The site would lend itself well to single-family homes, in keeping with the surrounding neighborhood. Don't count out a townhome developer like EYA, which has recently gone on a spending binge on just this sort of potentially-valuable property inside the Beltway. The WMAL site can in no way be described as a "smart growth, transit-oriented" development opportunity, however. Regardless of the outcome, it would be one of the most significant residential neighborhood redevelopments in Bethesda.
DCRTV draws a technically-knowledgeable audience among its readership, and there are many interesting comments on the site regarding the wisdom of WMAL moving its transmission site further out (mentioning Poolesville and Germantown as possibilities considered in the past). The suggestion made by some, is that WMAL is now emphasizing its FM broadcast, making the AM tower site expendable. Its AM signal has been fairly comparable to that of WTOP's legendary strong signals on AM and FM. I fired up my venerable Radio Shack AM/FM transistor radio last night, to test WMAL FM vs. WTOP FM. Both signals came in clearly. But I would have to give WTOP the award for strongest and clearest FM signal.
All photos ©2014 Robert Dyer
17 comments:
I'm sure you've read the master plan on this. Greyswood would connect to Greentree and massive change the traffic flow through the area. The only mention of the radio tower land is a vague recommendation that it be zoned for single family homes.
Looks like it'd make a good park.
Why don't they open up more sex clubs? We need a new red light district - am I right?
What would be amazing is a town center with retail and restaurants and apartments. How amazing would that be! There's not enough of that in the area -- just Montgomery Mall.
There would a protest beyond your belief should WMAL field be sold to or changed by developers. It just can't be.
Thomas Kim: You're effing kidding, right? Have you ever driven/walked/bused the 4 miles down Old Georgetown Rd into downtown Bethesda?
This is a horrible idea. Many of us grew up near this field, and it is a preserve of nature that is rare in today's developed society. Do the right thing - declare it a formal nature preserve, take a huge tax deduction for that designation, and let future generations enjoy it forever.
Totally agree with dambrosiomario. This field is heavily used by the residents in the surrounding community. It provides a haven for those to exercise, children to sled in the winter, enjoy a good game of baseball or soccer, a great place to walk your dog or just enjoy a good sunset. There is a ton of wildlife in this area. To rip it up to cram more housing in an overdeveloped area as it is and in this neighborhood would be a a horrible thing to do to the residents in this area, who paid a great price for their homes to be able to enjoy this! I agree! DO THE RIGHT THING and declare it a formal nature preserve for the area to enjoy! Take the tax breaks and let future generations enjoy it.
Unbelievable! I grew up next to this field. I agree with dambrosiomario and LNancy. This field was such great place to play when we were kids. We played ball, went sledding in the winter. Countless people exercised by walking or jogging, walking dogs....I feel really bad for people who probably bought their houses in the neighborhood for the schools but also for the field. It is a terrible idea to develop it for residential purposes and even more so for retail or restaurants. Montgomery Mall is close, and downtown Bethesda is full of upscale shops and restaurants.
Hate to see short-sighted thinking, i.e., looking at developing this property commercially. This field is a an incredible gift to future Bethesdans; its value goes beyond $$. I couldn't agree more with dambrosiomario, LNancy, and Lynnhunt. Take the tax breaks!!
We had a similar issue in the Westbard Sector of Bethesda recently. There is an industrial zone off River Road there, and Little Falls Stream passes through it. The Planning Board and County Council had the opportunity to decline the request of zoning change to residential for the Hoyt property (BETCO cinderblock plant). At the lower land value of industrial, the county could have easily acquired the stream-side site, creating a natural parkland buffer for the stream. Additional small properties could have been added over time, to create an expansion of Little Falls Park.
Instead, the request was granted, and developer EYA was permitted to build a massive townhome development on the banks of the stream, were able to acquire park of the public parkland, and allowed to build a bridge into the park for vehicles to enter from Little Falls Parkway.
So, I'm not very optimistic about the current powers-that-be deciding to choose parkland over redevelopment of the WMAL site.
It should be a recreation area with playing fields very similar to the Soccerplex. It could still serve th community as open space and also address a serious shortage of decent playing fields so that the entire county has to go to Germantown to play soccer. They also have baseball there, swimming, tennis, mini-golf, indoor facility, outdoor stadium, walking/running trails and more. Sorry, but just because you bought your house to be near a park that is not a park, but private property, does not mean you get to keep 75+ acres from being used by everyone else in the county. Just ask anyone who bought their house to be near the Capital Crescent Trail.
Ashburton Elementary is already overcrowded and using portable classrooms. Where are all the kids in this new neighborhood going to go to school?!
This is private property to which the public does not currently have access. So if it's developed in such a way that the public still doesn't have access, so what? Nothing lost.
To the people saying to make it a park: feel free to buy the property - worth at a minimum 50M - and turn it into a park.
I'd like the neighbors on both sides of me to raze their houses and give the land to me for my dogs and children. But it's THEIR land to do with it what they please.
It never ceases to amaze me how everyone is so quick to tell other private property owners how they should use their asset.
The day you're willing to give YOUR house to national parkland is the day you get to tell the current owners of 7115 Greentree what to do with it.
I agree 100%. not to mention the WJ cross country team has been training here as long as any of us remember.
It hasn't been noted yet here, but all of the uses of this land that people claim they've been doing on it all these years WERE ILLEGAL TRESPASSiNG! Forget park land. The county cannot afford the money to buy it. The owner has a right to do with it as it wants within certain limitations. This is like NiMBY in reverse. Usually people complain that radio towers are an eyesore. You cannot have it both ways.
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