The Neighborhood Development Company has rescinded a cease and desist order directing the Takoma Park-Silver Spring Co-op to stop using the public lot at Takoma Junction for deliveries and terminating the co-op’s lease on the lot, according to a company statement.
NDC sent a letter to co-op management on April 15, citing safety concerns over deliveries by 18-wheeled trucks, that served as notice of 30-day termination of the co-op’s sublease.
NDC’s letter follows a June 13 ruling in Circuit Court in a lawsuit the co-op filed against NDC over the termination. The judge in the case granted a temporary injunction to allow the co-op to continue to use the lot.
The statement reads in part, “NDC respects the valuable role that the Co-op plays in the fabric of our community,” and noted that in the past, the two had worked together successfully.
The company added, “We continue to be concerned that the current delivery practices pose a significant safety threat to children, pedestrian, bicyclist and driver safety, and need to be addressed for the benefit of the community.”
In response, the co-op issued a statement of its own that read in part, “we simply note the Co-op’s 20-year track record of safe use of the City lot.”
Screenshot from an early sketch plan presentation of the proposed NDC project