Archives May 2016

This past spring, Montgomery County Public Schools conducted a roundtable community process for the Walter Johnson cluster. The process included PTA representatives from the cluster who explored approaches to address overcrowded elementary, middle, and high schools. MCPS wants community members to share input on the suggestions made by the Roundtable. According to MCPS projections, Walter Johnson,will be overcrowded by more than 500 students in 5 years.

You are asked to share your thoughts with MCPS by clicking here. It’s important that you do share your opinion with MCPS because we want to get the best solution to the complex issue of overcrowding in the WJ cluster. Everyone who lives, works, and pays taxes in our community has a right to have their voice heard, whether or not you have or had children enrolled in MCPS. Deadline is the end of this week.

This input will be summarized in a report for the superintendent of schools as he develops his recommendation in the fall of 2016.

There are ten secondary school options. You can get more detailed information on all of these options here.

There are six (ish) secondary school options. You can get more detailed information on all of these options here.

In case you missed this in yesterday’s weekly e-newsletter (and if you don’t want to miss our weekly informative e-blast, you can sign up at www.whiteflint.org) here’s the skinny on Saul Centers West.

Yippee and yahoo!! Saul Centers West will take the final step of the Planning Board approval process at the Planning Board’s June 2 meeting. Planning staff recommended approval with conditions of the Preliminary and Site Plans. The Planning Board approved the Sketch Plan for this project in May 2014.

The 300′ tall Saul Centers West will have 740,000 square feet of residential development for up to 655 apartments. 12.5% of them will be MPDUs. There will be up to 204,000 square feet for non-residential uses Seventeen percent of the land will be open space or space for public use including a Capital Bikeshare station, trees and greenery to buffer pedestrians from cars on Route 355, outdoor seating, and a cool fountain.

The building features retail and other nonresidential uses on the ground floor and a four-story underground garage with 415 parking spaces. An “L” shaped tower will be built on top of a six-story base to minimize obstruction to views of those who live in the The Grand which is next to Saul Centers West.

Saul Centers is also hoping for preliminary plan approval June 2 for Phases 2 and 3 of the project. Those phases include a residential high-rise south of the first building and an office building at the intersection of Rockville Pike and Nicholson Lane (The Porcelanosa store is not part Saul Centers West, and there are no current plans to redevelop that site.)

But enough words about Saul Centers West. Here’s what you really want — photos of this exciting and gorgeous project. (If you want more words — many more words — you can review the 81-page staff report by clicking here.)

Many cities have embraced quickly deployed, temporary, community-driven projects to define bike lanes. According to an article in Wired, the idea is to come in, lay down some paint, and see how cyclists and motorists react. It’s call the “quick-build” method.

How about we grab some paint to outline bike lanes (less than a hundred bucks a bucket), install plastic bollards to protect cyclists (about $150 a pop), and planters (roughly $1,000 each) to separate them from traffic and join the other cities that have embraced the quick-build? People want to bike; they just want to bike safely.  Portland State University found that protected bike lanes increased ridership by 20 to 170 percent.

Learn more about quick-build by reading this informative report prepared by People for Bikes.

The next White Flint 2 planning meeting, in collaboration with the Rock Spring Master Plan, will take place on Monday, June 6, 2016 at Luxmanor Elementary School, 6201 Tilden Lane, 7-9 p.m. This meeting will focus on schools, including results from the Walter Johnson School Cluster roundtable discussions. Staff from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will attend this meeting.

Abt Associates recently signed a full-building lease for 6130 Executive Blvd., a 155,000-square-foot building the National Cancer Institute vacated in fall 2013. Abt Associates is a consulting practice focusing on climate change, education, agriculture, health, income, food secrity, and the environment. Abt Associates has had an office at 4550 Montgomery Ave. in Bethesda since 2004.

According to the Washington Business Journal, Monument Realty and Angelo, Gordon launched a roughly $10 million renovation of 6130 Executive Blvd. and its companion at 6120 Executive Blvd. to appeal to tenants looking to upgrade without paying the premium that comes with new buildings.. The rental rate per square foot at Executive Plaza ranges from the high $20s to low $30s, a discount of up to $10 per square foot or more for new construction.

Friends of White Flint executive director Amy Ginsburg co-led a panel at the February Bisnow conference with Monument Realty Executive Vice President Doug Olson.  During the discussion, Doug mentioned that his company has two buildings on Executive Boulevard with “probably the largest block of vacant space in Montgomery County.” Doug had added that Pike and Rose, renovations, and other amenities had caused an unnamed tenant to sign a letter-of-intent. We now know that the unnamed tenant is Abt Associates.

According to Bethesda Beat, Monument Realty Principal Michael Darby said in a statement, “The extensive revitalization of the White Flint area makes Executive Plaza an increasingly attractive option for Maryland businesses and it’s now evident that demand will only increase with these positive changes to the neighborhood.”

Last night Sigurd Neubauer, Friends of White Flint board member, testified at the City of Rockville Hearing on the possible widening of Route 355 to 252 feet.  His testimony, and a couple of lovely photos that show he’s working to pass the advocacy torch on to the next generation, are below.

Councilmembers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Sigurd Neubauer and I represent Friends of White Flint, a nonprofit organization with 1,350  supporters whose only mission is to ensure that the promise of the White Flint Sector Plan is fulfilled. I am on the board of Friends as a representative of the business community as My wife, Dr. Hannah Yecheskel, is  the owner & founder of All Eyes on Rockville, – and don’t you just love that name?! All Eyes on Rockville is a full-service optometry practice located on  Rockville Pike and right across from the ongoing construction of the phase two of Pike and Rose.

These are indeed exciting times for the Pike District, its surrounding communities and local businesses.

As you know, the Pike District/White Flint area is transforming into a walkable, transit-friendly, live-work-play community. As you also know, boundaries are artificial, and to residents, shoppers, and office workers, there is no boundary between the area of Route 355 in the Pike District and the portion that falls under City of Rockville jurisdiction.  They view it as one continuous community. Everyone who has an interest in creating a vibrant community that fosters growth and livability must act in concert. We must work together to ensure that the Pike becomes a road that unites the east and west sides of Route 355 and unites the areas north and south of Montrose Road. None of us wants the Pike to become a vast plain of asphalt that separates rather than connects.

The City’s proposal to widen Route 355 to 252 feet is dramatically different than the plan for Route 355 south of Montrose Road where it will be 181 feet wide.  The bottleneck that will be created as people walk, drive, and bike south from downtown Rockville to the Pike District will be one that will quickly assume legendary stature as lanes shift and disappear. A traffic and safety problem of that magnitude will greatly diminish the communities and businesses north of Montrose as well as those in the Pike District.

These factors may also negatively impact our business. Therefore, “we want walkable streets and easy access to transit” is the cry heard from businesses and residents. Widening Route 355 to 252 feet will dramatically impede not only the appearance of walkability but also the actual ability to walk across and along Rockville Pike. It is logical to assume that if there is sufficient room to include broad sidewalks, bike paths, bus rapid transit lanes, and car lanes on a 181-foot-wide Route 355 as it passes through the Pike District, there is sufficient room for all of those essential components north of Montrose Road.

The Friends of White Flint very much hopes that the City of Rockville will choose walkability, consistency, and stability and not widen Route 355 to 252 feet.  Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

At the May 16th White Flint 2 Sector Plan Meeting, the planning department presented alternative scenarios for the White Flint 2 area and their potential impacts on traffic and schools. Please note that these are preliminary scenarios from the planning department, but they are important first drafts that you should take a look at, ponder, and comment on.

Some of the Planning Department’s assumptions include:

Keeping the industrial space in the White Flint 2 area since it is 10% of the county’s industrial property

36% increase in jobs by 2040

24% increase in population by 2040

White Flint 1 transportation projects are completed, including the Western Workaround and Montrose Parkway East

No BRT or non-auto mode share goals

They offered three different alternatives.

Alternative 1  (based on existing zoning)

Most of the new residential and non-residential development comes from CR (Commercial Residential) and CFT (Commercial Residential Town) zoned properties such as Montrose Crossing, Pike Center, and Federal Plaza.

Some additional residential development on Executive Boulevard from current office properties

Retention of all existing multi-family residential, single-family, and industrial zones.

Alternative 2

Changes Executive Boulevard from an EOF (employer/office) zone to a CR (Commercial Residential) mixed-use zone

Increases density on the Federal Plaza site,  changes Flor Area Ratio (FAR) along Rockville Pike, and changes JCC property to CRT (Commercial Residential) zone

Includes the rezoning of Montrose Baptist site

Retains existing multi-family residential, single-family residential, and some industrial zones.

Alternative 3

Includes higher Floor Area Ratios (FARs) for properties in different sections of White Flint 2

Retains existing multi-family residential, single-family residential, and less industrial zones.

Includes the rezoning of Montrose Baptist site

Currently, there are 1,900 residential units and over 6 million square feet of retail and office space in the White Flint 2 area. In addition to the current residential and non-residential space, the planning department’s three preliminary scenarios would create the following:

Alternative 1:  3,200 new residential units and 2.7 million square feet of new retail and office development

Alternative 2: 4,800 new residential units and 3.2 million square feet of new retail and office development

Alternative 3: 5,700 new residential units and 4.8 million square feet of new retail and office development

They projected there will be additional MCPS students:

Alternative 1:  201 elementary, 84 middle, and 107 high school

Alternative 2:  295 elementary, 123 middle, and 156 high school

Alternative 3:  359 elementary, 150 middle, and 191 high school

Future meetings and opportunity for public comment include:

May 26 — Planning Board Meeting

Early June — Public Meeting with Property Owners and Stakeholder Presentations

Late June — Public Meeting with MCPS

Early July — Public Meeting Preliminary Recommendations

July 28 — Planning Board Preliminary Board Recommendations Presentation

Here are some of the more important slides from Monday’s presentation. (Click here to see the entire slideshow presentation.)

900 … yes 900 … people RSVP’d to the grand opening party at City Perch for the opening of 930 Rose, a boutique collection of condominiums at Pike & Rose above to-be-built Canopy hotel, a new global lifestyle brand by Hilton Worldwide. 

The residences, which range from 600 to more than 2,400 square feet, feature walls of windows, expansive floorplans, recessed downlights, balconies and terraces. Kitchens offer KitchenAid stainless steel appliances and gas cooking, oversized islands and Italian cabinetry, while spacious bathrooms have soaking tubs and separate showers. The condos in the 21-story building should be ready for move-in by January 2018. Prices start in the low 300’s to more than a $1 million.

Owners have access to a host of services provided by Canopy. There is  also a 4,600-square-foot rooftop garden terrace with outdoor seating and a private dog park, plus a fitness center and club room. 

Here are a few photos to assuage your curiosity. If you want to see more, they are now selling studios as well as one, two, and three- bedroom condos from their onsite sales gallery off Old Georgetown Road.  In the sales gallery, buyers are able to experience life at 930 Rose via kitchens and bath vignettes that showcase the community’s attention to detail and numerous selection options.

Why, yes, it is kind of cool to wake up and find executive director Amy Ginsburg and Friends of White Flint quoted in Washingtonian Magazine.

“Stable doesn’t mean stagnant. Just look at what’s happening in some of Montgomery County’s most family-friendly communities. Take Zip code 20852, between Bethesda and Rockville proper, where the median home price was $397,850 last year and, on average, has fluctuated less than 1 percent over the past decade. Even though its real-estate prices haven’t, the neighborhood has changed drastically. In the last few years, county planners have torn down many of Rockville Pike’s aging strip malls and replaced them with mixed-use developments with modern features. The idea was to lure millennials with the area’s easy walk to Metro and the notion that suburban living can be just as cool as anything in DC (or at least Arlington).

Younger residents are indeed moving there, but not necessarily to glitzy new properties like Pike & Rose, a complex of condos, shops, theaters, and cafes. Go a few blocks off the Pike and you’ll find 50-year-old subdivisions of single-family houses that are being bought up by young families for the usual reasons—they’re affordable and come with good schools and parks. Meanwhile, it’s often empty-nesters who spring for the new luxury high-rises.

Both demographics, though, are attracted to the fact that the neighborhood is now within walking distance of amenities that used to be reserved for urbanites. “Before, if you bought a house in Luxmanor or Garrett Park, all you got was a house and you had to drive down to Bethesda or up to Rockville,” says Amy Ginsburg, executive director of Friends of White Flint, which keeps track of the neighborhood’s redevelopment. “Now you have places to walk to—compelling places, terrific restaurants, gyms, public events.”