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Montgomery, Md., council takes step toward approving changes to zoning code |
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By Miranda S. Spivack
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 24, 2010; B02
The Montgomery County Council endorsed major revisions to its zoning code Tuesday, the first stage of a broader debate over how to transform strip malls and commercial buildings into more walkable, livable settings.
The council took a series of straw votes on the details of a proposed "commercial-residential" zone that would encourage mixed-use projects while also reducing parking, allowing taller buildings and, in some instances, limiting required green space.
The goal is to set up a new zoning system that could be used to create urban suburbs, especially in places such as the White Flint area along Rockville Pike, where developers say they need clarity about what will be required. Many hope to be ready in a few years to reshape the jumble of car dealerships, strip centers and White Flint Mall into a more pleasant environment where residents can live, work, shop and find entertainment.
The proposed zone, which is also supposed to be easier for the general public to understand, would allow buildings as tall as 300 feet; currently, the tallest building near White Flint is about 289 feet. The tallest building in downtown Bethesda, widely viewed as Montgomery's most successful urbanized suburb, is about 200 feet, leading some critics to say that the proposal will lead to the Rosslynization of Montgomery.
Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson (D) said he thought the zoning plans, which the council is expected to approve next week, would encourage developers to contribute to the creation of public spaces and provide urban amenities in exchange for more density.
"We are going to produce a really great environment," he said. The new zone also gives Hanson, soon to retire, a final chance to put his imprint on the broader rezoning effort, which will begin after his term expires in June.
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Civic green builds relationships |
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White Flint stakeholders want design in sector plan
by Jen Beasley | Staff Writer
With a goal of fostering trust and building a cohesive vision, a group of residents and developers have teamed up to design the civic green they believe should be the centerpiece of the White Flint Sector Plan.
Representatives from the White Flint Community Coalition, a group of eight community associations, and the White Flint Partnership, a group of seven of the largest property holders within the area, began meeting about four months ago to collaborate on elements of the White Flint Sector Plan, which will guide development surrounding the White Flint Metro Station in North Bethesda.
"These are steps to try to build trust between the community and the developers," said Arnold Kohn of the Tower Companies, a member of the White Flint Partnership. "The civic green we all kind of agree upon, maybe the next thing will be harder, but the purpose is to come together and build trust."
The White Flint Sector Plan is a document that outlines how development should occur in the area surrounding the White Flint Metro Station over the next 30 years. It is before the County Council for approval.
The coalition and partnership want the civic green to be larger than suggested in the draft plan approved by the Planning Board. The draft puts the maximum 2-acre civic green near the North Bethesda Conference Center, south of Old Georgetown Road and west of Rockville Pike.
The coalition and partnership say the green should be a full 2-acres if the county uses all the land it must purchase for right of way acquisitions for roads.
Coalition member Suzanne Hudson, a resident of Garrett Park Estates-White Flint Park neighborhood, said the goal of the developers and citizens is to make sure the civic green becomes a reality. John King of Garrett Park said they are trying to get the design into the White Flint Sector Plan and are scheduling meetings with the County Council.
County Councilman Roger Berliner, (D-Dist. 1) of Potomac, met with the groups Thursday and said he was "gratified that this was a consensus design." Berliner said he did not know whether a specific green design could be incorporated into the sector plan.
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Council looks at financing options for White Flint infrastructure |
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Mix of options will likely be required, officials say
by Meghan Tierney | Staff Writer
Montgomery County Council members are working to figure out how to pay for nearly $900 million in infrastructure improvements to prepare for the 9,800 new homes and nearly 6 million square feet of commercial space that could be coming to White Flint over the next 30 years.
They hope to have basic financing strategies in place by the time the draft White Flint Sector Plan, which will govern growth near the White Flint Metro station in North Bethesda, is approved. The plan is expected to go to the council for approval in March.
A mix of several strategies will likely be needed to pay for the infrastructure, county finance director Jennifer Barrett said at a Jan. 26 joint worksession with the council's Management and Fiscal Policy and Planning, Housing and Economic Development committees.
The strategies include: impact taxes, one-time assessments on builders made when permits are issued; excise taxes, such as those on fuel or parking; development districts, which would tax properties within a designated area; tax increment financing, a mechanism to pay for projects with future tax revenue; and bonds, according to council documents.
Any of these strategies should abide by several financing principles, Barrett said. Those include ensuring taxes don't increase beyond the county's legal limit, securing revenue streams to pay debt from bonds, maintaining the county's bond rating, providing revenue in a timely manner, and creating a uniform and equitable approach to who pays, according to council documents.
The committees will discuss the financing options presented at the meeting on Feb. 9. Council members hope to have a basic financing concept ready when the White Flint plan goes to the full council, Councilman Michael J. Knapp (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown said in an interview.
"It's probably our first plan in the county that's not just new development but redevelopment," said Knapp, chairman of the planning committee. "...In order to really make this work and enable redevelopment to happen, we're going to need a significant amount of infrastructure to be paid for by the private and public sectors."
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The only thing we have to fear is fear of traffic |
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by David Alpert • January 13, 2010 11:51 am
Has a civil engineer ever looked up at the Golden Gate Bridge and thought, "Nah, a suspension bridge could never work?" How many elected officials say, "our city could never be like San Francisco, so let's not try to bridge our similar strait?"
We have plenty of working examples of bridges, and therefore we know we can build more. But when it comes to cities, the science of traffic engineering seems to deny their very existence.
The math seems simple. If you build new houses, stores or offices, they will generate a certain number of trips. Roads have set capacities. The added trips will therefore increase congestion and decrease Level of Service (LOS). To avoid congestion, many areas have Adequate Public Facilities ordinances requiring developers to widen the roads.
That's a straightforward formula for adding suburban sprawl. It's the system that built Tysons Corner. But strangely, when a plan comes up for building a real city, people balk. It could never work. It'd generate way too much traffic.
Yet the bridge is right in front of us. Downtown Washington, DC has that density. Somehow it does work. So do all the other similarly-sized cities, and the smaller cities. We used to build cities without worrying so much about adequate public facilities, and here they are. If your bridge model says that the Golden Gate would fall down, but it doesn't, there's something wrong with the model. If a traffic model says that a growing part of the region can never have densities like DC, it's just as flawed.
And when elected officials balk at a proposal because of the flawed model, that's a failure of imagination and a failure of leadership. Every time they say, "we're not DC," "we're not Bethesda," or "we're not Reston," it's their vision that's lacking. Where would we be today if Pierre L'Enfant said, "Washington could never be like Philadelphia," and insisted on laying out a pattern of farms instead of a city? Why could we design cities in 1791 but not 2010?
The Montgomery County Council recently rejected a Planning Department proposal to relax the County's Adequate Public Facilities law. The proposal would have let traffic models project a LOS of E instead of D as long as transit had LOS B — in other words, you don't have to obsess quite as much over traffic if transit provides an adequate alternative. Yet they turned down the change, and did so unanimously.
Ben Ross of ACT criticized the APFO in a recent Gazette op-ed. Friends of White Flint point out some of the flaws: the White Flint plan adds more parallel roads next to Rockville Pike, creating a grid and moving more cars outside of the Pike; but if it slows down traffic on the Pike even while moving cars in other ways, it fails the AFPO traffic test. That forces County planners to widen intersections while still keeping the intersections pedestrian-friendly as the White Flint plan demands.
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A vision for White Flint on the horizon |
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The proposed White Flint Sector Plan developed by Montgomery County looks very promising. It is refreshing to finally see a move to the right direction. However, the analyses done by other parties are valuable and should be given serious consideration. It is promising to know that we have so many knowledgeable elements in our county.
When L'Enfant planned Washington in a mud hole, he brought with him knowledge and vision. He was able to create a lasting masterpiece. Vision was the key element.
Over half a century of my life and my architectural practice, I have been within the proximity of Rockville Pike. I witnessed its untamed growth with dismay, sorrow, and frustration. From almost a rural road 60 years ago, I watched it become a major unqualified artery. While I-270 was developing nicely as a technology corridor, Rockville Pike was becoming an ugly substantial shopping corridor, with no character.
This was not due to any budget strains or lack of knowledge, but was due to lack of vision.
Almost all attempts for development were judged first by failing intersections. Yet, for 40 years, somehow, improvements were done and some sporadic growth took place. Unfortunately, the misconception of keeping Rockville Pike as a major artery took precedence.
Today, with the suggested White Flint Sector Plan, finally we have a project that brings some vision. If comments are made in terms of why it can't be done, they become not constructive but destructive. And therefore the knowledge interjected by the experts of the county goes wasted. We should consider this a last opportunity and make something desirable out of the Rockville Pike, with team effort.
Instead saying why we cannot do it, we must approach the matter how we can do it. All parties should become part of the solution, not part of the problem.
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