Residents Weigh In on Chevy Chase Lake Sector Plan
Residents voiced concerns and hopes at Chevy Chase Lake Sector Plan Community Design Workshop Saturday.
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Change. Development. Congestion. Preservation. That's what was on the minds of residents who participated in the Chevy Chase Lake Sector Plan Community Design Workshop at the Chevy Chase Library Saturday.
A key concern for Chevy Chase residents as well as neighboring towns: transparency, according to Montgomery County Planning Board project manager Elza Hisel-McCoy.
“We’re working to make sure folks are plugged in — working with the community as we get more specific on the plan,” he added.
Saturday’s design workshop gave residents an opportunity to pre-register and attend one of six one-hour sessions to share their concerns and hopes about the future of Chevy Chase Lake.
Each participant was given a questionnaire to provide feedback on an array of image boards on display, as well as to pen their thoughts about Chevy Chase Lake. The image boards showed photographs of five commercial areas in the D.C. metropolitan area with each depicting a mixed-use scenario, including retail stores, homes and offices, and a different scale of development.
It was an opportunity, Hisel-McCoy said, for a “community with diverse opinions” to weigh in prior to making initial recommendations to the planning board in mid-April.
Chevy Chase native Stephanie Macuch said she remembered the hardware store that preceded Starbucks. Born and raised in Chevy Chase, she and her family live in the home where she grew up. And while she admitted her excitement about seeing something new, Macuch voiced her concern that change isn’t necessarily better.
“Change is good and change is positive — can’t lose sight of what it was. There’s a happy medium between development and preservation,” she said.
Richard Zorn of Chevy Chase said that he’s concerned about large development that could bring 10- to 20-story buildings in Chevy Chase Lake. He, like several other residents, spoke about the potential impact on an already-congested Connecticut Avenue.
“Connecticut Avenue is now only busy at rush hour. [It] could quickly become the next Rockville Pike unless we get them to think carefully about this,” Zorn said.
Some residents expressed unease that Chevy Chase Lake would mirror downtown Bethesda or Rockville Town Center.
Lynda Williams moved to Chevy Chase from Brussels more than two years ago. She said she’s very concerned about development, citing downtown Bethesda as “horrible planning.”
“I would not want Chevy Chase Lake to turn into that.” Williams said, adding that she believes the Chevy Chase Land Company is driving development.
“They’ve been sitting there waiting for the Purple Line to come through. We’re just really afraid that they’re going to overdevelop what is a small-scale, charming community."
Anxiety over the Purple Line was expressed by other residents as well. The sector plan’s potential changes will “focus on improving the form and function of some of the commercial areas, among other goals, to coincide with the coming of the Purple Line light rail line," according to the planning department’s website.
“I’m worried about the Purple Line. A connector is good — an elevated Purple Line is definitely not a good idea,” Suzie Moss of Chevy Chase said. “Why not let Chevy Chase become a green community?”
And then she spoke of the need to maintain authenticity and to protect what already exists.
“Don’t try to imitate another area. Preserve what’s here,” she said.
Small-scale, charming were the words that echoed throughout the late afternoon session by participants who talked among themselves, asked Hisel-McCoy questions and quietly filled out their questionnaires.
North Chevy Chase resident Cynthia Grissom said she moved to Chevy Chase from Old Town Alexandria in 1998. She added that she appreciates the little shops, small-town feel and easy access to Rock Creek Park. When she mentioned the ease of parking, a couple of women at her table piped in with enthusiasm.
"I love being able to park easily; everything I need to do is free," Grissom said.
“I don’t want it to turn into a Rockville Town Center. Progress is fine — keep the small-town feel.”
Jim Roy
11:25 am on Tuesday, March 15, 2011
As you can see from the designs (D and E on the main photo and the 6 in the background of the 4th photo), the 6 options we were given were quite similar to each other. The entire process was geared toward over developing an area that is currently a traffic nightmare in the morning and at night.
The purple line was regarded as a done deal (per my conversation that with a member of the planning board who specifically said the entire planning board is in favor of the purple line) and it was shown as an existing structure on the map we were given. We've recently wasted tens of millions on something that has no prayer of funding anytime soon.
I'm not opposed to change and development, however, what we need is better planning and a planning board that isn't trying to lead the community down the path that they think is best. My comments on my sheet included specific ideas like running a rail line north/south, putting traffic circles on Connecticut or having one southbound lane run north in the morning and reverse it at night.
The last planning board meeting I attended had "facts" like 1/3 to 1/2 of the southbound traffic on Connecticut Ave in the morning turns onto Jones Bridge or East West Highway. I'm familiar with the area and it doesn't even seem plausible. If they had said 1/10th of the cars It would still seem high but I wouldn't have questioned it.
Note: the 3rd photo shows what currently exists and was not one of the options for us to select.
Bill Schulz
1:35 pm on Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Jim Roy's right. This exercise was a farce designed to justify the Chevy Chase Land Company's desire to greatly expand on the quarter-of-a-million square feet they've been given a green light to develop. (It's waiting for more, which it can do for a couple years.) They, along with the Planning Dept. and the county council are trying to use the proposed Purple Line to justify a huge development at Chevy Chase Lake and use that development to justify the need for the Purple Line. What's worse perhaps is that the Purple Line's planner acknowledge that it actually takes an insignificant number of cars off the road (what it does is move people over from short bus rides). The five posters that Elza and his staff put together offered not a blade of grass or open space ... just more multi-story office buildings, high-end commercial shops and lots of parking for all the cars. Unless local residents raise their voices about preserving their neighborhood, it's going to look like downtown Bethesda soon (of course, if that's what they want ... the county council's all over it). But if you're someone who wants to preserve open space, park land and quality of life in Montgomery County, join Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail. Find out more at www.savethetrail.org.