Home buyers increasingly are asking real estate agents to show them homes in walkable communities. Over the last few years, walkable communities have jumped to the top of many home buyers’ search criteria because they want to live in areas with easy access to public transportation, schools, stores and entertainment.
Economics, location, architectural design and zoning regulations play important roles in determining new uses for vacant office buildings
In a previous blog post, we explored trends likely to impact the adaptive reuse of office buildings, as illustrated through the Octave 1320 office-to-residential conversion in downtown Silver Spring.
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We assume millennials prefer walkability and urban living for all the right reasons: social cohesion and community, better access to entertainment, services, and jobs. So why do we assume that older Americans and senior citizens, who also value connectivity, community, and healthy living, wouldn’t prefer the same living arrangement?
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By Amy Ginsburg (Guest Contributor), Pete Tomao (Contributor) July 7, 2017 14
A missing crosswalk on Old Georgetown Road. Photo by Dan Reed. Image licensed under Creative Commons.
In 2010, Montgomery County passed the White Flint Master Plan with hopes to turn the area into a transit-oriented destination.…
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How can we make it safer for pedestrians, brand the Pike District, and beautify our neighborhood with inexpensive paint, some creativity, and a bit of flexibility from MCDOT and SHA? With eye-catching crosswalks like these. It’s easy, it’s cheap, and it’s wonderful. I can’t imagine any reason why we wouldn’t we do this.…
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This event will be held rain or shine.
Will we see you tonight at 7:30 pm at the White Flint metro station? Join us for an informative and entertaining tour of the Pike District focused on what makes it easier or more difficult to walk safely and conveniently in our community.…
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Come join Friends of White Flint and Coalition for Smarter Growth on two special walking tours on Walkable Wednesdays. Learn what makes it pleasant … and what makes it more difficult … to walk safely around the Pike District/White Flint area. This informative and fun tour is part of our Pike District Pedestrian Campaign.…
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The state legislature just passed a bill making it easier to form Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in Montgomery County. The bill lowers from 80% to 51% the number of property owners’ signatures needed to create a BID.
The White Flint Downtown Advisory Committee and the Greater Bethesda Chamber actively worked to pass the BID bill so that the Pike District can one day form a BID to promote and activate the White Flint area. …
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Bethesda Magazine published a terrific story about how design and geography affect walkability. The article is titled, “Lessons Learned from Wisconsin Avenue, A tour of downtown Bethesda’s main street is eye-opening.”
There are lessons for the Pike District, too, as we share many pluses (transit, retail, new development) and minuses (traffic, Route 355, design that favors cars) with Bethesda.…
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Montgomery Planning Department publishes an interesting blog called The Third Place. In planning, the third place is the social realm separate from home and the workplace, an inclusive forum for dialogue crucial for civic engagement and community building.
One of their recent blogs discussed the future of aging office buildings.…
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