Federal Realty plan would deliver new White Flint Metro entrance sooner at lower price (Photos)

The long-planned construction of a north entrance to the White Flint Metro station has been stalled since 2010. That year, Montgomery County approved the White Flint sector plan that requires the entrance be built, and WMATA conducted a study. An entrance closer to Pike & Rose, and - in relative terms - to properties north of Montrose Parkway, is considered essential to a successful redevelopment of the northern Pike District by property owners.

To try and get the ball rolling again at a time when Montgomery County councilmembers have managed to spend us into an ongoing structural deficit, developer Federal Realty hired a consultant to put together an independent study. Consultant AECOM and Federal Realty say the finished report shows the new entrance can be delivered sooner, and at a lower cost, than currently expected.

To achieve savings, the plan proposes breaking the development of the entrance into three phases. The Federal Realty proposal's price tag for Phase 1 would come in below the lowball option price of WMATA's study, which was priced in recession-era 2010 dollars, so the savings are likely even bigger than the numbers indicate. At only $11.1 million, Federal Realty's plan would deliver a functional station entrance at completion of Phase 1.

Later phases would add a station supervisor kiosk, exit fare machines, a pedestrian plaza, a bike storage facility, and employee and public restrooms, among other features and amenities. The push for the station takes on extra urgency, as the Pike District is considered the leading potential destination for Amazon's HQ 2 in Montgomery County.

While the empty former site of White Flint Mall is a major candidate, Pike & Rose is arguably the best choice for the long-term. Not only does it already have the urban "neighborhood" and entertainment, dining and retail options Amazon wants, but Federal Realty has several other large properties primed for redevelopment on the next blocks of Rockville Pike north of Pike & Rose. Amazon could end up with space to grow on the Montrose Crossing and Federal Plaza properties, which would be easily walkable from Pike & Rose - especially if a creative use or redevelopment of the underutilized parking lot north of Montrose Parkway at Towne Road is approved.

Federal Realty is now seeking to have a development study for their proposal funded in the FY-2019 Montgomery County CIP budget, and to develop a funding agreement and timetable among the County, WMATA and private stakeholders. The Federal Realty plan currently estimates the total price tag as $25.3 million.

PowerPoint images courtesy Federal Realty

MCPS forecaster says new ES needed for Rock Spring, White Flint 2 school capacity

Bruce Crispell, Director of the Division of Long Range Planning for Montgomery County Public Schools, gave his forecast last night for how many students he expects the Rock Spring and White Flint 2 sector plans to generate. Also at the meeting at Luxmanor Elementary were other MCPS officials to outline the Walter Johnson cluster roundtable discussions, and the new Subdivision Staging Policy currently being reviewed by the County Planning Board.

The night got off to a rough start as technical difficulties prevented the detailed presentation from being projected onto the screen. Speakers had to then go forward with no Powerpoint slides. The presentation is promised to be on the Rock Spring and White Flint 2 pages on the Planning Department website at some point today.

Crispell's prediction for the mid-size alternative for Rock Spring is:

70 ES students
30 MS students
35 HS students

For the maximum 2400-unit build-out of Rock Spring, he forecasts:

135 ES
60 MS
75 HS

All of those go into the Walter Johnson cluster.

For White Flint 2, a small portion of students will go into the Downcounty Consortium Cluster of schools:

Mid-size build-out (524 units):

45 ES
20 MS
25 HS

Max build-out for the DCC (871 units):

75 ES
30 MS
40 HS

In the Walter Johnson cluster for White Flint 2, the mid-size build-out option would generate:

250 ES
105 MS
130 HS

The max build-out of White Flint 2 (4920 new units) would generate this many students in the WJ cluster:

285 ES
120 MS
150 HS

The combined numbers for both clusters from White Flint 2 in mid-size scenario:

320 ES
135 MS
165 HS

Max build-out for both clusters in White Flint 2:

420 ES
180 MS
225 HS

Altogether, Crispell said the numbers are close to the threshold for dedicating an elementary school site, but not a middle school or high school. A resident asked if Crispell used the southwest generation rates, which tend to be higher than the rest of the County. He said those calculations are still in the works.

But he said these numbers should replace any previous forecasts. "These are pretty much hot off the press to me," Crispell said of his predictions last night. He added that he is including the WMAL site in his long range forecast, a separate one from the above data.

Crispell also outlined the process by which MCPS addresses the need for more capacity. First they examine if they can add on to an existing school in the plan area. If not, look at a boundary change to a school adjacent to the plan area. If that can't be done, they determine if they can add on to a building adjacent to the plan area. The last resort is to designate a school site for a new building.

"We are at the point where we need a new elementary school site," Crispell said last night. Walter Johnson High School is currently over 2400 students, he said, and MCPS is considering options including using the former Woodward campus as a high school again.

Crispell said there are "tons of [housing] units being planned in this area of the County," but added that in his opinion, "there's no way" there is enough demand for the number of units currently proposed.

Debbie Szyfer, senior planner in Crispell's division, said that a new elementary school could be fast-tracked in time to open in 2022. She said Walter Johnson HS is "the most critical right now. The middle schools we're taking good care of," with additions.

Unfortunately, the promised results of the WJ roundtable were not actually available last night. The roundtable report is instead expected to be posted online in the next 9 days, Szyfer said. That report will cover the approaches to the problems discussed by members of the roundtable from the WJ cluster, but will not make recommendations.

Actual recommendations will be made by new MCPS Superintendent Jack Smith after July 1, Szyfer said. Among the approaches discussed by the roundtable were reopening old schools, repurposing Woodward, and acquiring office park land. Other ideas that had little support included split sessions and online learning.

The roundtable schedule will be as follows:

June 8 "or later": Roundtable report posted online

October 13: Smith's recommendations will be released to the public

November 3: Board of Education will hold a worksession on the recommendations

Szyfer said the period between October 13 and November 3 will be a critical one for those in the community to make their voices heard. Whether you like the recommendations or hate them, it is very important that you let the BOE know either way, Szyfer advised.

November 10, 14: Public hearings on the recommendations (only 30-40 people can testify)

The BOE will make a final decision after those hearings.

Several members of the roundtable were in attendance at last night's meeting. One of them commended Crispell and Szyfer for doing something that hasn't been done before by MCPS. She said they took "the list of development within our cluster...and tried to do a 30 year analysis of what this would look like for our cluster." "We were pushed," Crispell said. He said that 30-year forecast showed a need for a high school with a capacity of 3500, a middle school of 2750 students, and 5500 seats at the elementary school level. Crispell noted that those numbers include the WMAL site, but not the latest Rock Spring and WF2 projections he released last night.

Crispell received a round of applause. Somewhat taken aback by a positive response from parents, he said, "Thank you. I don't usually get applauded for forecasts."

One resident expressed concern that middle school needs might end up not being addressed in the sector plans. "Those projections support another middle school," she said. "If we don't designate a site in one of these master plans, we'll never get it."

The president of the Luxmanor Civic Association challenged officials to be more transparent and communicate more closely with the community than they have in past White Flint discussions. Those past processes "truly haven't been transparent," she said. "We've had to hire police to patrol our streets because of what's been going on right now." She asked if the community could have more meetings and more open discussions as this process goes forward.

Both sector plans are slated to go the Planning Board this fall, and following board worksessions late in the year, to the County Council for approval in 2017, said Andrea Gilles, the lead planner for the Rock Spring plan.

Use this map legend for
the maps below

Planners forecast school, traffic impacts for White Flint 2 sector

Montgomery County planners discussed the results of their preliminary studies on the impact of future development on schools and roads in the White Flint 2 sector plan area at a public meeting last night at Luxmanor Elementary School in Bethesda. Under several alternatives, school capacity issues will be most critical at the elementary school level. Many more intersections in the plan area would fail or be close to failure, as well, based on their traffic study.

Planners presented several development scenarios ranging from a no-build option to the maximum build-out. Broken down by cluster, development east of the railroad tracks (Randolph Hills) would generate students for the Downcounty Consortium schools. But the vast majority of White Flint 2 students would attend schools in the crowded Walter Johnson cluster.

In terms of the student generation breakdown by school level:

Existing and already approved development

ES:  201
MS:  84
HS:  107

Alternative 1

ES:  295
MS:  123
HS:  156

Alternative 2

ES:  359
MS:  150
HS:  191

If you are skeptical of MCPS forecasting, and would like to use a different formula to determine a student generation rate, here are the growth numbers proposed:

The maximum build-out of Alternative 2 would allow 5788 new housing units, and 4.87 million SF of non-residential development. 3246 housing units could be built under current zoning; 4841 would be allowed under the "middle ground" option Alternative 1.

10% of housing units are assumed by planners to be townhomes, and 90% to be in multi-family buildings.

What would boost the number of units in the higher density alternatives are zoning shifts such as flipping Executive Boulevard from EOF to CR zone, or moving Federal Plaza from CRT to CR zone, or the JCC property from R-200 to CRT zone.

Planners say they are working with Montgomery County Public Schools and property owners on the possibility of a new elementary school in the White Flint 2 sector. They will seek to retain the industrial land along the railroad tracks, as it alone accounts for 10% of the total industrial land left in the County, planner Nkosi Yearwood said.

The sector will be divided into zones (Executive Boulevard, the north area with Federal Plaza and Pike Center, and Randolph Hills), and subzones (Pike Center and Montrose Crossing, Federal Plaza, Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington). An Executive Boulevard zone, for example, is proposed to have a neighborhood green, and infill development opportunities. Planners will also seek to use development there to link The Monterey apartments with Pike & Rose. A much larger park is hoped for in the Randolph Hills area. And a green pedestrian connection will be sought to link Montrose Parkway with Luxmanor Park.

Conceptual plan

Connectivity plan

Traffic studies assumed build-out of Montrose Parkway East, but did not presume Bus Rapid Transit or new roads would be built. Some attendees expressed skepticism about the data on current and future intersection conditions. A resident said an MCDOT study showed more intersections failing than last night's study showed. It was also pointed out that conceptual roads within new urban street grids of White Flint 2 might reduce congestion at intersections which appear to fail under all scenarios on these maps (see below).

When the planner presenting the preliminary traffic study says "traffic is working relatively well" currently, it does not inspire confidence that the County is using accurate traffic counts. One thing he said that supports retaining the proposed grade-separated Montrose Parkway East over Parklawn Drive was, "this area will be very heavily influenced by through traffic." That is the key role the parkway was designed to play in the context of the White Flint plans: Keep through traffic moving through without jamming up the local urban street grid. Another light at Parklawn would sabotage that function.

Here are the traffic charts, which planners acknowledged did not show up well on the almost-monochromatic projector in the room. The full color intersection maps are expected to be posted on the project website later today, and should be much easier to read, from what I saw on the actual laptop screen in the room.

Existing intersection
conditions

2040 intersection conditions
with only already-approved
development

2040 intersections with
the largest possible build-out
scenario

Roundtable discussion on Walter Johnson cluster MCPS school capacity on January 20

If you are concerned about how already-crowded Walter Johnson cluster schools will handle the additional students generated by residential projects planned nearby, you'll want to attend a roundtable on the topic. Montgomery County Public Schools is hosting the event, to be held January 20, 2016 at 7:00 PM, in the cafeteria at Walter Johnson High School (6400 Rock Spring Drive).

After a presentation by MCPS staff, they will take questions from the audience.

Development percolating in the Rock Spring and White Flint 2 planning areas has generated the need to examine the topic.

White Flint 2 area property owners to present their future plans at Feb. 1 public meeting

Montgomery County planners will give landowners in the White Flint 2 Sector Plan area an opportunity to brief the public on any future plans they have next month. Each landowner (or his or her representative) will have 5-10 minutes to deliver a presentation, according to planner Nkosi Yearwood.

Yearwood notes that not every landowner necessarily has a redevelopment plan at this time.

Equally important, civic associations can send a representative, who will be given the same amount of time to discuss any topic of importance to their neighborhood.

The meeting will be at Luxmanor Elementary School (6201 Tilden Lane) at 7:00 PM.

Bike facilities, green space top residents' wish list for future White Flint 2 parks (Photos)

Montgomery County Planning Department staff gave attendees a chance to vote on what types of park facilities they would like to have in a redeveloped White Flint 2 sector of the Pike District last night. Old-fashioned Mother Nature's "grass and trees" and "a place to run or bike" won out over skate parks, dog parks, and places to meditate. Event spaces were a distant third choice.

Area residents and other stakeholders at last night's meeting were also encouraged to suggest their own types of parks. Their suggestions included fitness stations, a trail loop, "quiet nooks for lounging and reading," a pedestrian plaza like that outside of Barnes and Noble at Bethesda Row, an outdoor interactive fountain similar to that at Georgetown Waterfront Park, soccer fields, a bikeway connected to Rock Creek, a disc golf course, a parkour trail, and turning the Park & Ride lot at the Rockville Pike/Montrose Parkway interchange into a park. The latter would be one of the easiest ideas to execute, as Montgomery County already owns that land.

Attendees also discussed how to discourage cut-through traffic in the Randolph Hills area, ways to separate retail traffic from residential traffic on Boiling Brook Parkway, and how to locate some parks near current or future schools.

Red dots represent a vote
for that particular type of park

Transportation study overview at White Flint 2 meeting (Photos)

The latest meeting on the White Flint 2 Sector Plan was focused on transportation Wednesday evening at the Rocking Horse school center in Rockville. It was not about specific transportation projects and improvements as much as it was about the methods used to study traffic volume, capacity and speed. White Flint 2 borders the City of Rockville to the north, and one of the City's transportation studies is being used by planners as they work toward growth and transportation recommendations.

Eric Graye, a transportation planner with the Montgomery County, said that planners are generally more willing to accept greater congestion in urban activity centers.

A resident of Randolph Hills asked if the County model could predict congestion in practical terms, such as the speed at which one could travel on a particular road. Graye said the County model's data can be compared to INRIX traffic data to suggest what speeds might be.

Maps around the room showed virtually all of the pedestrian and road connections attendees of the October meeting suggested. Remaining concerns of those who attending last night's meeting included the lack of available land for additional schools, poor mobility around the area due to the lack of connectivity, and train horns blaring near the area's residential neighborhoods.

The next meeting will focus on parks, open space and land use, and will be held on December 9 at 7:00 PM at Luxmanor Elementary School.

More retail, restaurants, schools, better connectivity top White Flint 2 wish list (Photos)

Attendees at last night's White Flint 2 Sector Plan meeting held by the Montgomery County Planning Department had a remarkably in-depth discussion about specific elements they would like to have included in the final document. Schools remained a top concern of parents in nearby neighborhoods, but those residents also had a lot of detailed information on potential redevelopment sites around their neighborhoods - ways to better connect residents to current and future activity centers, traffic jam hot spots, and even suggestions on how to attract jobs to one of the employment areas hardest hit by the county's moribund economic development climate.

Summing up the most common argument heard during sector plan discussions countywide these days, one resident said the lack of high school capacity "has to be addressed." Later, another resident complained that, while planners have acknowledged the issue, they have not yet proposed any specific solutions. One resident advocating a greater developer contribution to environmental needs recalled a developer recently told her, "You don't really think we're going to spend all this money on a property and give you a school." Residents were specifically asking for money in the County Capital Improvements Program to reopen Woodward High School as a high school, rather than a temporary holding facility.

The Executive Boulevard office park area off of Montrose Parkway is the area most in question in regard to land use. With the County's business climate such that the kinds of large firms and research facilities that prize such suburban office park locations are bypassing MoCo for Northern Virginia and other states, its vacancy rate exceeds the county average. Yet, one resident said during a breakout session, it remains "a very desirable place to put a technology or research company." A real estate broker familiar with the area argued that the Montrose Parkway and Metro station, as well as future transit expansion such as Bus Rapid Transit, give it an advantage over downtown Bethesda. It's very difficult to get in and out of downtown Bethesda from the interstates, he said. "The more you can make [the Pike District] easy to get in and out of," he suggested, the more attractive it will be to companies.

Another suggestion to make that office area more attractive? Extend the mixed-use of Pike & Rose across Executive Boulevard, or at least make it easier to walk between the two locations with better pedestrian crossings at Old Georgetown and Executive.

Retail and restaurants could indeed make it more attractive for employers, the broker agreed. "When you saw Whole Foods open that [Pike District] store, that changed that neighborhood overnight," he recalled. While it is starting slowly, he predicted, "White Flint will eventually be the place to be" in Montgomery County.

Can the job center return to prosperity? "There's no certainty that it won't come back," planner Luis Estrada told a group. "We want to give [office use] a chance to come back," Senior Planner Andrea Gilles said. But with more flexibility in land use, Estrada added.

Eric Grosse of the
Friends of White Flint
summarizes the discussion
in his group

Two groups imagined the area becoming a health employment sector, anchored by current employer Kaiser. The county could incentivize medical-related businesses to locate there, they said. Friends of White Flint resident representative Eric Grosse said the idea has potential. With better pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and some residential additions, Grosse said, the office park area could become "a mini community within White Flint 2." But Kaiser's lack of engagement with the sector plan process remains an obstacle to that happening. "We need to bring Kaiser in, and find a way to get them involved," Grosse said.

Planner Luis Estrada notes
a resident suggestion on a
map of White Flint 2

Another suggestion for better connectivity between residential areas and activity centers on Rockville Pike was for a new road south of Federal Plaza, connecting E. Jefferson Street with the Pike. Currently, there is a service road for Federal Plaza about 15' wide there, but such a change would have to be related to redevelopment of the property.

A second pedestrian-averse area remains the Rockville Pike bridge over Montrose Parkway, and the unused Park-and-Ride lot at Hoya Street. There are also confusing connections from the parkway for drivers attempting to reach Pike & Rose and Montrose Crossing. For example, heading eastbound on the Parkway, you actually have to turn left and go north in order to reach your destination of Pike & Rose to the south.

I've been wondering over the past few years how those two Federal Realty properties could perhaps be connected, to provide a better pedestrian route between Pike & Rose and a future redevelopment of Montrose Crossing. One idea that came up at two separate tables during the breakout session last night, was to realign Hoya Street with an entrance to Montrose Crossing.

Estrada said another connection could be to extend Market Street into the area between Executive Boulevard and Luxmanor. Some residents suggested a road through the Green Acres School property, as well.

Federal Realty, which owns multiple properties in the Pike District, has already had success in providing one pedestrian connection on its own. The developer created a pedestrian walkway between Federal Plaza and the Miramont condos and apartments, that is now heavily used by residents.

Gilles said there will be two more meetings on the White Flint 2 plan in November. Planners will submit a draft plan to the Planning Board in March or April of 2016, and it should go to the County Council next summer, she said.

White Flint 2 community meeting tonight in Bethesda

Planners are hosting a community meeting on the White Flint 2 Sector Plan tonight, Wednesday, October 14, at Luxmanor Elementary School (6201 Tilden Lane) from 7:00-9:00 PM in Bethesda. They will discuss the scope of the plan, and answer questions. This is the second, future phase of the Pike District-branded redevelopment area previously known as White Flint.

Frustrated parents want better answers about schools ahead of Rock Spring development (Photos)

Residents of the neighborhoods surrounding the Rock Spring and White Flint 2 sector plan areas turned out in force last night for a meeting designed to begin a dialogue about how Montgomery County Public Schools can accommodate students generated by new residential growth in those areas. Elected officials, Montgomery County planners and MCPS long-range planner Bruce Crispell brought a lot of data, but attendees were not satisfied with the current policies that govern such school capacity decisions.

Councilmember Roger Berliner
delivers opening remarks

County Councilmember Roger Berliner gave brief remarks at the beginning of the meeting at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, but had to leave to chair a council committee meeting in Rockville. Two members of his staff remained at the meeting, however.

"We must have adequate public facilities," Berliner argued, "so your children are not sitting in closets, on stages" in overcrowded schools. In the downcounty area, Berliner noted, "we don't have the traditional [school construction] opportunities available to us," due to the already-built-out environment. He said every child should have "a great school that's not overcrowded. That's my commitment to you." Of the many county officials present to discuss the issue, Berliner said "I don't know if they'll have all the answers this evening - that's another reason I'm leaving," prompting chuckles from the not-so-happy crowd.

Other elected officials in attendance included Delegates Al Carr (D-District 17) and Marc Korman (D-District 16).

"This is an immensely important issue," County Planning Director Gwen Wright said. "Let's make this a positive, civil and informative evening that benefits all of us, especially the kids."

And it was a civil meeting, despite the tension and concerns about just what the future development in that part of Bethesda will be, and what strain it will put on the Walter Johnson school cluster in particular.

Area 2 Chief of Planning Glen Kreger acknowledged "people feel that schools are overcrowded. We've heard these things loud and clear."

Bruce Crispell discusses
projected enrollment and
capacity in the
Walter Johnson cluster

"Every school in this cluster is going to be touched in the coming years," Crispell promised of the school system's capital improvement plans through 2021. He provided current and projected capacity numbers for all schools in the WJ cluster. His projections show capacity open in each school by 2021, with the exception and uncertainty of Walter Johnson High School.

Many found the rosy numbers hard to believe. And perhaps with good reason. Wood Acres ES in Bethesda was entirely replaced with a new building last decade, and within a few years, already had 6 portables outside. MCPS has been off before in its predictions.

And as Crispell acknowledged to parents in a roundtable discussion later in the evening, the money isn't always there, and MCPS can't control that - it's up to the County Council and state to allocate the funds in the budget. One resident expressed skepticism about the money issue. "You're not getting the funds. You just told us that." "We're getting them," Crispell replied, just not as quickly as we would like."

Crispell leads a roundtable
discussion

One parent asked why the area wasn't under a development moratorium, given that the County requires one when capacity reaches 120%, and Ashburton ES is at 141% capacity right now. That's because MCPS "cheats", and conveniently allows more development to occur, by counting capacity by cluster averaging, rather than by individual school. Were capacity counted by school, the area would indeed be in moratorium now.

Many additions have either been completed, or are on the way, for WJ schools in the next few years. And, quibbles of accuracy aside, the numbers appear to show capacity added.

But that has brought another major concern to the fore. Even if MCPS can somehow handle the students being added, is there a point at which an individual school becomes too big, and students suffer as a result?

Delegate Al Carr

Delegate Carr suggested there is. He noted that the state of Maryland just completed a study that showed that "at a certain point, it is not optimal to make a school bigger." Carr said the report suggested that elementary schools, for example, should not be larger than 700 students. Ashburton is on the way to reaching 1000 in the next few years.

"I really worry what [higher student populations] means for extracurricular activities, and the stress level of students," one resident said. "At what point is a high school too big," he asked. "These schools are getting too big to properly teach our children," observed a second.

A father recounted his recent experience at Ashburton's Back-to-School Night. "As you walk in, you see the portables. The teacher tells you there is no more computer lab. The class has 29 students. This system that was so great that we moved here, what's going to be the classroom size? Is it going to be 30 students?"

Another parent warned officials that continuing down this road will destroy the reputation of MCPS as one of the top school systems in the region. "I can tell you right now, it's going downhill. It's going downhill."

Ashburton ES PTA President Laura Chace said "there are operational concerns that won't be addressed with a larger school. The kids are coming. They're already there. More are coming. We're behind the 8 ball. We're going to be at 1000 students, and there's no solution [in place] for us."

"The community does not believe making Ashburton huge is the solution," Chace told Crispell at the roundtable later. They also won't accept portables being added after an addition is completed, she said. Crispell said he wouldn't rule out MCPS reopening Grosvenor ES, although he said it would require modernization. Some Ashburton parents said they would welcome redistricting over the alternatives, but Crispell said he suspected not all parents might agree. But, he added, "if you have a unified position as the Ashburton community" on redistricting, reusing Grosvenor ES, or other options, to let County officials know that.

"Shame on them"

"Is anyone from the school board here," a resident asked during the comment period. "Raise your hand," she said. No hands were raised. "No one from the school board is here. Shame on them."

"Here's the frustration," another parent explained. "You guys are talking about a 10 year plan. Your plan is already behind schedule. Don't wait. They're coming. This is what we're trying to tell you."

An extraordinarily high number of transfers has also been complicating matters in recent years in the cluster. "Two years ago, we were over 20% transfers" one parent said of her child's school. "We've got a whole lot of them in this cluster."

Jordan Silverman, a recent MCPS graduate, gave a contrary view to the majority of those who spoke. He said every school he attended in the system had portables throughout his academic career, but he found it had no impact on the high quality of his education.

Pamela Dunn (at right), Acting Chief
of Functional Planning and Policy,
leads another roundtable discussion

A few issues seem to need serious discussion by County elected officials and all stakeholders.

Is it not clear that ultimately some new type of school fee has to be added for development, that - importantly - will be captured for the specific school cluster affected by that development, rather than going into the general pot? The City of Gaithersburg is discussing just such a funding mechanism right now.

When we talk about new, "non-orthodox" school models - such as office buildings, are we talking about a large office building property where parking lots provide room for the additional facilities needed at an ES beyond classrooms (which could work), or a building with none of the traditional facilities (which wouldn't')? And would parents outside of an urban area find an urban-style school acceptable?

And all the discussion of how there's no land available - and certainly no affordable land - in the already-developed downcounty area raises a question. What, in the opinion of planners, elected officials and the planning board, is the maximum number of residents an area like Bethesda can hold?

Can they give a specific figure? Do they literally believe that infinite growth is possible, much less sustainable? When every parking lot becomes a luxury apartment tower, where will this infinite growth occur? On top of single-family home residential neighborhoods? In the Agricultural Reserve? Along a Beltway converted into a 25 MPH "grand boulevard"?

Or is there a limit? And a point at which maintenance of the quality of life and education require existing residents to "pull up the ladder" to preserve the community? I would personally argue that there is.

I think that, outside, of edge cities like downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring (and even they have growth limits, to be realistic), this is a legitimate debate to be had. And one we must have.

Planners lay out scope of work for White Flint 2 redevelopment plan

"A critical issue for [White Flint 2] will be determining how much additional development can be supported by the existing and proposed transportation network," a Montgomery County Planning Department report says early on regarding the redevelopment of the area along Rockville Pike north of the Montrose Parkway, and south of Rollins Avenue.

Some of the groundwork has been laid by the existing and future segments of the Montrose Parkway itself, and a proposed Bus Rapid Transit system along the Pike. No Metro station is located within the sector plan's boundaries, but the location is between the Twinbrook and White Flint stations on the Red Line. Planners will review all of these, but also address the need for better pedestrian and bicycle connectivity between Rockville, White Flint 2 and White Flint. The latter two areas are now branded as the Pike District by Montgomery County.

Properties under study by planners for the WF2 Sector Plan include Montrose Crossing, Pike Center, Loehmann’s Plaza, and the industrial properties east of the railroad tracks along Parklawn Drive. The Midtown Bethesda North condos, and the adjacent Target store, are harbingers of what the future may bring to these commercial properties.

Issues planners want to address in the sector plan process are transportation and connectivity, community facilities (in particular, capacity - or lack thereof - in the Walter Johnson school cluster), environmental sustainability, and land uses and urban design.

One public kick-off meeting was held on June 25, 2015. You can review the public feedback I reported on from that meeting the next day.

A series of workshops will be held this fall to obtain more feedback from residents, businesses and landowners. Planners will present a working draft of the plan to the Montgomery County Planning Board in the spring of 2016, and a draft plan to the Montgomery County Council and Executive by August 2016. The Council will vote on the plan, and a necessary Sectional Map Amendment, by summer 2017.

The next step in the process will be planners' presentation of the Scope of Work document to the Board on Thursday, September 3, 2015.

Transportation, schools, parks are primary concerns at White Flint 2 sector plan launch meeting in Bethesda (Photos)

Residents, activists and landowners gathered at Luxmanor Elementary School last night for the launch of the White Flint 2 sector plan process. The plan will determine much of the redevelopment future of properties located roughly between Twinbrook Parkway and Montrose Parkway. Now that Montgomery County has established the Pike District will be a high-density growth area, and Rockville is preparing its own higher-density plan for Rockville Pike north of White Flint 2, this area is also primed for a taller and denser future. 

So while the larger question over urban vs. suburban density appears to be moot, residents remain concerned about the impacts on schools and transportation. Green space is a priority for current residents, as well.

Those concerned about overcrowding said the community "needs schools, not a plan for schools," as one attendee wrote on the Feedback Wall after the presentation. Specifying a site for a future school in the Walter Johnson cluster was also cited as important by some. How to pay for the schools was another question. One resident asked a member of the planning staff if the plan could require developers to build a new school. That is not the current policy in Montgomery County, however, where developers today pay a fee to cover what the projected impact of their project will be on the school cluster in question. But that arrangement has failed to produce enough revenue to cover the current school construction needs in the county.

Redistricting also looms large in the minds of current and future public school parents. Will only the new children be districted outside of the Walter Johnson cluster? Many attendees felt that cluster was already too crowded to handle any additional capacity.

Alternatively, one commenter echoed a talking point being promoted by some county officials, saying planners need to "determine what future parents consider an acceptable school design, especially millennials. Do they continue to expect stand-alone buildings, or are there other alternatives?" This likely refers to the suggestion by those officials, and an architect hired by a developer, that the school of the future might be small in footprint, urban in design, could be in a building with other uses, and be located in an industrial area. That's going to be a hard sell for most parents, I expect.

The one comment that summed sentiments up best was, "Show me the school!!!"

"Show me the school!!!"

Many expressed wishes that the two sections of the Pike District be cohesive and well connected for pedestrian and bike traffic. Among the ideas for transportation were shuttles between the new residential developments and commercial centers, an additional entrance to the White Flint Metro station at Old Georgetown Road, and smaller blocks to improve walking conditions. However, some said intersections were so bad as it is that there would have to be a plan to deal with the additional cars that would be added to the area.

Parks were on the minds of many. One future park site suggested was the current Park and Ride lot. Overall, people said they wanted sizable parks, not pocket parks. "No one wants to live in Cement City," one commenter wrote. "Would like to be able to walk to a park, rest, relax, and play with my dog," wrote another, who noted that Cabin John Park was the closest significant park right now.

White Flint 2 Sector Plan open house rescheduled to June 25

It has come to my attention that the public open house for the launch of the White Flint 2 Sector Plan has been rescheduled to Thursday, June 25 at 7:00 PM. Based on a tweet from the Montgomery County Planning Department, I had previously reported the new date was June 22. The meeting will be held at Luxmanor Elementary School (6201 Tilden Lane) in Bethesda.

The plan will cover the area roughly between Montrose Parkway and Twinbrook Parkway along Rockville Pike, and includes multiple shopping centers that may be redeveloped.

I'm including a screen capture of the official County planning department Twitter account's tweet of the wrong date above. The event was moved when the original date conflicted with a public hearing on the highly-controversial Independent Transit Authority proposal.

White Flint 2 Sector Plan process starts June 17 with public meeting @Pike_District

The name may not sound right, but the second phase of redevelopment in the White Flint area is set to launch on Wednesday, June 17, with a public meeting at Luxmanor Elementary School. Luxmanor ES is located at 6201 Tilden Lane in North Bethesda. The meeting will begin at 7:00 PM.

Of course, the White Flint area is no longer branded as White Flint, so it is somewhat mystifying as to why the planning process is still using the older terminology. It is now known as the Pike District. 

One can imagine the potential for a Pike & Rose 2 diagonally across from the existing one, for example. Or perhaps an entirely different concept for the redevelopment of that Montrose Crossing shopping center, which Federal Realty owns.

But the area contains much more land than that. The White Flint 2 website suggests some topics that will be debated during the process. I'd suggest you monitor one they don't mention directly - the ongoing attempt to "dumb down" the original Montrose Parkway plan (which, in itself, was a major dumbing down of the Rockville Freeway concept for that right-of-way). That drive may be hidden under the innocuous heading of "What transportation policies should be introduced or amended?" (emphasis mine).

There have been efforts afoot to slowly turn portions of the parkway, originally intended to keep cross-county traffic moving through White Flint and other areas, into an urban street. That appeals to developers of course, but it would be a traffic disaster for those of us who actually live and drive in the county.

A grade-separated Montrose Parkway is essential for the success of the Pike District. The parkway eventually will need to be extended to Connecticut Avenue, Georgia Avenue and out to the ICC near Indian Head Country Club. Dumbing it down would have catastrophic impacts on our countywide transportation system for decades to come. And in fact, the MD 355/Montrose Parkway interchange could be decked over to enable seamless development above it along Rockville Pike, connecting the two phases of White Flint. Dumping pass-through traffic into the local, urban street grid of the Pike District would be a major blunder, and a threat to pedestrian safety.

You can RSVP for the June 17 meeting on the White Flint 2 website.