That's a lot of cars and people, and they're coming to a neighborhood near
you. As part of the Master Plan for what is called "Gaithersburg West,"
major development is planned in Gaithersburg on several hundred acres on the
northeast side of Route 28 at the junction of Muddy Branch Road on the Belward
Farm – areas not currently within the
City of Gaithersburg. What affects
Shady Grove Road, Muddy Branch Road,
Quince Orchard Road, Darnestown Road, and Travilah Road affects the
Potomac Subregion. The amount of additional traffic generated by this
mixed-use development on our local roadways will be devastating
without transit.
At our last general meeting Councilwoman Nancy Floreen said that it would be
foolish to build such a massive development without transit, yet it has
happened before – with Traville, with the King Farm, and with the Shady
Grove Life Science Center.
The Corridor Cities Transitway is promised, but transit promised and
not delivered could very well happen again. We need to make sure that, this
time, public transit is an integral, non-negotiable part of the plan from
day one. Without transit, this project should not be allowed to move
forward.
Transportation is just one of the issues raised by this huge proposed
development – already there are concerns about its ultra-high density,
building height, placement of tall buildings, and green buffers.
Unfortunately, there is no Citizens Advisory Group as part of the
Gaithersburg West Master Plan as there was with Park and Planning’s Potomac
Master Plan process. However, an informal citizens group has formed to
advocate for more limited growth and more responsiveness to existing
communities. Questions? Contact Diana Conway,
dconway@erols.com,
or Pam Lindstrom, or contact Lead Planner Nancy Sturgeon at Park and
Planning,
301-495-1308 or
nancy.sturgeon@mncppc-mc.org.
Planning and Zoning Report – by George Barnes
Tennis Bubble, Oaklyn Drive: The Board has voted to oppose the application for a modification to the Special Exception that governs the Potomac Swim and Tennis Club. Our opposition is based on the impacts to the neighboring properties from an additional tennis court with lighting at night until 10:00 p.m.. During the colder months the bubble would cover the courts but may not contain noise, will require a fan unit to keep it inflated, and create traffic in and out of the club later in the evening. If the club seeks permission from the Board of Appeals to have different classes of membership (for example, tennis only, or limited duration) it would create a significant departure from the current requirements in the Zoning Ordinance for a swim club to operate and would require that the Ordinance be modified, with county-wide repercussions.
PNC Bank, Potomac Village: While not opposed to a new facility, the WMCCA Board is not particularly happy with the proposal made by PNC and the shopping center management to build a two-lane drive through banking facility in the parking lot along the Falls Road side of the lot where the existing ATM kiosk is located. A number of parking spaces would be lost and a complicated set of stop signs at the Falls Road exit would try to regulate traffic attempting to leave the center. We are unconvinced that this proposal will result in anything but confusion and congestion at a point in the parking lot where it should be easier to navigate rather than made more difficult
Environmental Report – by Ginny Barnes
City of Gaithersburg Annexation Plans –
The City of Gaithersburg has identified parcels of land outside its
boundaries for possible future annexation because the city does not have
enough land to accomplish
future development goals. No reference is made to the fact that
development outside the city’s boundaries is regulated by the Potomac Master
Plan that covers Potomac, North Potomac, and Darnestown. The three
associations in the Potomac Subregion will be writing a joint letter to the
City of Gaithersburg.
Planning and Zoning Report – continued
Tennis Bubble, Oaklyn Drive: The
Board of Appeals has
scheduled a hearing on the tennis bubble application filed by Potomac Swim
and Recreation Association, Inc. for
January 9, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. WMCCA will testify in opposition.
Individuals may testify on their own behalf without prior notice, but groups
and organizations and individuals represented by counsel must file two
copies of their statement ten days before the scheduled hearing date. The
Montgomery County Planning
Board will hold a hearing prior to the Board of Appeals hearing. As
of this writing that hearing is not yet scheduled. The applicant’s
submission may be examined at the
Board of Appeals’ office located in the Stella B. Werner Council
Office Building, 100 Maryland Avenue, Room 217, Rockville.
Opposing the ICC – by Diana Conway
The state’s own study shows
Intercounty Connector (ICC) will not relieve traffic on 495, 270, 95
– the new road will induce more new driving than its relief can match. We
can expect 700,000,000 more miles of new driving per year because of the
thousands of acres of associated "dumb growth," car-centric sprawl. And we
in the Potomac area fear that the ICC points to this six-to-eight-lane
toll-road plowing right through our residential area, for a NINTH Potomac
River crossing. The WMCCA Board is meeting with elected officials, asking
them to reconsider their support for this increasingly expensive road in
light of our economic crisis. The ICC will cost over $4 billion, not the
$2.4 billion promised in 2004. By stopping now, the state could save over
$3.5 billion and redirect much of that funding to other projects including
intersection improvements and transit projects – both of which are shown to
improve traffic. Spending our federal dollars on transit instead of the ICC
would also trigger a matching contribution from federal transit resources,
thus increasing the total transportation. Questions? Contact Diana Conway
dconway@erols.com or Carol Falk .
West Montgomery County Citizens Association Newsletter
Check the web site for information on issues we are working on.