Media Center

MEDIA ALERT: Caution Advised on Montgomery Park Trails, Fallen Tree Limbs, Debris Reported Due to High Winds

SILVER SPRING, MD—The Montgomery County Department of Parks urges park patrons to take caution along park trails and roads as trew crews are out responding to several incidents of fallen tree limbs and tree debris.

Today Department of Parks tree crews have been responding to reports of fallen trees along Sligo Creek Parkway, Beach Drive, West Fairland Local Park and McKenny Hills Neighborhood Park and Forest Glen Neighborhood Park in Silver Spring.

For updates or more information, visit www.MontgomeryParks.org.

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

Montgomery County Transportation Planners Recommend Light Rail for Purple Line While Protecting Popular Trail

SILVER SPRING – On Thursday, January 8, the Montgomery County Planning Board will cast its vote on the best way to build the Purple Line, proposed for years as a new east-west public transit route across Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. The Board will make recommendations about bus versus light rail, the route and other issues, such as station locations and ways to protect and improve a popular bike trail that runs along the line’s proposed path.

Today, the Board’s transportation planners issued their recommendations, the most significant of which was that the Purple Line run on light rail rather than bus rapid transit. Light rail can better handle the expected ridership, forecast to reach 2,000 passengers during the busiest weekday hour in the year 2030, planners say.

The Board will weigh the planners’ recommendations during its January 8 public hearing, then send its input to the County Council and to the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA). Its decision concerns only the Montgomery County section of the Purple Line.

MTA will make the final decision on the biggest public transportation project in the county since Metro built the Red Line. The proposed 16-mile  Purple Line would run from Bethesda to New Carrollton, including stops at  and provide connections to Metro at Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park and New Carrollton, as well as buses, the MARC train and Amtrak.

State transportation officials estimate that up to 70,000 passengers will ride the Purple Line daily.

The planners’ report endorses one of MTA’s Purple Line alternatives (called “medium investment light rail”) specifying the type of transit, the route and 22 stations, with two significant differences.

Planners recommend the state eliminate the station at Wayne Avenue and Dale Drive in Silver Spring because their analysis showed that riders will tend to board either east of the area or closer to the Silver Spring Transit Center now under construction.

Planners also call for preserving the Capital Crescent/Georgetown Branch bike trail tunnel under Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda. They say the trail should continue through the tunnel but be constructed above the train. Planners also recommend widening the trail to 12 feet where possible as part of the Purple Line project.

The transit line will do more than just create a shortcut between the two legs of the Red Line and reduce reliance on cars. If done right, planners say, the Purple Line will create better connections to where people work, live and spend their time as well as spur opportunities for new housing in some communities. Moreover, the Purple Line should promote new street activity in the downtown areas along the route.

Since planners first envisioned the Purple Line in the mid-1980s, they studied the route and impact of the section proposed between Bethesda and Silver Spring. In today’s report, planners recommend that the state better analyze travel demand and other issues on the east side of the line through East Silver Spring and Takoma-Langley. For example, some residents in East Silver Spring favor a Purple Line tunnel under Wayne Avenue. Planners recommend new analysis to gain understanding about the impacts of a surface versus tunnel path – although they prefer a street-level line on Wayne Avenue.

Planners worked with a Planning Board-appointed citizens’ advisory group that provided input for the report. While the citizens’ group was unable to reach consensus on whether the Purple Line should be light rail or bus – or over what route it should run – the report recognizes the group’s work and recommendations on many of the issues.

Learn more about the Purple Line project.

The public is welcome to speak at the Board’s January 8 public hearing, although given the large number of people who may want to speak, Chairman Royce Hanson is encouraging people to send written testimony of any length. Written testimony should be received by noon on January 2. Testimony will be limited to two hours, with each speaker receiving no more than three minutes.

People signing up to speak on January 8 will need to specify which segment of the Montgomery County Purple Line they wish to address – Bethesda/Chevy Chase; Silver Spring; Long Branch/Takoma/Langley; or the entire length – using the online sign-up system or by calling 301-495-4601.

WHAT:   
Public hearing on the Purple Line

WHEN:   
Approximately 2 p.m. Thursday, January 8

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

Montgomery Parks Gets Special Gift this Holiday Season, Planning Board Accepts 5+ Acre Land Gift for Rock Creek Regional Park

SILVER SPRING, MD—Today the Montgomery County Planning Board unanimously approved a 5.8 acre addition to Rock Creek Regional Park in Derwood which comes as a gift from Dr. Thressa C. Stadtman and just in time for the holidays!

“I am pleased to recommend to you today to authorize the acceptance of this generous gift of real estate from Dr. Thressa C. Stadtman, which will expand Rock Creek Regional Park,” said Department of Parks Land Acquisition Specialist Bill Gries, during today’s Planning Board meeting.

Department of Parks staff asked the Planning Board today to accept the addition of 5.8 acres, more or less improved, from accomplished biochemist Dr. Thressa C. Stadtman, the wife of the late Dr. Earl R. Stadtman—a long time Montgomery County resident and regarded as one of the greatest biochemists of the 20th century. Dr. Earl Stadtman passed away in January 2008. Both Drs. Earl and Thressa Stadtman worked for the National Institutes of Health for more than half a century and were beloved mentors to many there.

The condition of Dr. Thressa Stadtman’s gift is two-fold: the Deed of Conservation Easement requires that the land is not developed and managed in perpetuity as conservation parkland to maintain the existing natural resources; and the Gift Deed conveys the land to the Department of Parks outright and at no cost with the request that the gift tract be named “The Stadtman Preserve.”  The Planning Board unanimously approved both conditions today as requested by Parks Department staff.

“This exciting extension to the parks system offers greater protection of the natural resources of the Mill Creek and Rock Creek Stream Valley,” said Department of Parks Legacy Open Space Senior Planner Dominic Quattrocchi. “The property, directly adjacent to an important biodiversity area, meets the criteria for designation as a county Legacy Open Space natural resources site—it’s simply a beautiful property.”

The gift property is located east of Redland Road, adjacent to Rock Creek Stream Valley Park along Mill Creek, and was valued at over $1 million in January 2006. The property features high quality mature forest, steep slopes, floodplain, high quality wetlands and a perennial stream—also, approximately 1,000 azaleas and rhododendrons, lovingly planted by the late Dr. Earl Stadtman. The site also includes a locally significant modern movement house built in 1961 in which Dr. Thressa Stadtman currently resides and for which she will reserve a life estate as a condition of the gift.

“This is really an enormous gift that will keep on giving to future generations enjoying Rock Creek Regional Park and will help protect the watershed,” said Director of Parks Mary Bradford. “We just can’t thank Dr. Stadtman enough for her generosity.”

Generous land gifts of this kind made previously to the Department of Parks have resulted in parks such as the Lois Y. Green Conservation Park, McCrillis Gardens, Rickman Farm Horse Park, Woodstock Equestrian Park, Ovid Hazen Wells Recreational Park and others. 

For more on giving the gift of parks, visit www.MontgomeryParksDonations.org. 

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

Montgomery County Planning Board to Review Recommendations Making Georgia Avenue Corridor a Well-Designed Urban Model

SILVER SPRING –Montgomery County planners just finished their first draft of a study of the length of Georgia Avenue from the District line to Howard County that recommends a cohesive design strategy for the land along the roadway.

The Planning Board will review the Georgia Avenue Concept Study on Thursday. Once the draft is approved by the Board, it will go the County Council for review. Once accepted, the study and its policy recommendations will become a framework for master plans and future development in the corridor.

The study analyzes the 18-mile stretch of road and recommends ways to create a development pattern of concentrated, urban-oriented centers and mature residential communities. In the report, planners describe each community – from fast-paced downtown Silver Spring to quiet suburbs like Olney and rural communities of the Agricultural Reserve – and envision ways to strengthen and unify them as distinct areas.

The public realm – all that is visible from the sidewalk – has been neglected at the expense of moving traffic through the major six-lane thoroughfare, planners say. To reverse that, they recommend strategies to make Georgia Avenue more attractive and safe for pedestrians, bicyclists and people with disabilities, especially in areas surrounding Metro’s Red Line stations along the corridor.

The study also recommends that future development be more environmentally sensitive. To that end, the study specifies a need to provide better stormwater management and plant many more trees to improve water quality.

Following guidance in the eight community plans that cover the corridor, planners call for most growth occurring at a series of centers, including the major employment areas of Silver Spring and Wheaton, where they recommend a mix of jobs, housing, retail and entertainment as well as smaller retail nodes at Glenmont, Aspen Hill and Olney.

Who:
Montgomery County Planning Board

What:
Georgia Avenue Concept Study 

When:
Thursday, December 18, approximately 5 p.m.

Where:
Park and Planning Headquarters
8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring

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Need a Place to Stay During Historic Inaugural? Department of Parks Opens Little Bennett Campground and Rockwood Manor

CLARKSBURG and POTOMAC, MD—The Montgomery County Department of Parks is opening Little Bennett Campground Friday, January 16 through Thursday, January 22, 2009 to RV campers interested in coming to the historic inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

“Camping with the family at Little Bennett might make your trip for this historic inauguration even more unforgettable,” said Montgomery County Department of Parks Enterprise Division Chief Christine Brett.

The Department of Parks is opening up 25 electric campsites at Little Bennett Campground, 23705 Frederick Road in Clarksburg, during the off-season to accommodate the millions expected to be coming to the area for inaugural events. Little Bennett Campground is approximately 45 minutes away from downtown DC. The electric sites are available for self-contained camping units—RVs, etc. for only $31 per night, with a 3-night minimum required.

Each campsite offers 30 amp electric, water availability, a fixed dump station, two-vehicle gravel parking area, picnic table, campfire ring and lantern post. No bathhouses are available and tent sites will not be open. To reserve a spot call Little Bennett Campground at 301-972-9222.

“We’re also opening up Rockwood Manor, which is just minutes from downtown DC to accommodate out-of-town guests looking for a place to stay,” added Brett.

Rockwood Manor is located at 11001 MacArthur Boulevard in Potomac. Rockwood Manor has seven hotel-style guest rooms available in its Carolyn Cottage and Skyview Lodge, sleeping two, three or four for $85, $95 or $105 plus tax, per night from Friday, January 16 through Wednesday, January 21. Each room has a private bathroom, radio and heat/air-conditioning.

The Oaks and Tall Timbers dorms at Rockwood Manor are also available for $560 plus tax, per dorm from Sunday, January 18 through Wednesday, January 21. Both dorms have two rooms each, with seven bunk beds in each room and communal restrooms in the lobbies. The dorms sleep 28 each in total and have heat/air-conditioning.

The French House at Rockwood Manor—the original property caretakers’ home—is available from Sunday, January 18 through Wednesday, January 21 too. The French House sleeps eight and features two small play rooms, two bedrooms with two sets of bunk beds each, a bathroom and a kitchen with refrigerator, microwave, sink and coffee maker and heat/air-conditioning. The inauguration rate for the French House is $210 plus tax, per night.

All the rooms available at Rockwood Manor require a 2-night minimum stay. To book a room, call 301-299-5026.

For more on Little Bennett Campground, see www.LittleBennettCampground.com and for more on Rockwood Manor, www.WeHaveTheWhere.com.

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

Montgomery County Planners Successfully Challenge 2007 County Population Estimate

SILVER SPRING – What’s in a number? Plenty, Montgomery County’s planning director says, especially if he and his staff can work with the U.S. Census Bureau to revise their estimate for our area’s current population.

Last summer, the Census Bureau estimated Montgomery County’s July 2007 population at 930,813, what Census demographers said was about a 5,500-person increase from the previous year. With input from his planning staff, who analyzed construction figures, Planning Director Rollin Stanley was sure that Montgomery County was being undercounted.

With a letter of support from County Executive Isiah Leggett, the Planning Department challenged the Census’ county population figure, saying it was too low.

Today, the Bureau concurred with the planners’ analysis and revised the figure upward to 941,491 – reflecting that 10,678 extra people actually live in Montgomery County. (The population figure includes the incorporated municipalities, including Gaithersburg and Rockville, who provided data for the Planning Department challenge.)

Staff’s population projections came from the number of residential units built in Montgomery County since the last official Census in 2000.

The accurate population figure – just 58,500 short of the 1 million mark – illustrates that Montgomery County continues to be an attractive place to live and invest, said senior planner Erin Grayson, who worked on the Census challenge. Economic development staff can better market the county to new residents and businesses, allowing the county to continue to grow and thrive.

Much of the increase in population occurred in the county’s urban centers, such as Silver Spring, where several new condominium units have been built in an area with great access to public transportation.
About $200 billion in federal funds is distributed annually to states and other areas based in some part on Census estimates.

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Montgomery County Planners Recommend Solution for Clarksburg Town Center Parking Issue

SILVER SPRING – Planners trying to resolve the final issues related to a series of development applications for the Clarksburg Town Center recommend that the developer build a new parking garage and provide additional spaces to resolve the need for enough parking in the mixed residential and commercial area.

The Board will continue its deliberations on the Town Center proposal on Thursday following a November 6 marathon hearing for the proposed development. After that hearing, the Board asked its professional planning staff, the developer and the community to analyze parking needs and recommend solutions for consideration this month. The Board also asked staff to recommend solutions on a fitness center, the design of a public staircase, and the depth of the retail stores in the commercial center.

At Thursday’s hearing, the Board will hear no additional public testimony.

The recommendation comes toward the end of a years-long process to resolve multiple building violations and allow the Town Center project to move forward toward build out.  Designated the northern-most corridor city along I-270, the Clarksburg Town Center represents one of the last major developments on former farmland in the county.

The Town Center plans call for close to 200,000 square feet of retail and 1,213 homes on 270 acres at Clarksburg Road and Snowden Farm Parkway.

The parking issue arose when the applicant submitted a trio of applications – project plan, preliminary plan and site plan – this fall that staff felt would not meet the project’s parking needs.

By proposing to reduce a three-story parking garage to a two-level structure and drop a  second garage altogether, the applicant would create both a lack of parking and alter the store layout in a way that would not create a town center that would attract tenants or residents, planners say. The changes to the plans for parking also led to reduced depths for retail stores, narrower sidewalks and larger retaining walls.

After comparing parking requirements for similar projects in other areas, from Seattle to Sarasota, staff concluded that the development fell short on parking by almost 300 spaces. The analysis factored in that restaurants would likely occupy up to 20 percent of the retail space, and restaurants require 18 spaces per thousand square feet.

To make up the difference, staff recommends another multi-level parking garage near the retail core that is now proposed for 156 surface parking spaces as well as additional parking below a proposed grocery store. Staff specified in their recommendation that the design of the retail area should set a minimum of 60-feet depth for stores and provide wide sidewalks, which they say is necessary to create the kind of vibrant, walkable shopping experience that attracts customers.

Staff also recommended a sports facility of about 25 feet by 47 feet as well as $1 million for landscape and streetscape enhancements required by the Plan of Compliance that came about as a result of the Town Center building irregularities.

Planners have asked the Board to allow staff to review and approve the design revisions to the retail core that will be required to incorporate the additional parking to expedite build-out. Many Clarksburg residents have expressed frustration with the lack of retail and other unfinished amenities.

Who:
Montgomery County Planning Board

What:   
Review of Clarksburg Town Center Project, Preliminary & Site Plans
No public testimony accepted

When:   
9 a.m. Thursday, December 11

Where:
Park and Planning Headquarters
8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring

Department of Parks Begins Construction on New Pedestrian Bridge for Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail

ASPEN HILL, MD—The Montgomery County Department of Parks is set to begin construction this week on a new pedestrian bridge for the Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail. A small section of the trail around the construction area will be closed to traffic. Signs directing traffic to temporary trail access will be posted.

The project is expected to be completed on or before September 2010. The work will include trail approaches, spur trail and sidewalk connections to the adjacent community, trail and sidewalk pavement, trail and bridge lighting, fencing, piers, abutment wing walls, a retaining wall, bridge deck, trail signage, landscape plantings and other work necessary to complete the project.

Once completed this new state-of-the-art pedestrian bridge will provide safer crossing of Viers Mill Road (MD Route 586) for Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail users.

The Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail runs approximately 18 miles from Beach Drive at the Washington DC line to Lake Needwood in Rock Creek Regional Park.

For a map of the Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail and more on the county’s trails system, visit www.MontgomeryTrails.org. 

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

Montgomery County Planners to Draft Countywide Housing Policies Addressing Affordability, Diversity, Green Building

SILVER SPRING – To reflect the Planning Department’s strides in increasing the supply of  moderately priced housing and interest in creating environmentally conscious and diverse housing options, the planning director and staff presented a range of strategies to the Planning Board Thursday.

Envisioned as a housing element in the General Plan, planners propose a document specifying a raft of policies that would allow Montgomery County residents and workers to live in the county throughout their lives, regardless of life stage, income or access to a car.

The Board praised the planners’ goals in their preliminary look Thursday, noting the link between good, diverse housing and a healthy community. Once complete and endorsed by the Board and County Council, the goals will become the Housing Functional Master Plan and guide policy-makers as they review development proposals and public projects.

The planners envision the document would specify policies that:

* Encourage development near mass transit to reduce the need for car ownership, saving residents significant annual expenses
* Mix housing types and sizes in new developments to allow a range of housing prices
* Provide mixed-use development so people can enjoy nearby conveniences – such as groceries – reducing transportation costs
* Identify incentives for developers, such as higher density and fast-tracking reviews and permitting, if they provide more low and moderately priced housing than required by law
* Allow accessory apartments in all zones, which would provide affordable rental units throughout the county
* Include day care in office buildings

The plan also would include measures to track the county’s progress toward meeting those policies. Those indicators might include the number of affordable units created, reduction in monthly housing costs through programs like generating energy on site, or the number of new day care centers associated with individual projects.

Planning Director Rollin Stanley and staff in the agency’s Research and Technology Center set a schedule for taking the housing plan strategies into the community for input before inking a final document. They will start by vetting the plan with other county agencies. They hope to hold a public hearing on the plan in late winter or early spring and send it to the council for consideration in the spring.

Ice Rinks Keep Neighbors Warm this Winter, Food & Toy Collections Underway in Montgomery Parks Too

WHEATON, MD—Wheaton Ice Arena and Cabin John Ice Rink collected more than 100 coats during special public skating sessions November 14 called “Keep Your Neighbors Warm Skate.”

“The generosity of our patrons will help keep many warm this winter,” said new Wheaton Ice Arena Manager Diane Baker. “We have reached out to guidance counselors at county schools to get the donated coats to those who need them.”

Coats donated during the special events at the Department of Parks’ two ice rinks are being distributed through area Montgomery County Public Schools.

Wheaton Ice Arena will also collect non-perishable food items during its upcoming Holiday Skating Spectacular. The annual ice skating show, Saturday, December 20 from 5:15 pm – 6:45 pm, features local ice skating stars and is FREE to the public. 

“There are other giving opportunities this season while out playing in Wheaton Regional Park,” added Baker.

Can food donations will be collected at the Wheaton Train during Wheaton Wonderland—a new winter program. Wheaton Wonderland features crafts, storytimes and rides on the historic Ovid Hazen Wells carousel. Wheaton Wonderland is open Saturday, December 13 and 20 from 10:00 am – 12:00 noon and Sunday, December 14 and 21 from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. Geared for children ages 2 – 8, admission is $6 for children and FREE for adults. With a can food donation, participants receive $1 off admission.

Wheaton Ice Arena is also collecting toys for children in need this holiday season as part of the annual “Angels for Children” Toy Drive, which provides Christmas toys to disadvantaged children in the Wheaton area.

Brookside Gardens, also part of Wheaton Regional Park, is collecting new toys to support the “Angels for Children” Toy Drive. Brookside Gardens will collect toys at the Visitor’s Center until December 23.

Brookside Gardens is also collecting canned food to share with those in need in the community through Shepherd’s Table in Silver Spring. Each year the Gardens collects close to 1,000 pounds of food through the generous donations of its visitors.

For more on Wheaton Wonderland, the Holiday Skating Spectacular, Brookside Gardens and more visit www.MontgomeryParks.org.

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