Stuart Adams
District 3 City Council Candidate
Collaborative - Proactive - Sensible
Proven Record of Community Action:
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Proactive City Councilmember Representing District 3.
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Served as President of Calvert Hills Citizens Association for 3 years.
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Previous College Park Parks & Recreation Committee Member.
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Committee for a Better Environment Green Award Recipient.
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Successfully Led Community Advocacy to Preserve Albion Woods.
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Championed Calvert Road Park Tree and Sculpture Enhancement.
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Member of NLC Community & Economic Development Committee.
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Vocal Community Leader of Save Guilford Woods Advocacy.
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Catalyst for Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety improvements on Trolley Trail.
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Advocate for Edmonston Road Sidewalk and Stormwater Project.
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Host of Annual Calvert Hills Holiday Tree Lighting Event.
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Member of Prince George's County Climate Action Plan Resident Advisory Group.
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Member of NLC University Communities Council.
Absentee Voting
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If you are on the state’s Permanent Vote By Mail list, you will automatically receive a ballot.
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You may request a mail-in ballot for the City’s general election without signing up for the state’s Permanent Vote By Mail list.
Register to Vote
The last day to be registered to vote in the City’s election is October 21, 2023.
In Person Voting
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Wednesday, October 25 at Davis Hall, 9217 51st Ave, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
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Thurs, November 2 at City Hall, 7401 Baltimore Ave, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
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Sun, Nov 5, 2023, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at College Park Community Center.
STU IN THE NEWS
January 25, 2022
City council opposes Purple Line sector plan that would develop Guilford Woods
The College Park City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to send a letter opposing a new county sector plan that would develop part of the Guilford Woods area.
City staff drafted the letter to the Prince George’s County Planning Board and District Council after council members expressed concerns about the plan, which was discussed at a Jan. 4 city council meeting.
The woods has been a subject of community discussions since community members started the Save Guilford Woods movement to push back against plans to develop it into graduate student housing. University of Maryland officials paused that project, called Western Gateway, in October.
District 3 council member Stuart Adams, who was involved in the Save Guilford Woods movement, said he appreciates the possibility of high-density housing near public transit, but had other concerns about the development.
“I hope it’s conveyed that we’re not necessarily opposed to a sector plan for this area...” Adams said. “It just needs to be done right, and it needs to be done with true community input.”
April 13, 2023
Potential College Park tax rate increase could fund rent subsidies, business grants
The College Park City Council Tuesday discussed increasing the tax rate for non-single-family properties in the city — such as apartments, condos and commercial estates — to pay for rental subsidies and business retention grants.
District 3 council member Stuart Adams, who proposed the budget changes, said for each three cents, one cent would go toward business retention grants and two would go toward rental assistance grants.
“There is a goal to find housing affordability for everyone in College Park, but we do believe that includes students living in apartments,” Adams said. “This is something we can do in the interim as we continue to get new supply in new units built to help with affordability.”
The funds for business retention would go toward existing business grants that mainly subsidize small businesses.
According to Adams, the tax increase would primarily impact larger businesses that would be the only ones paying extra tens of thousands of dollars.
September, 2023
Residents divided over upcoming ballot question
In addition to electing a new mayor and councilmembers, voters will be able to weigh in on a non-binding advisory question about switching from two-year to four-year terms for elected officials. Councilmember Stuart Adams (District 3) discussed the ballot question, in an interview with the College Park Here & Now.
Adams noted that this year’s ballot question will give voters an opportunity to reconsider how city council elections will be scheduled. Voters will be able to weigh a staggered schedule, which would give councilmembers staggered four-year terms, with one seat in each district open every two years.
“If the people vote yes, the city won’t actually change things until the council votes on it. The ballot question’s purpose is to gather information,” Adams said.
Adams, who is a first-term councilmember, generally supports two-year terms over the suggested four-year staggered terms.
September 15, 2023
Chick-fil-A’s new Little Blue Menu on Route 1 met with excitement, controversy
But some community members are still concerned about the effect the business will have on the city’s walkability.
District 3 council member Stuart Adams said that he believes the development does not align with the walkable, smart growth vision of downtown College Park.
The council member added that he is concerned that the development could cause additional traffic. The fast food establishment has a collection of delivery cars, vans and bicycles to conduct deliveries around the area.
“It troubles me to walk past the restaurant and see a fleet of delivery vehicles that will add congestion to our roads,” Adams wrote in an email statement. ““I do believe the Little Blue Menu will be successful in this location but fear that it will be a net negative to the community, primarily due to traffic concerns.”
August 5, 2023
College Park City Council discusses options for Knox Road pedestrian plaza
District 3 council member Stuart Adams said Knox Road is a hotspot for students and other pedestrians, and petitioned the city to look into semi-permanent traffic barrier devices, like the Thomas barricades, to allow the street to be blocked off for events without using city public works vehicles.
“I hope we can be a little more aggressive,” Adams said. “It’s a very active corner with a lot of students at nearby establishments on Friday, Thursday, Saturday night, and I think we can find a way to increase pedestrian safety.”
September 19, 2023
UMD fraternity’s sexually explicit advertisement on Trolley Trail angers local residents
District 3 council member Stuart Adams believes the behavior shouldn’t be normalized.
While Adams is concerned about the most recent incident, he said the chalk advertisement is part of a disturbing trend among this university’s fraternities.
“This has been an ongoing struggle in these neighborhoods for years, even decades. I think accountability is the biggest issue that’s there,” Adams said. “When bad behavior happens, the consequences typically seem minor at best, because it seems like it happens again.”
Drawing lewd images in an area that is beloved by children is not acceptable, Adams added.
According to Adams, he and Rigg attempt to meet with fraternity leadership at least two to four times a year. These meetings have left him with a sense that social activities should be moved from the neighborhoods to Fraternity Row, he added.
This university’s rules regarding social events hosted on Fraternity Row are much more strict and require a licensed caterer to serve alcohol. Those strict guidelines that push fraternities away campus are at the crux of the issue, Adams said.
“The university pushed a lot of issues into the community when [it] didn’t find a balance on social event requirements with the fraternity houses on campus,” Adams said.
Adams emphasized the city’s progress in addressing unruly behavior.
“The city over the last few decades has created the tools to address issues,” Adams said. “It just needs to use them.”