If you come wearing Nationals gear, you'll get a free pack of Topps baseball cards, while supplies last. Don't forget to visit the many small businesses in the shopping center while there, such as Anglo Dutch Pools and Toys and Westwood Pet Center.
The event happens to be scheduled for the same time this afternoon as a protest planned by residents opposed to the passage of the Westbard sector plan, and the trucks will be parked in the same vicinity where Save Westbard organizers have instructed participants to gather. "They are attempting to co-opt the protest," a resident who asked that his name be withheld said in an email.
A resident of a neighborhood adjacent to the plan area, he said that he and his wife are in their mid-40s, with a young child. He disputed anonymous troll comments posted online which have sought to define plan opponents as senior citizens. Comments by "pro-development hacks about the age and race of the opposition [to the Westbard plan are] a smoke screen to obscure the fact that this a shameless money grab that will place a white elephant in our community," he wrote.
5400 Westbard Avenue
69 comments:
So will the "protest" be the same group of 200 old white people that show up at every meeting?
And how many times will the truck be hit by runaway grocery carts during its visit?
"A resident of a neighborhood adjacent to the plan area, he said that he and his wife are in their mid-40s, with a young child."
ONE counterexample. You're going to need more than that. Also, their race is not mentioned.
I can't understand this protest for the life of me. It is almost as if these people do not want a chance at getting some upscale retail!
Well, the developer-backed trolls are out early this morning!
I don't think Mr. 40-something knows what the phrase "white elephant" actually means.
"And how many times will the truck be hit by runaway grocery carts during its visit?"
Maybe there will be a "confused elderly driver" to add more amusement.
Well, I know what I am doing for lunch today.
Why isn't Dyer hailing the return of food trucks to lower MoCo?
Dear Anonymous 5:20:
Regarding your johnny come lately comment that:
"I can't understand this protest for the life of me. It is almost as if these people do not want a chance at getting some upscale retail!"
... Residents do NOT oppose sane and measured redevelopment that is in keeping with the character of the community. Residents are opposed to the density dump of 1400 new residential units in the Westbard Sector. Residents have routinely and patiently explained their objections to the council regarding school overcrowding, traffic congestion, environmental concerns, etc., and, at the same time, made it clear that re-development is indeed welcome. What is NOT welcome is OVER-development.
Come to the rally and educate yourself! So nice of Equity One to cater the residents' rally.
Thanks!
I thought Dan Hoffman banned food trucks from Bethesda! Don't let Dan know they're back.
5:49: Because this isn't the return of food trucks. The food trucks have disappeared from the streets of Montgomery County thanks to a crackdown by the government led by Hans Riemer's political operative.
As a result, food trucks can now only operate on private property, such as at this event. 96% of food trucks eiher ceased operation, or now stay within the District, where they can be found just over the D.C. line at lunchtime.
When food trucks are back at Veterans Park, Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda Avenue, etc., you can declare "the return of food trucks."
@6:13 Why do you send your kids to schools which are prone to overcrowding? There is no excuse for that with so many wonderful private schools in our area.
I agree with you on the environmental concerns however. We will need to make sure that the developers purchase appropriate carbon offsets for their work and that the new residents must take an extensive anti-littering awareness course and demonstrate the ability to pass an exam to ensure they will handle their trash accordingly at all times.
"The food trucks have disappeared from the streets of Montgomery County thanks to a crackdown by the government led by Hans Riemer's political operative"
Lol! This guy. Sometimes I really wonder if he seriously believe the things he says.
"...pro-development hacks...a smoke screen to obscure the fact that this a shameless money grab that will place a white elephant in our community"
NIMBY Buzzword Generator. LOL
99% of the NIMBYs downcounty are old and white and racist/ageist. This is a fact.
5:28 says "developer backed trolls" without any shred of proof.
Overheard in the auditorium at the Waldorf School, Monday morning:
"What's that funny smell? It smells kinda like Grandma's nursing home."
@6:24... Explain yourself please? We're not allowed to use the local public school b/c anonymous on Dyer blog wants us to send kids to private school? Logic please? Residents pay taxes for their public schools; surely that is not news to you.
Developers trolls are busy, busy, busy this morning! So obvious, so predictable, so useless. What are they so afraid of?
"What are they so afraid of?" says Anonymous.
@6:48 Sure you CAN send your children to public school, but take a second and ask yourself 'Is this really the progressive thing to do?'
Isn't securing the future of our children with a quality education a benefit to the entire world? I think you know what's the right thing to do.
6:56AM - and your point is? Reading comprehension dude. Your public school upbringing is showing.
All of these comments about race are sinister. The goal from the developer trolls is to make white liberals guilty about caring about how growth is managed in their community.
How would it be received if the comments implied that the concerned residents in a community questioning an irresponsible growth plan were African American or Latino?
"How would it be received if the comments implied that the concerned residents in a community questioning an irresponsible growth plan were African American or Latino?"
Go and find one, and then we'll talk.
7:28 AM
So you are saying people of color haven't spoken about issues regarding gentrification and yuppifaction?
...."pro-development hacks about the age and race of the opposition [to the Westbard plan are] a smoke screen to obscure the fact that this a shameless money grab....".
Well said!
...."pro-development hacks about the age and race of the opposition [to the Westbard plan are] a smoke screen to obscure the fact that this a shameless money grab....".
Terribly put!
It's interesting every time someone insists a commentor here, troll or otherwise, is working on behalf of developers, the county council, or some other conspiracy. It completely indicates the frame of mind that would make or believe such accusations without a shred of evidence. That puts a negative light on all of their other points that no proof or evidence is needed to justify their opinion.
*Don't feed the trolls.*
7:58
As opposed to the consistent questioning of race and age by pro developer posters?
You don't think developers, PR people, politicians have people who scour the net for mentions of their projects? Of course they do. They'd be stupid not to.
The race and age posters are so obviously pro-developer. They're the only ones that care. No one else is making that argument. Not the current residents. Certainly not the millennials who really don't see race. You may as well just have a flashing neon sign.
"The race and age posters are so obviously pro-developer... Not the current residents."
That's because the current residents don't want to call attention to the fact that they're old white people.
"Certainly not the millennials who really don't see race."
Wow way to show how poorly informed your views on diversity are. Millenials are hyper-aware of identity and the way it intersects with our lives.
@ 9:09 AM - 8:41 AM probably defaces "Black Lives Matter" posters.
And still you are the only ones bringing up race. Your discrediting tactics aren't going to work.
8:54
More attacking of "old white people." Heaven forbid you had anything positive to say about the project you support.
Just more name calling.
Considering I spend my time with millennials, 9:09 is out of touch. Hyper-aware of identity? Yes, aware of who they are as a person. But race, religion, sexual preference are not big deals.
9:19 has never been on tumblr
9:22 - you can find hate anywhere
The Heartless are horrifying monsters that are a mockery of life.
9:19: This is the generation that has normalized conversations about privilege. They talk about microaggressions and how they can avoid them. They identify as cis-male, trans-male, or gender queer. But they do identify. Yes they are not as bigoted as their parents or grandparents. But that does not mean that they think less about issues related to diversity.
If the protesters really are concerned about the development attracting low-income people of color, I would like them to consider the following:
Obama is currently looking for a place to live in the DC metro area while his daughters attend our wonderful private school system. I think we would all be tickled pink to welcome the Obamas as our new neighbors. Now, I am not sure if you are aware of this, but as president, Obama is paid a salary of $400,000 a year. I don't know where you come from, but where we live that is certainly considered low-income. $400,000 is barely be enough to fill a progressive garage with the right mix of thoughtful vehicles. That leaves almost nothing to put a roof over one's head or pay the domestics.
Let that sink in for a moment. The first family are low-income African Americans.
So, does it really seem like such a good idea to try and turn away low-income African American residents when it may actually mean that you are trying to keep the Obamas out?
9:19 likely doesn't know what Tumblr is.
Fairminded people can disagree regarding development. They can also disagree that about 3,000 additional housing units or 1,400.
But comments such as the one Poppy just made truly show how cynical the pro development supporters have been.
This is a big joke to them and illustrates the lack of trust residents have about this project.
@10:14 - You're painting with a very broad stroke when you call me pro-development. I haven't really put much thought into how many housing units go into the development, I just don't want to have to drive all the way to Georgetown or the Montgomery Mall to go to Vineyard Vines.
If you somehow manage to attach upscale retail to your proposed reduction in housing units, you may get the ears of myself and many other smart, progressive Bethesdians.
That's the problem Poppy. You don't know much about the project. You don't seem to care about how the housing units will affect the schools or traffic.
There is upscale retail in downtown Bethesda, so you don't have to drive all the way to Georgetown or Montgomery Mall to go to Vineyard Vines.
How do the residents of the Westbard community come up with a plan to "attach upscale retail to your proposed reduction in housing units"? We do not make the plans, we can just react to the proposals put forth by Equity One and the Planning Board. Those proposals are then voted upon by the County Council.
Also, your continued ageism and race baiting do not represent you as a smart, progressive Bethesdian.
Look, I don't want to get into a back and forth on this, but if you think I can shop at Vineyard Vines in downtown Bethesda, it may be you who does not know much.
Poppy, so you know that Vineyard Vines is going to be in this retail mix?
I was hoping that Vineyard Vines was a placeholder from you to represent upscale shopping.
So this whole project depends upon you getting Vineyard Vines? How selfish are you?
Lol. It looks like the "progressive Bethesdan" a name and blog.
Still can't tell if she's being for real. Some people really exist in their own warped version of reality. Hilarious either way
Ya'll don't know anything about race so don't even try. Both sides.
At best, we'll get a Panera, a chain like Hair Cuttery instead of Westwood Barbershop, another bank, etc.
So, we'll toss out the small businesses we trust, overload the roads and schools and at best get a Panera out of it. Bad deal!
Hmmm... it's 4:30 p.m. now. How many old white people showed up for the protest?
@11:13 Sorry that my reply is a little late, but you caught me when I was on the way out to yoga.
In previous comments I have also advocated for a Thomas Pink at the new Westbard for the boys, so I don't really think you can call me selfish.
Yeah, Dyer, report on how the big protest went! I was at work so couldn't attend.
Dyer's blog gave us Poppy the Progressive Bethesdian, so you can't say that it's totally worthless.
Hopefully he won't delete her delightful posts as "spam".
What a great show of support for the community. Over 400 people were there to oppose Equity One's plan and a premature rush to judgement.
The counter event held by Equity One was a complete dud. Obviously they hoped to trick the camera crews that the people dressed in red were there for their event to "honor the Nationals." Well the poor folks at the food trucks were pretty lonely and I didn't see any baseball cards being handed out.
The event went so badly for Equity One that they threatened to tow people's cars. How would they know which cars to tow? I hope they didn't tow one of the developer trolls cars.
I am a mother of three young children and live in the neighborhood. We support measured, reasonable, sustainable development. The current plan is not measured, reasonable or sustainable. It will add a row of 150 ft tall buildings along Westbard (taller than anything currently there) and will more than double the current population of the area - without a plan to increase road, public transportation or classroom capacity.
River Road and Massachusetts Ave are already overcapacity, particularly during rush hour, when River Road becomes almost a high speed freeway. Neither road has sidewalks or bike lanes and it seems we lose members of our community in tragic accidents every other month. Our children can't walk to the middle school or high school because there are no sidewalks and the crosswalks are not well-marked or respected by drivers. Now think how an additional 2000 to 3000 cars will impact this already difficult situation. There is no metro service and Metro Bus service is limited, at best. Realistically it is a public transportation ghost town.
The only mention in County plans to address services to the community has been a discussion about closing the well-used and well-loved County Library to replace it and it's green space with additional townhouses or apartments. It is little wonder that residents are not supportive.
Our schools are already overcrowded, now imagine adding 1000 to 1500 new children to the system. Where will they go? How will they be educated? Responsible governance requires thinking of and planning for these questions in advance of allowing urban-scale development in a suburban, residential neighborhood. Neither the Planning Board or the County Council have seriously addressed these concerns with substantial, realistic planning.
If this plan goes forward in its current iteration, it will impact not only the close neighborhoods, but the entire southern part of the county. We are not against development, we are against poorly planned, over-densification.
"150 ft tall buildings along Westbard (taller than anything currently there)"
Wrong. The Kenwood Condominium is taller than that.
"[I]t will impact...the entire southern part of the county."
Please explain. How will it affect downtown Bethesda? How will it affect Chevy Chase? How will it affect Silver Spring? How will it affect Cabin John, Glen Echo and Sumner?
I went to the Friday, April 8 Westbard protest and am happy to report back.
The organizers easily met or exceeded their hoped-for attendance of 75-100, and the number of protesters *grew* throughout the demonstration.. Not bad for 4 pm on a Friday.
The protest crowd was multi-racial and drawn from all age groups: elementary school to teens, millennials Gen Xers, Boomers and members of the Greatest Generation. In short, the protesters were broadly representative of the community.
Media covered the protest, and Jeanne Allen, one of the organizers, was interviewed.
Signage was plentiful, diverse and imaginative. The demonstrators were peaceful and orderly.
Nonetheless, Equity One called the police to have the demonstrators removed from its property. This being Bethesda, the protestors left voluntarily before the police arrived. Bad move by Equity One: throwing a group of peaceful demonstrators who also patronize your retail space out of your spacious parking lot rather undercuts the friendly image that you are trying to project. A better solution would have been to allow the protestors to occupy a far corner of the parking lot, away from traffic. In any case, the demonstrators set up shop on the sidewalks along Westbard, where passing cars honked in support.
And the planners say Westbard isn't livable and walkable? Stay tuned for the Saturday demonstration. It should be even better!
Anonymous @ 5:58 PM posted the exact same thing as "ANetliner" on Bethesda Magazine three hours ago. I guess he realizes which is Bethesda's news site of record.
5.25 PM: Put on your thinking cap.
1. The Westbard sector plan (Planning Board-approved version) will affect downtown Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Cabin John, Glen Echo and Sumner by adding 4,000+ cars to major roadways. That's in addition to the +/-3,000 additional cars coming into the area to access the new Intelligence campus on Sangamore Road. Even if the Westbard sector plan is cut back as proposed by Councilmember Berliner, 2000+ vehicles will be added to the area, in addition to the +/-3,000 vehicles heading to Sangamore Road. That's a lot of additional cars.
2. Teachers and PTA organizations for both the Whitman and Bethesda-Chevy Chase school districts have vigorously opposed the Westbard sector plan, saying that it will exacerbate school overcrowding. Note that the Whitman district is already overcapacity, so the planners have recommended that students housed in the Westbard sector be educated in the BCC school cluster. One tiny problem: the BCC schools say that they can't handle the additional students.
While the Council is "confident" that Montgomery County Public Schools will add capacity, no actual plans have been announced. Councilmember Rice has stated that school overcrowding will likely mean that elementary, middle school and high school students in Montgomery County will no longer have a guarantee that they will attend the school for which they are distracted. But not to worry: according to Councilmember Rice, changing local school assignments is "no longer a third rail." Really?
In any case, the Westbard sector plan will affect school assignments for the BCC and/or Whitman clusters, and may affect other communities due to spillover effects. The Planning Board version of the sector plan will accelerate school overcrowding. Councilmember Berliner's alternative will reduce the problem, and the solution favored by SaveWestbard will reduce it still further. But development planning for the Westbard sector should be dovetailed with MCPS's planning process. So far, this hasn't happened.
"[S]tudents in Montgomery County will no longer have a guarantee that they will attend the school for which they are distracted."
What???
@ 6.06: Bethesda has two news sites of record (so to speak): Dyer and Bethesda Beat. Looks like that poster thought it was best to cover all bases and post in both places.
If the community is lucky, maybe the WaPo will do another story on Westbard in its local news section, and it's possible that the Washington Times would do the same. Too bad the Gazette is gone: it was indeed MoCo's "paper of record," but we're fortunate to have Dyer and Bethesda Beat reporting here. Hard to have press freedom without any local press, y'know?
6.47 pm: Good catch! Typo-- that should be districted (not distracted). The problem was the dreaded auto-correct. My apologies. --6.42 pm
Why should buying a house entitle your children to attend a specific PUBLIC school, to the exclusion of other children?
MoCo Machine snags another Fortune 500 corporation! Woo hoo!
7:26: Marriott is already here, spam links to competing websites (now deleted) aside. What does the merger have to do with Westbard?
7:09: Who are the "other children"?
5:25: The Kenwood condominium is a non-conforming property. It could not be built under today's zoning code, and therefore cannot be used to justify additional high-rises (although that hasn't stopped the Planning Board, County Council and developers from doing so). 6:42's comment does a good job of answering the rest of your questions.
As a mother of three children did you ever consider you cost the county more than you bring in?
To all of you saying that only old rich white people protest mega growth you are either ignorant or being just plain dishonest.
The Lyttonsville sector plan just two steps behind Westbard also promises to deliver a mega growth policy of urbanizing a small quiet community. This sector plan demographic is a majority minority area, with low to middle income folks. They are also fighting this developer county sanctioned bonanza to destroy their community and local small business...lots of faces of color here, and lots of young people because it is affordable.
People of all ethnicities, races, ages and socio economic status want to preserve the communities that we bought into and are raising our families in.
To say these concerns are racially motivated shows that you have lost the argument.
These "nimby spouting trolls" have nothing to offer.
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