Last week, we became aware the developer, Ingerman Inc., had found on a title search they needed to do for their funding that the parcel that you see in that hatched area on the overhead in front of you all on the south end of Maple Avenue actually belongs to the town,” Engelhart said.

The 11,000-square-foot property was dedicated to the town in 1991, he added. However, the town has not maintained that property in the last 29 years.

“It doesn’t really serve a public purpose,” Engelhart said.

If the town does not transfer the property, it would affect the project proposed by Ingerman Inc.

The existing units, which are 31 townhouse-style rentals, will be remodeled, Engelhart said. Ingerman Inc. also plans to build 34 new residential units and a large community building on the site.

“There is a process to convey or dispose of public land or public property of any kind, whereas we have to advertise 20 days of public notice before you can do a motion,” Engelhart said.

The council will then make a motion at the Nov. 23 mayor and council meeting.

The company’s development principal, David Holden, provided an overview of the project.

Holden said of the three existing buildings containing those 31 townhouse-style units, only one building contains fire sprinklers.

“Our plan includes adding fire sprinklers to the two existing buildings,” he said.

He added that the existing rentals need improvements and modern touches.

“We also will upgrade the stormwater management. There really is no stormwater management out there now,” Holden continued. “There’s also a lift station in the lower left toward Hudson Creek that we now have taken to [the Maryland Department of the Environment] through the permit process and that will be operating per their standards and will be inspected and monitored.”

The four buildings to be built will feature a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The buildings will be two-story properties with siding and pitched roofs.

“All the units have private exterior space,” Holden said. “There’s no hallways. Once you come in the door, you’re in your unit.”

Originally, Ingerman Inc. planned to include 100 units, but there will only be 65.

The proposed clubhouse on site includes office space for staff.

“We will have two full-time staff that are here during business hours Monday through Friday, and we’ll have 24-hour back-up on the weekends for resident needs,” Holden said.

The clubhouse will also offer space for residential activities.

“We’ll have computer labs in there. We’ll work with any kind of educational job training for employment that is appropriate,” Holden said.

The entrance for the multi-family housing will be off Maple Avenue through the property deeded to the town almost three decades ago.

“We could modify our plan to address it, but we would rather not do that,” Holden said. “I think we have a plan that works really well now.”

Adjacent to the site is the Stoll property that has access off Maple Avenue.

“Whatever we did, we would make sure that their access was maintained the same that it is before it would be after any kind of transaction,” Holden said.

Town Administrator Jeff Fleetwood offered the mayor and council four options: give the developer the 11,00 square feet of town property, have the land appraised and sell it to the developer, have the site plan redesigned to make the project fit on the land the developer already owns and lastly a barter to have the developer pave Maple Avenue to Flower Street in return for the land.

Engelhart said Ingerman Inc. has a contract to purchase the property where Wolfe Terrace is located and close the deal in December.

Fleetwood also said one member of the council had asked whether the developer might agree to add 550 to 600 feet of sidewalk from Elizabeth Street to the development.

Vice President and District 4 Councilmember Dean Burrell requested the appraisal value as well as the cost of paving the road and adding the sidewalk before the mayor and council make a decision in November.

A public hearing will not occur regarding the transfer of the 11,000 square-feet of land.

At-Large Councilmember Jay Knerr said he does not want the developer to have to change the site plan.

Knerr also asked about the lighting on the property.

Holden said the lights at the entrance will be solar, but the other lights will be more conventional.

Engelhart told Knerr that the lighting and landscaping were part of the site plan approval by the Berlin Planning Commission on Jan. 8.