Concerns summarized on the petition are:
- Traffic - Residents are concerned about both the added impact of the new cars the development will bring, as well as the notoriously-inaccurate methods the County uses to gauge road capacity. The petition notes that the tougher standard of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments rates Fernwood Road (which some residents refer to as "Fernlock" due to its rush hour backups) "Heavily Congested. Weaker County standards don't jibe with "the reality experienced by citizens," an issue that has come up in the controversial Westbard sector plan, as well
- Schools in the Walter Johnson cluster, and in North Bethesda generally, are already "bursting at the seams" with overcrowding
- Lack of vehicular access routes to the tower site. Currently there is only one way in. Toll Brothers' plan anticipates a second gateway via Greyswood Road, and fire access via Renita Lane
- The only close-by bus line, Ride On 47, is more than half-a-mile from the center of the tower site
- The tower site is about 3 miles from the nearest Metro station, the WFCA calculated
- Limited pedestrian access to shopping, services and amenities
Toll Brothers submitted its preliminary plan to Montgomery County in late May, and has a public information website about its plans for the WMAL property.
Wasn't this property zoned at the same time as the homes around it? And they are building by right? Wouldn't that mean the new homes have equal rights and impact on the system as the old homes? One could even consider the new lots spent x years undeveloped and provided less strain on the system. Now they are being built to their equal right and every kid in an existing home has equal impact moving forward as a new home.
ReplyDelete"One could even consider the new lots spent x years undeveloped and provided less strain on the system"
ReplyDeleteThat might have some validity if the "system" hadn't changed in the x years.
Fernwood backs up as far as and beyond the Greentree intersection. That wasn't the case years ago.
The two area high schools were consolidated into one-Walter Johnson. Now they're looking to re-open Woodward, but it isn't big enough to handle the overflow so it too must be renovated.
I don't disagree the system is way overcrowded, but the new homes have just as much right. So the old home kids are equally responsible.
DeleteYIMBY!
ReplyDeleteHow can it have an equal impact if it overloads the system and makes it worse for all existing?
ReplyDeleteAhem, Mr Timekeeper?
ReplyDeleteNotice how all these posts are within minutes of each other? It's called conversing.
Or do you only voice your time objections when it goes against your comment or opinion?
When the zoning was created there was no bonus for MPDUs. It was envisioned as a parcel with sqft lots similar to the existing Stratton Woods homes.
ReplyDeleteThe petition has no legal bearing or value.
ReplyDeleteThe West Fernwood Citizens Association website -- http://westfernwoodcitizensassociation.com/
ReplyDeletehas a link to the petition. Or you can find the petition at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8PZW3PY
The Toll Bros preliminary plan is mostly compliant with the zoning ordinance. If this means that new houses "have the same rights" as old houses, well I guess it does. However, zoning compliance isn't everything. MoCo has an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance called the Subdivision Staging Policy. In theory, it governs the timing of the buid-outs that are within the Master Plan/zoning. Specifically, the County isn't supposed to approve development until it can be shown that things like transportation and schools can handle the additional burden. The Toll Bros proposal and studies mostly (again),follows the County "prescription" for assessing the capacity of the local infrastructure. The issue at hand, is that the "prescription" has little to no scientific merit - for transportation in particular. It is written such that current actual congestion is rarely assessed. Therefore, we are left with a disconnect between what we experience and the results of the policy. At the core of the petition is that the policy/prescription is a farce. If it was effective, out schools wouldn't be over capacity and it wouldn't take twice as long to get everywhere. The policy must change. Assess things honestly, and let the chips fall. If there is capacity, then build.
ReplyDeleteDyer: Small correction about the petition is that it appears to call for a halt to ALL development approvals in North Bethesda until a proper assessment of current connections is executed. WMAL is just an example. The congestion/overcrowding issue IS pervasive in much of the County, it seems.
ReplyDeleteThe development will likely dramatically increase the traffic along Burdette Rd also, which has already seen a big increase since the traffic light was installed at River Rd. Currently in the morning rush hour, it is already difficult to exit Burdette to turn left onto River Rd, with cars sometimes having to wait through two light cycles in order to get onto River Rd. Additional cars from the hundreds of houses in the Toll Bros development can only make that more congested.
ReplyDelete