Monday, March 21, 2016

Westbard County Council worksessions fail to discuss retention of existing small businesses

The Montgomery County Council PHED Committee has so far advanced a plan that gives developers Equity One and Capital Properties just about everything they asked for, a 100' tower for the Washington Episcopal School site, and sets up two high-rises and the rest of River Road for maximum redevelopment under a future Purple Line extension. It also places their political priority of jamming as much low-income housing as possible into a one-block area, at the expense of what was already a pittance of public "amenities" in the project (basically, one - the naturalization of the Willett Branch stream).

Of course, all of this may be discussed again and further altered by the full Council at its Tuesday worksession, which has been scheduled so as to discourage the public from hearing the full discussion.

But what hasn't yet been discussed? How thousands of cars will be added to already-jammed River Road. And what the exact plan is to accommodate hundreds of new students in the also-jammed Walt Whitman cluster - and even more important, how they will pay for that yet-unrevealed plan.

That's not all, though.

The Council PHED committee said not a single word about how the popular small businesses already operating in the Westwood Shopping Center and Westwood Center II will be able to survive through the construction process, and be able to lease space in the new development. Many of the owners and employees of these businesses have become part of the fabric of the community over the decades, and the Council needs to have this discussion Tuesday. What I'm hearing, is that this is the last discussion on the plan before a final vote in the coming weeks. The current Planning Board draft contains only weak, aspirational language on this topic. Should the Council fail to amend that, many of these businesses will likely be lost.

One additional reason to have this discussion, is that one of the items that will come up for conversation Tuesday is Councilmember Roger Berliner's request that the commercial Floor Area Ratio for the Westwood Shopping Center be reduced from the PHED committee's recommendation of 1.0 to 0.75. I don't have a dog in that hunt either way, other than I would like to be sure that we get the best retail center possible on that site, and the F.A.R. should be whatever achieves that goal.

But more germane to this topic is - which of those F.A.R. options (if either) would most help the current mom-and-pop tenants in the shopping center? Would the lower one keep out larger chains in favor of neighborhood retail, thereby helping keep Fashion Craft dry cleaners, Anglo-Dutch Pools & Toys, etc.? Or would the larger one allow Equity One to have more square footage to earn rent on, and thereby offset lower rents for the local retail?

Is one preferable for tenants like Anglo-Dutch, who need more floor space than the Westwood Barber Shop, for example? All of these factors should be considered by the Council, so we know if there is any relevance of F.A.R. to the retention of existing businesses there.

And beyond the F.A.R. discussion, we need to know in the broader sense just what the Council's specific plan is to retain those businesses. Staging will be a huge issue, because the large underground parking garage proposed will almost certainly require the demolition of the existing Westwood Shopping Center before anything else can be done. And wouldn't the proposed realignment of Westbard Avenue have to take place simultaneously, meaning that the Westwood Center II would also have to come down? If so, where will the current tenants go during the two-year construction?

These are discussions that need to be had in detail, before just taking an up-or-down straw vote.

51 comments:

Anonymous said...

"jamming as much low-income housing as possible into a one-block area"

A half-mile square area is not a "one-block area", you innumerate birdbrain. And it's 15% affordable housing, not "100% crack-ho ghetto housing".

Anonymous said...

It's another Gish Gallop! Giddyap, Hoss!

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Gish_gallop

Robert Dyer said...

5:43: The area between Ridgefield Road and Crown Street is indeed one block at maximum. You may need one of those County Council bus tours to get acquainted with the area. It is 15% low-income housing on all properties except for the Park Bethesda site, which is going to have 25% low-income housing. Will the Council approve an increase in the police budget to handle the additional crime?

392 low-income units = roughly 784 new low-income residents, more when taking all kids into account. All at a site with no Metro and no social services. The opposite of best practices in affordable housing. I'd say you're the birdbrain, but that would be an insult to the avian community.

Robert Dyer said...

6:07: Definitely explains where you get your debate style from. Unfortunately, you've run into a debater whom George Leventhal, Nancy Floreen and Hans Riemer were too scared to take on by the end of the 2014 campaign. Just ask their constituents in Olney, who were seated for a debate and those three didn't have the guts (or respect for their constituents) to show up. The first time that happened in County history. What an embarrassment! No wonder the County's going down the tubes with low-energy "leadership" like this.

Anonymous said...

"Will the Council approve an increase in the police budget to handle the additional crime?"

So, low-income housing = crime? Wow, what's next, are you going to propose a wall around Westbard?

Robert Dyer said...

6:26: Actually, there are going to be walls on either side of the road, a concrete canyon.

Anonymous said...

"The area between Ridgefield Road and Crown Street is indeed one block at maximum."

No, it's not. Just because there are no other intersections on the east side of Westbard Avenue, AT PRESENT, does not magically make that "one block". The distance on that stretch of road is 0.4 miles, which is the equivalent of 3-4 blocks in most cities (8 blocks in Manhattan). And that's just length, not area, which would be at least 8 square blocks, and probably much more than that. Please stop lying and distorting, especially on topics that are so easy to disprove.

Anonymous said...

"Actually, there are going to be walls on either side of the road, a concrete canyon."

[citation needed]

How high will those walls be? How high equals "canyon"?

Gotta love Dyer's ridiculous exaggerations.

Anonymous said...

"Wouldn't the proposed realignment of Westbard Avenue have to take place simultaneously, meaning that the Westwood Center II would also have to come down?"

Why would it?

Anonymous said...

I find it interesting how supposed Westbard residents (who really knows) feel they will be completely immune from the many problems (crime, drugs, homeless) Urbanization brings to the community.

Remember, the Purple Line will bring people from Silver Spring, College Park, and beyond into our backyards. Many of the elderly in our community will be easy targets for some of these predators. An increase in our local police force is a must! Where are our homeless shelters and addiction and health clinics being built?

Anonymous said...

Ah, the "Loot Rail" talking point.

Do you really think that "predators" are going to wait a decade or two for a Purple Line station to be built, just so that they can come to your neighborhood?

Anonymous said...

The Purple Line won't bring more criminals into Bethesda from Silver Spring or College Park. They can already take the Metro or bus. I doubt the criminals are waiting for the Purple Line because it will shorten their criminal commute time by 30 minutes.

Anonymous said...

As for low-income housing not near transit, there's an entire subdivision in the upscale Avenel community on the edges of Potomac that is low-income housing. I drove through it last week as I wanted to see how "bad" low income housing can be.

It just looked like normal houses and people. No ghetto, no crimes everywhere you turn, no chalk outlines from murder scenes.

And... it has much worse transit connectivity compared to Westbard. There is just one Ride-On bus and I'm not sure it even operates all day or only rush-hour.

How do they survive? They drive. A low-income household of 3 can have an income of up to $68k/year, which means they can probably afford a car. Indeed the parking lot in that area was relatively full of moderately-priced economy cars.

Robert Dyer said...

6:35: You're the one lying. Ridgefield to Crown Street is one city block. I invite anyone to walk it. And when Westbard is realigned, it will be even shorter.

Anonymous said...

Trump talking points? I guess we know who Dyer is voting for.

Anonymous said...

In previous comments on the proposal to extend the Purple Line to Westbard, Dyer has claimed that an entire new rail yard would need to be built in Westbard to accommodate the station. Wrong. A rail yard will be built in Lyttonsville under the existing plan. It would not be necessary to have an entire new yard just to accommodate this short extension, just turn-around tracks at the end of the station.

Robert Dyer said...

7:32: Ask the folks who live in the other community far from Metro where low income housing was dumped - Damascus - how much they're enjoying it. You might get quite an earful. It's worth noting the only homicide in the neighborhood in 40 years was in the HOC building. Open air drug markets, thefts, burglaries are par for the course. Ask the folks in Damascus where they have no services and no facilities in walking distance, and people are stranded there with nothing to do. Terrible government policy, and proven bad practice.

6:37: 110'+ 75'+

Robert Dyer said...

7:47: Trump talked about Westbard?

7:49: You're thinking it would end at Westbard. It will continue to Tysons under their plan.

Anonymous said...

What are all these "social services" that will be necessary to accommodate this "low-income" housing?

"You betta git yo @$$ on down to da welfare, beyotch!"

-Mo'Nique, Precious

Anonymous said...

What social services will prevent the crime?

Anonymous said...

Damascus has bus service, Ride-On #90 connecting to Shady Grove:

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DOT-Transit/Resources/Files/90%20LG_WEB.pdf

Anonymous said...

"Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?"

-Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol

Anonymous said...

@ 7:45 AM - Keep on spinning, you lying fool. 0.4 miles does not equal "one block", and the realignment at the north end of Westbard Avenue is not going to change that.

@ 7:56 AM - Even if the Purple Line is extended all the way to Tysons, there would be no need to build another rail yard in Westbard, so close to the one in Lyttonsville.

Anonymous said...

@ 6:13 AM: "You've run into a debater whom George Leventhal, Nancy Floreen and Hans Riemer were too scared to take on by the end of the 2014 campaign. Just ask their constituents in Olney, who were seated for a debate and those three didn't have the guts (or respect for their constituents) to show up. The first time that happened in County history. What an embarrassment."

Yet you lost to all three of them, plus Mark Elrich. Sucks to be you.

Anonymous said...

8:54am is a birdbrain.

Anonymous said...

How do those in poverty that work at these low-income jobs at current Westbard retailers get to work without mass transit? Do they have access to social services near their current minimum wage jobs?

Anonymous said...

9:25AM - there's no need to insult those of us who work at Westbard Ctr. Not for minimum wage. I shop at the same stores you do, drive the same cars, my kids go to the same schools as yours.

Anonymous said...

We need to take a sober, objective look at what we'd be losing if none of these businesses found space after the renovation.

- Starbucks - We have plenty of these in other places.
- That barber - They do not offer Aveda products, which makes them very difficult to recommend. My husband just gets his hair cut in the first class arrival spa at Heathrow when he has to fly to London anyway.
- The Dry Cleaner - Chevy Chase Valet on Wisconsin offers such wonderful service, I don't see a need for another cleaner. Every time we have sent our domestic there, she comes back with the clothes in excellent shape.
- Radio Shack - Saved us the trouble by closing down on their own.
- Anglo Dutch - While I do like that you can just call and tell them an age and a gender and swing by to pick up already wrapped gifts for your kids to bring to birthday parties, our family has largely aged out of their toys. I would assume our pool service can order their supplies from somewhere else, if they even get them from Anglo Dutch in the first place. I am not sure where they get their supplies frankly.
- That clothes consignment store - Yuck.
- The Pet Store - The only pet we have is our daughter's horse, but they don't sell things for horses and he is boarded many miles away out on River Road anyway. His stable supplies all his needs.

Really, is Bethesda losing that much if we replace those businesses with, say, a bespoke local high end handbag maker, an artisan truffle oil boutique, a farm-to-table lunch counter and maybe a Thomas Pink for the boys?

Anonymous said...

There should just be an Amazon pick-up center and a liquor store there. That's all that is needed nowadays. Retail is obsolete like cars that do not drive themselves.

Andrew said...

11:18 AM What advantages does this motorcar have over, say, a train, which I could also afford?

Anonymous said...

None of the small businesses will be back. And we won't be getting high end, bespoke shops. Think more along the lines of Hair Cuttery and Panera.

McKinley said...

11:18 says
Here, here, councilmembers the stores in Westbard are currently not worthy of my presence and should be razed immediately, in fact, I'll light the first match....

Does this type of person even exist here in Westbard, if so hopefully Ill never cross their path.

We need to support our local businesses now, they are what made our community Great for decades. Not Equity ONE, Not Capital Properties, Definitely Not the Council, and for God Sakes surely Not the irresponsible soon defunct Planning Board.

"Save Talberts 2016"

Anonymous said...

Oh, look, it's Jefferson/Madison/McKinley.

And you want "hear, hear", not "here, here", you uncultured colonial.

" "Save Talberts 2016" "

Unless you're actually quoting someone, your quote marks are inappropriate here.

Anonymous said...

I want to see Robert Dyer defeated in 2018 by a joint ticket of Hans Riemer, Progressive Bethesdian (@12:30 PM) and Vermin Supreme.

Robert Dyer said...

8:12: No kidding, but that's not Metro, and if you weren't helicoptering in on all of this, you'd know it doesn't run at all on weekends.

McKinley said...

2:00
It's very strange how you mock our Great Conservative Founding Fathers names but not the points I'm trying to make..da ???

As your bonus may you receive a 1-way express ticket to Communist Cuba where there is no hope and no change...Similar to the community lack of any confidence in our elected leaders but that is OK.

"Change is Coming 2018" Quote from McKinley

Anonymous said...

McKinley - your comments are ungrammatical (in particular, punctuation and capitalization are completely random), rambling and barely coherent. What level of education did you complete?

Anonymous said...

Also, McKinley was not one of the "Great Conservative Founding Fathers" [capitalization per original].

Anonymous said...

Is there a requirement somewhere for existing to have the right to stay?

Anonymous said...

@ 6:34 PM - There is no legal requirement, other than what's in the existing leases.

Anonymous said...

In other news, Prince William County has killed the "Bi-County Parkway", a road that would have linked northern Prince William County with Dulles Airport.

http://www.insidenova.com/headlines/supervisors-remove-bi-county-parkway-from-comprehensive-plan/article_9f634448-ed14-11e5-b766-833d831bc808.html

I guess the NoVa Machine isn't as addicted to road building as we thought they were.

Anonymous said...

"The only pet we have is our daughter's horse,"

Talk about someone who needs a "sober" reality check. These businesses are the ones donating time and resources to local schools, community groups, and more. Good luck approaching Amazon, or whatever "high-end" chain store your dreaming of to support your irrelevant causes and charities. You're the type of elitist tool that Bethesda needs to cleanse itself of. Put down your silver spoon, and do something that justifies you being part of the human race.

Anonymous said...

"...your irrelevant causes. You're the type of tool that Bethesda needs to cleanse itself of. Put down your silver spoon, and do something that justifies you being part of the human race."

Well said! Um, you were talking to Robert Dyer, weren't you?

Robert Dyer said...

6:35: I've always felt Route 28 on the east side of Dulles was the smarter way to go, so I don't think that's a setback. 28 has already grade-separated many intersections, so it would be much smarter to go with that option for the Outer Beltway.

Anonymous said...

Remember a while back Dyer was talking about more and more millennials and people moving to the suburbs? It's not by choice. Here's some good info from a reputable source

https://www.bisnow.com/national/news/multifamily/the-next-housing-crisis-is-already-here-57700

Robert Dyer said...

9:14: It's "not by choice"? So they were run out of the city at gunpoint?

Robert Dyer said...

2:07: If term limits pass, that could actually be the Democratic ticket you just listed there.

Anonymous said...

@8:59 you clearly are judging us without knowing the whole story. We have raised countless amounts of money for charity through galas that we have attended and even organized. In fact, my husband has dedicated his career towards making sure that politicians are well informed and know how to vote on important issues which impact both our local community and the entire nation.

Remember, being a progressive Bethesdian means you are part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Anonymous said...

Amazon and big business donate a crap ton more money than small business.

Anonymous said...

Pretty much. Run out by lack of affordable housing.

Anonymous said...

@5:55 Am, not your or my local charities. If you are starving in Africa, maybe you'll get help, but if you are from the Wood Acres PTA, good luck to you.