Media Center

Montgomery County Planning Board Appoints Resident Group to Advise on Purple Line Study

SILVER SPRING, MD – Following a wide call for applicants, the Montgomery County Planning Board yesterday appointed a committee of 28 area residents who will help its transportation planners analyze the potential impacts of the proposed Purple Line, a transit corridor that will link Bethesda with New Carrollton by light rail or a rapid bus line.

While the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) is leading the planning for the Purple Line, Montgomery County planners have begun an effort that will highlight the Planning Department’s recommendations for the type of transit, route and station locations in Montgomery County. Once the study, called a functional master plan, is complete, it also will amend the county’s existing master plans through which the new route will travel.

Staff expects the plan to provide a framework for the Planning Board to react quickly to the MTA’s Purple Line recommendations, which may emerge next summer.

More than 80 applicants responded to the department’s call for committee members. While the size of the committee approved today is larger than typical, planners recommended that the board include members from throughout the Purple Line area, including Bethesda/Chevy Chase, Silver Spring and Takoma Park.

Planning staff recommended individuals who offer background in transportation, landscape architecture, mass transit and public service as well as those with a history of working with Purple Line issues. Planners also sought committee members who might be able to spread the word among broad constituencies, particularly those who may not typically involve themselves in civic outreach.

The committee meetings, expected to begin in October with a briefing from MTA on the alternatives under review, will be open to the public and advertised at www.mcparkandplanning.org/transportation/projects/bicounty.shtm. Everyone who expressed an interest in the committee will receive invitations to the meetings.

Members include:
Bethesda/Chevy Chase
Edward Asher
Pat Baptiste
Veda Charrow
Marcy Fisher
Sue Knapp
Anne Martin
Judy Tso
Mier Wolf

Silver Spring
Karen FitzGerald
Tony Hausner
Jonathan Jay
Caleb Kriesberg
William Mellema
Edward “Ted” Power
Chris Richardson
Karen Roper
Rob Rosenberg
Harry Sanders

Takoma Park
Eric DeVaris
Clay Harris
Byrne Kelly
Laurie Kelly
José Rodriguez
Fred Shultz
Todd Solomon

Countywide
Phil Alperson
Georgette Godwin
Peter Gray

 

 

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Median Price for New House in Montgomery County Climbs to $1.1 Million, Researchers Say

SILVER SPRING, MD – According to Montgomery County Planning Department researchers, the median price for a new single-family detached home in Montgomery County reached a startling $1.1 million in the first quarter of 2007.

Researchers found average prices for all types of housing increased 8 percent in the first quarter while prices were flat for the rest of the Washington, D.C. area. 

County prices for existing single-family homes and new townhouses decreased slightly but continue to average more than $500,000.

Researchers say that developers appear to be responding to the downturn in the housing market by focusing on building high-end houses for the affluent rather than meeting the housing needs of middle- and lower-income families. Read the full report at: http://www.mc-mncppc.org/research/documents/HousingBulletin091907_003.pdf

Aware of the housing trend, the Planning Board and other officials are working to provide affordable housing options. Current county law requires most residential developers to include a minimum of 12.5 percent moderately priced homes in their proposed plans. When the Planning Board approves 35 or more new housing units near Metro Stations, developers are required to build workforce housing units.

With County Council support, the Planning Board has placed even greater emphasis on the importance of affordable housing opportunities in the county, initiating a new housing study that will become a new element of the county’s General Plan. In June, the Planning Board directed its researchers to analyze county’s housing trends and examine where home prices tend to be lower. Researchers also will recommend ways the county’s most affordable neighborhoods can maintain their quality of life without endangering their affordability. Their report is expected to be delivered to the Planning Board in January.

Late this month, the board will send a revised set of growth policy recommendations to the County Council that – if adopted – will require developers to pay higher impact fees in order to offset the costs of infrastructure required by brand-new homes in existing communities. The board recommended that developers be required to pay a greater share of the cost to build new roads and schools.

Under the board’s proposal, developers of most single-family detached homes would need to pay about $31,000 in impact taxes. According to a variety of economic studies, those fees add costs to developers, not homeowners, and help existing residents receive adequate services.

“Developers are not having problems selling high-priced new homes, so we think they can contribute 3 percent of the revenues to help improve the roads and schools serving that new home,” said Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson.

The Planning Board will review its growth policy recommendations on Sept. 27 and will present those to the County Council in work sessions starting Oct. 1.

As Region Grows, Utility Expert to Describe Ways to Work with Aging Infrastructure

 

SILVER SPRING, MD – At a 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27 presentation to the Montgomery County Planning Board, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC)’s general manager will outline the challenges of providing utility services to 1.6 million customers in the metro area – and suggest planning strategies to ensure the effective delivery of water and sewer in a growing region. 

The presentation by Andrew Brunhart, the latest expert in the board’s popular Growth Management Speaker Series, will focus on the challenges aging infrastructure like water and sewer systems pose for planners nationwide and in Montgomery County in particular. The speaker series, which began last spring, informs the Planning Board on topical issues as it grapples with how to shape the future of Montgomery County.

Smart planning calculates the need for public services such as roads, schools and water/sewer when approving new development. Providing adequate public services make up the centerpiece of the Planning Board’s revised recommendations for the county’s 2007 proposed growth policy, which will go to the County Council for consideration in October.

WSSC, established in 1918, designs, constructs and operates water and sewer systems for nearly all of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, or more than 1.6 million customers in an area of nearly 1,000 square miles. The agency’s planned improvements include more than 100 projects totaling $1.6 billion.

Brunhart will address WSSC’s approach to upgrade or replace aging infrastructure and planning for new development with adequate public services.

WHO:
Andrew Brunhart, WSSC general manager

WHAT: 
Presentation on meeting infrastructure needs

WHEN:  
Thursday, September 27, 2007 – 7 p.m.

WHERE:
Park and Planning Headquarters
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD

Department of Parks Meets with Several Community Groups this Week about Park Recreation Buildings (Activity Centers), Adds More Info Online about Project and Pushes Back Planning Board Date

SILVER SPRING, MD—Park planners will meet with several interested community groups this week about the status and use of 31 small and medium-sized park recreation buildings (activity centers) in the county’s parks system. Several of these buildings were in bad shape and underused and proposals have been developed to address this.

“We’ve been hearing concerns from community members across the county,” said Department of Parks Senior Park Planner Mark Wallis, “and are eager to meet with these concerned groups individually to come up with some viable solutions that both balance public need and the reality of the condition of the buildings.” 
The Department of Parks has meetings this week scheduled with:

- Clarksburg Civic Association, Monday, September 24, 8:15 pm, 23201 Stringtown Road, Clarksburg
- Garrett Park Elementary School, Tuesday, September 25, 7:00 pm, 4810 Oxford Street, Garrett Park
- Hillandale Civic Association, Wednesday, September 26, 7:30 pm, 10501 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring

In late June, the Department of Parks briefed the Montgomery County Planning Board on its draft proposal for managing the 31 park recreation buildings within the parks system based on an assessment of the buildings’ current condition, level of use and maintenance requirements. These aging structures are often used for birthday parties, community events and small classes and changes to their management have raised community concerns.

“Briefing the Planning Board on our preliminary ideas for these buildings before collecting community input has been the greatest lesson learned,” added Wallis. “But the community should know that no final decisions have been made yet on these buildings.”

To better facilitate public dialogue on the future of the park recreation buildings, the Department of Parks has added additional information on this project to its website at www.ParkPlanningandStewardship.org. From this site, the Department of Parks briefing memo from the June 28 Planning Board meeting is posted, more information on some of the buildings is available and a calendar of the public meetings scheduled on this topic is posted, which the department will update regularly.

In addition, the department has pushed back its anticipated date to take final recommendations back to the Planning Board, from the originally anticipated November timeframe to February 2008 or later to allow for more community discussion on this project.

“We  will take whatever time is required to make sure we come up with the right conclusions regarding these valued community assets,” said Parks Director Mary Bradford.

The Department of Parks will also host a town hall meeting on Tuesday, October 16 at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Avenue to share its preliminary findings regarding the buildings and receive community input. On January 15, the department will host a community briefing in the auditorium at the Montgomery Regional Office building, 8787 Georgia Avenue, to share with the public what will eventually be presented to the Planning Board.

For more on this project, please visit www.ParkPlanningandStewardship.org.

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Contact:
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866

Intermittent Park Closures Through Fall/Winter as Department of Parks Conducts Annual Deer Management Operations

SILVER SPRING, MD—Today, the Montgomery County Department of Parks announces its fall 2007, winter 2008 deer management operations season, which will result in several park closures. The first park of the season, Hoyles Mill Conservation Park in Boyds, closes October 26 for deer management.

On various dates from October 2007 through January 2008, 9 parks throughout the county will be closed from Sunrise to Sunset for managed deer hunts. From January 1 through March 31, 2008, 6 county parks will be closed from Sunset to Sunrise—at night when the parks are closed to the public—for Maryland-National Capital Park Police based sharpshooting of deer. “Park Closed” signs will be posted throughout the affected parks. See the complete list of park closures below.

“Over the years, we have heard from countless residents about the value of these operations,” said Department of Parks Natural Resources Specialist and Wildlife Ecologist Bill Hamilton. “We appreciate this support and park patrons’ patience with the park closures during our annual deer management season.”

For more than a decade, the Department of Parks has worked to control deer populations in select county parks through its managed hunts and Park Police based sharpshooting operations. These operations are conducted carefully and with the utmost regard for protecting public safety. Private hunters conducting managed shotgun hunts for deer in county parks must meet the highest level of state and county safety standards in order to participate and the sharpshooting operations in the parks are conducted by expertly trained Park Police officers only.

“Since the inception of the county’s deer management program, we are continuing to see a slow and steady decline in the number of deer-vehicle collisions in the county due in part to these efforts,” added Hamilton.

The Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group—an interagency group formed in 1995 to reduce the number of deer-human conflicts in the county and which includes representatives from the Department of Parks, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Montgomery County Police Department, National Park Service and others—released its annual status report on the county’s deer management program earlier this summer. The report indicates that around parks, where deer population management strategies are in place, such as the department’s managed hunts and sharpshooting operations, accidents with deer and vehicles have declined.   

One of the recommendations in this year’s Work Group report also includes adding an additional park location to the department’s existing list of active deer management operations. “This year, we are recommending adding a Park Police based sharpshooting program to remove deer from Rock Creek Stream Valley Unit #7, in Aspen Hill between Route 28 and Viers Mill Road,” said Montgomery County Department of Parks Natural Resources Manager and Chair of the Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group Rob Gibbs.

At this point, the Rock Creek Stream Valley park location is only proposed for deer management. The Department of Parks is seeking public input from park neighbors and other interested parties before determining whether this park site will officially join the ranks of active deer management operations. Public comments on the addition of Rock Creek Stream Valley Unit #7 in the department’s deer management program are welcomed until November 1, 2007 at [email protected] or Department of Parks, Wildlife Ecology Unit, 2000 Shorefield Road, Wheaton, Maryland 20902. Only comments which include a name and address will be considered.

For more on the Department of Parks deer management program, including a copy of this year’s Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group’s annual report and information on the Rock Creek Stream Valley Unit #7 proposal, visit www.mc-mncppc.org/environment/deer.

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MORE INFORMATION

The following parks will be closed on the following dates from Sunrise to Sunset (approximately, 5:00 am until dark) for managed deer hunts:

- Hoyles Mill Conservation Park, Boyds, Closed: October 26, November 3, 10 and 16, December 1, 7, 15 and 21 and January 5, 18 and 26
- Woodstock Equestrian Park, Beallsville, Closed: October 27, November 2, 9, 17 and 30, December 8 and 22 and January 4, 19 and 25
- Rachel Carson Conservation Park, Brookeville, Closed: November 5 and December 17
- Blockhouse Point Conservation Park, Darnestown, Closed: November 6 and December18
- Great Seneca Stream Valley Park, Goshen, Closed: November 7, 14 and 21, December 12 and January 2
- North Germantown Greenway Park, Goshen, Closed: November 7, 14 and 21, December 12 and January 2
- Bucklodge Forest Conservation Park, Barnesville, Closed: November 9 and 30 and January 4
- Little Seneca Stream Valley Park, Boyds, Closed: November 10, December 1 and January 5
- Little Bennett Regional Park, Clarksburg, Closed: December 3 through December 7

The following parks will be closed from January 1, 2008 through March 31, 2008 from Sunset to Sunrise—at night when the parks are closed to the public—for Maryland-National Capital Park Police based sharpshooting to control deer:

- Agricultural History Farm Park, Derwood
- Black Hill Regional Park, Boyds
- North Branch Stream Valley Park, Derwood
- Northwest Branch Park, Aspen Hill
- Rock Creek Regional Park, Rockville
- Wheaton Regional Park, Wheaton

Contact:
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
(301) 650-2866

Planning Board Approves Montgomery Mall Expansion

SILVER SPRING, MD – Following four hours of testimony, the Montgomery County Planning Board on Thursday tentatively approved an expansion proposal for Westfield Montgomery, a 40-year-old mall near Bethesda. The plan will enlarge Macy’s, relocate the Sears Automotive Center, and add a promenade with freestanding retail shops and restaurants with outdoor seating.

The board’s tentative decision included conditions offered by a citizens’ group to address pedestrian safety as well as the size and look of a parking garage along Westlake Drive. Based on that input, the board required the developer to expand a bike path and to step back the top floor of part of the parking garage and to add additional façade treatment to reduce its visual impact on the surrounding community.

The board planned to incorporate those revised conditions before finalizing their vote later on Thursday.

The citizens group met with the developers and worked out the improvements a few days before the board hearing. The bike lane improvements will require review by the county Department of Public Works and Transportation.

Westfield Montgomery, better known as Montgomery Mall, sits on 60 acres at Democracy Boulevard and Westlake Drive. Developers proposed approximately 60,000 feet of additional retail, including 25,000 square feet recently acquired from an existing strip mall.

“The applicant and the community have worked well together to come up with a project that everyone seems to be happy with,” said Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson. “That’s to be highly commended.”

Montgomery County Park, Planning Website Wins Award for Excellence

SILVER SPRING, MD – Less than a year after launching a new website aimed at improving information delivery and providing 24/7 access to key park and planning services, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s Montgomery County technology and communications staff won an international award recognizing innovative, informative, easy-to-use websites.

The Web Marketing Association, founded in 1997 to encourage Internet marketing and development awarded M-NCPPC an “outstanding website” designation in its 11^th annual competition judging the best web sites in 96 industries. The agency’s site scored 64 out of 70 possible points.

“This is a great site,” said one of the judges, who served on a panel of at least three web experts, adding that he or she had given the site the highest score to date. “Simple, clean information is plentiful, easy to find, and easy to review.”

The award puts the agency in good company. Other winners in the “outstanding” category include the Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. House of Representatives, National Geographic, AOL and the Disney Channel.

It also validates the agency’s efforts to shed more public light on its policies and regulatory agenda. “Over the past year, we have made greater transparency a top priority, and our improved website is a key part of that process,” said Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson. “I’m very pleased our website has been recognized.”

The agency’s website – accessed through MontgomeryParks.org and MontgomeryPlanning.org – provides a range of user-friendly options for residents and others seeking information about parks and land-use initiatives. Last winter, the agency’s technology staff unveiled a new design featuring better technology, easier navigation and snazzier graphics.

Current online services for web users include detailed trail maps of the county’s more than 200 miles of trails, visionary community plans, proposed development projects, parks classes, volunteer opportunities and a system to sign up to testify before the Planning Board.

The Web Marketing Association, made up of marketing, online advertising, public relations and web site professionals, judged the sites based on design, ease of use, copywriting, interactivity, use of technology, innovation and content. The award named eight agency staffers who collaborated on the website redesign and maintenance.

Planning Board to Consider Montgomery Mall Expansion Thursday

SILVER SPRING, MD – On Thursday, Sept. 20 at approximately 1 p.m., the Montgomery County Planning Board will review a revised expansion proposal for Westfield Montgomery, a 30-year-old mall near Bethesda that could include new stores, restaurants, parking structures and freestanding retail shops along the entry street.

Developers of Westfield Montgomery, located on 60 acres at Democracy Boulevard and Westlake Drive, want to modify an expansion plan that was approved by the Planning Board in 2005. The 2005 plan was approved for 308,000 square feet of new retail. The new proposal includes approximately 60,000 feet of additional retail, including 25,000 square feet recently acquired from an existing strip mall.

The board’s planning staff recommends approval of the expansion.

Area residents have expressed concern about pedestrian safety on Westlake Drive and overall transportation improvements. As a result of their concerns, the developers revised their original plan to better address safety and aesthetics. Some of the planned improvements to Westlake Drive include a new hiker/biker path, shade trees and a raised street median.

In their list of conditions for the applicant, planners ask for a new pedestrian crossing requested by the community along Westlake Drive.

As part of its expansion plans, Westfield, Inc., would enlarge the Macy’s store, relocate Sears, renovate the food court, realign the road that rings the site and construct a six-bay bus transit center at I-270 and Westlake Terrace. The bus transit center was approved in 2005 and will not be re-considered as part of Westfield’s application.

WHO:
Montgomery County Planning Board

WHAT:
Hearing on Westfield Montgomery, a proposed mall expansion off Democracy Boulevard near Bethesda

WHEN:
Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007 – approximately 1 p.m.

WHERE:
Park and Planning Headquarters
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, Md.

Planning Board Sept. 17 Agenda Highlights

SILVER SPRING, MD - The Montgomery County Planning Board will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17 to discuss forest conservation and master planning in a special work session.

The board has added a number of Monday evening meetings to its usual weekly Thursday schedule to discuss non-regulatory issues with its professional planning staff. During the work sessions, the board does not plan to accept testimony, although the public is welcome to attend.

On Monday, the board is scheduled to discuss:

* Proposed revisions to the county’s Forest Conservation Law, which aims to save, maintain and plant forested areas in the county. The Planning Board will send its recommendations for a new version of the law to the County Council this fall. Previously, the board held a series of public meetings and collected input from staff and the community on the proposed revisions.

* An evaluation of the agency’s master plans. The board will provide input on future content, process and outreach for master plans, which forecast 20 years of land use trends and future growth in every community in the county.

The board will work on the I-270/Route 355 corridor study on a subsequent Monday night work session.

For a full Planning Board schedule, see www.mcparkandplanning.org/board/agenda.

 

Stay in the Know! E-Newsletter Informs about Montgomery County Park Events, Planning Issues

SILVER SPRING, MD – In a typical week, the county Planning Board and staff from the Department of Parks and Planning Department host several community events and consider an array of issues that affect quality of life in Montgomery County. To help residents stay abreast of park and planning activities, the board and its staff have launched a weekly e-newsletter.

Called InfoShare, the newsletter provides a regular snapshot of what’s going on in Montgomery County, such as fairs, festivals, classes, community meetings and other events of interest. InfoShare also includes links to the Planning Board’s next agenda.

The newsletter, concisely written with links that provide more detailed information, comes out on Fridays.

Launched last spring, InfoShare now has some 1,200 subscribers. Subscribe today at www.mcparkandplanning.org/board/outreach_center/infoshare/signup.shtm.

InfoShare is the latest of a series of measures to explain planning processes for people interested in Montgomery County park and land-use issues. The newsletter complements a planner speakers’ bureau – Experts PLUS – and a new online system for residents to sign up to testify before the board. To find out more, go to http://www.mcparkandplanning.org/board/outreach_center/outreach_center.shtm.