In the course of my years serving WMCCA, many public
institutions and private developers come before the Board as an early step
in the approval process for projects proposed in
Potomac. Over the last ten years, the WMCCA Board heard
presentations for Norwood School’s expansion of playing fields, a continuing
care facility on Democracy Boulevard,
Bullis School’s
comprehensive master plan for new buildings and increased enrollment,
Normandie Farm’s expansion of dining and banquet facilities, TCP at Avenel’s
golf course and stream rehabilitation project,
Congressional Country Club’s swimming pool and
storm water management
alterations, changes to the Potomac Oaks shopping center, a second level for
Safeway, a Rock Run Wellness Center, a Potomac Inn, the Potomac Swim and
Recreation Club’s
tennis bubble, and Norwood School’s new buildings.
In our role of monitoring significant changes in the community, the WMCCA
Board is interested in an institution's impact on traffic, the environment,
and the neighborhood, as well as its adherence to the tenets of the Potomac
Subregion Master Plan. We insist on realistic traffic counts for an
institution’s expansion. We review a proposal’s environmental impact,
including impervious surface
area,
forest conservation plan, and stormwater management plan. We look at
a project in relation to the size of its site. We discuss our concerns with
the institution’s representatives early in their process of applying for
county approvals. And sometimes we testify before the Planning Board and
Hearing Examiner against a troubling aspect of a project or against the
project as a whole.
Private and public entities looking to build or expand don't want WMCCA’s
opposition. We have always been an effective and formidable opponent – this
is a truth and a tribute to WMCCA! Over the years, we can and have stopped
development proposals in their tracks, and we have significantly changed
even more of them. What those looking to build or expand can count on is
constructive criticism that always makes their project better if and when it
passes through all the layers of review. This is one of the reasons why
WMCCA has been called "the gold standard of citizens groups."
Dying Roadside Trees – by Diana Conway
Several board members from WMCCA met on March 9 with Brett Linkletter,
Program Manager for Tree Maintenance with the County’s Department of
Public Works and Transportation, to review the trees marked for removal from
Persimmon Tree Road. We determined that the marked trees were indeed dead
or would be dying. We also found out that the office responsible for their
removal has a significant backlog of one to three years. And we were
informed that we can request a two-to-one replacement ratio, to help
preserve the wooded appearance of the road, again with a one- to three-year
delay, due to budget and staffing limitations. We also understand that
property owners abutting a public right-of-way can ask the County’s Tree
Maintenance group to remove invasive growth from the area.
Planning and Zoning Report – by George Barnes
Potomac Swim and Tennis Club: The Hearing Examiner has sent out a
supplemental notice regarding this case because some
civic associations
that should have received notice of the hearing were inadvertently omitted
from the mailing. The Hearing Examiner will keep the record in the case
open for an additional 30 days to allow these associations to express views
in writing, which must be received by
April 17.
The County Council has sent notice that they are seeking applicants for a
vacancy on the Montgomery
County Planning Board to fill the seat occupied by
John Robinson whose term will expire
on June 14. Full details of the application process are available
from the Council offices.
Environmental Report – by Ginny Barnes
Winterset, Lot 46 (600 feet east of
Ambleside Drive) –
Montgomery County Planning Board Public Hearing originally scheduled for
March 5 has been postponed due to inadequate public notice. The Amendment
proposes to remove a Category I easement of 17,569 square feet to build a
garage. The site currently has many non-compliant and/or unapproved uses
within the easement, including part of an in-ground swimming pool, decking,
a shed, a stone/concrete patio, fencing and part of a driveway. Curiously,
no citations for violation of the easement were issued and staff is
recommending approval of the request and offsite mitigation for the loss. A
new hearing will likely be scheduled in early April.
Connelly School of the Holy Child (9025 Bradley Boulevard) – Limited
Amendment to remove a substantial
Forest Conservation Easement
to build an artificial turf playing field. Park and Planning has discovered
the school has already violated the easement by constructing an electronic
scoreboard and will not act on the amendment proposal until the
Forest Conservation violation goes before the
Planning Commission. No date has yet been set.
Montgomery County
Stormwater Permit – WMCCA is one of an impressive number of
organizations that make up the Stormwater Partners Network which
successfully worked to craft a ground breaking new stormwater discharge
permit under the Federal
Clean Water Act. However, the Waterkeepers Alliance and
Earthjustice have recently requested a “Contested Case Hearing” in a
letter to the Maryland Department of the Environment, claiming, among other
things that the new permit fails to meet compliance with
Maryland water quality
standards and fails to incorporate required effluent limits.
Montgomery County Stormwater Partners has been selected by the
Montgomery County Civic
Federation (MCCF) to receive the "Sentinel Award" for contribution to
good government at the local level. The award will be given at the annual
Civic Federation banquet May
15.
The InterCounty Connector
– by Diana Conway
WMCCA joined others in Annapolis on March 16 to meet with our four
state legislators on
the InterCounty Connector. This 18-mile, $10-a-day
toll road is sucking
up funds from our federal highway allotment and our borrowing capacity, and
will result in a doubling of tolls on all other Maryland toll roads, bridges
and tunnels, in addition to the $2 billion in debt that it will incur. In
an earlier meeting with County Executive Ike Leggett, we were given the
bitter news that Montgomery County's share of stimulus dollars is
significantly reduced – because "we're getting the ICC." While some
portions of the road are under construction, the biggest and most
financially and environmentally costly portion in the center has not been
started.
We urged our legislators to consider completing the two ends and linking
them to existing roadways, so the expensive center section could be
cancelled or at least deferred to free up funds for critical needs like
schools, health and safety, and other
vital social services
being cut in this difficult budget climate. To date the ICC remains the
ONLY fully funded transportation project despite cuts amounting to 30
percent of the $10-plus billion originally slated for transportation,
including transit projects like the Purple Line and the
Corridor Cities Transitway which are proven traffic-relievers, and
together cost less than the ICC.
West Montgomery County Citizens Association Newsletter
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