Archives February 2019

Josiah Henson Park is one of the most important historical sites in the White Flint area. And Josiah Henson has been in the news lately.

First, the new Henson biography, Sharp Flashes of Lightning Come from Black Clouds: The Life of Josiah Hensonauthored by Montgomery Parks senior historian, Jamie Ferguson Kuhns – is now available! You can order copies online (www.JosiahHensonSite.org)

Maryland Public Television recently aired the new Henson documentary (now titled, “Redeeming Uncle Tom: The Josiah Henson Story”) that premiered last summer at AFI Theatre. It is now available for viewing online at: http://www.mpt.org/info/redeeminguncletom/

There was also a short companion interview, “The Dig: Josiah Henson” that expounds a bit on Henson’s connection to Stowe’s Uncle Tom, also available online at: https://video.mpt.tv/video/the-dig-josiah-henson-boobtu/

Furniture store West Elm will open its newest area store as part of North Bethesda, Maryland’s Pike & Rose development this fall.

West Elm, owned by Williams Sonoma, has other stores in the D.C. area, including Logan Circle in D.C. and in Fairfax County, Virginia. The store plans another location in Alexandria, Virginia.

The Pike & Rose West Elm will be an 11,600-square-foot store next to Pinstripes.

The store will have a local flavor, featuring products created by D.C.-area makers and will offer pop-ups and workshops hosted by local artists and businesses.

Also scheduled to open this year are Florida-based burger chain BurgerFi, Commonwealth Indian, Drybar, Fogo de Chao, Sunday Morning Bakehouse and a new location for The Block, an Annandale, Virginia, food hall that features Asian street food.

The utility infrastructure relocation and construction which began in August 2018 under the previous contract as Phase 1B continues. The work is scheduled to finish end of winter, 2019 and will take place alongside the work designated as Phase 2. Phase 1B work includes temporary daily lane closures on Executive Boulevard between Marinelli and Old Georgetown Roads at the following locations:

• Verizon telecommunications infrastructure construction located in the northbound right lanes of Executive Boulevard prior to Old Georgetown Road now scheduled to wrap up on or about March 1, 2019;
• PEPCO electrical construction located in the southbound right lane of Executive Boulevard between Marinelli Road and Banneker Avenue that began on January 2, 2019 with construction duration of six to eight weeks;
• PEPCO electrical construction on the MNCPPC Aquatic Center property north of the Marinelli Road entrance that began on January 24, 2019 with construction tentatively scheduled to end March 15, 2009 as the contractor awaits design changes;
• Washington Gas infrastructure upgrades in and along Old Georgetown Road both in the main line and at the intersection with Executive Blvd being completed by National Pipe Line (NPL)

The construction under contract for Construction Management at Risk (CMAR) with Corman Kokosing Construction Company which began in early January, continues on Towne Road formerly known as Hoya Street behind the Pike & Rose complex. Until further notice, no parking is permitted on either side of Towne Road. Violators will be subject to citations and violators impeding the construction will be towed. In addition, please pay attention to any temporary closure(s), look for steel roadway plates, expect probable driving delays, and look for possible pedestrian detours as the contractor conducts field operations between Montrose Parkway and the end of the cul-de-sac of Towne Road as well as the southbound right lane of Old Georgetown Road south of the Executive Boulevard intersection. In addition, new construction operations began late last week in the right-of-way area at the northwest corner of Executive Boulevard and Old Georgetown Road with the duration of three to four weeks. During the next two weeks, construction operations include but are not limited to:

• Continued equipment mobilization and staging;
• Material delivery and staging;
• Roadway saw cutting;
• Trench and other excavation;
• Conduit placement and backfilling;
• Structure placement;
• Hot mix asphalt pavement placement.

Please note that these will be active work zones so be sure to look for the orange warning signs and flaggers! This initial round of utility relocation and construction has a scheduled duration of three months. White Flint West Project News will update all construction activities.

County Executive Marc Elrich is seeking applicants to fill five vacancies on the White Flint Downtown Advisory Committee, for two members representing businesses that employ fewer than 25 employees, one representative of commercial property owners in the Sector Plan Area, one resident in the Sector Plan Area, and one resident outside the Sector Plan Area.

 The Sector Plan Area is comprised of the following streets: Citadel Avenue, Executive Boulevard (5900 block), Hoya Street, Maple Avenue, Marinelli Lane, McGrath Boulevard, Nebel Street (11500-12292), Nicholson Court, Nicholson Lane, Old Georgetown Road (11565-11999), Randolph Road (5500 block), Rockville Pike (11120-12000), Security Lane, and Woodglen Drive. For specific questions regarding the Sector Plan Area boundaries, please contact Derrick Harrigan at (240) 777-8210.

 The 14-member committee includes two members nominated by the Greater Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce; three members who represent (commercial) property owners in the Sector Plan Area; two members who represent businesses that employ fewer than 25 employees; two members who represent residential communities in the Sector Plan area; one member who represents a residential community in or outside of the Sector Plan area; one member of the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board; and three ex officio, non-voting members who represent the County Executive, County Council, and North Bethesda Transportation Management District.

The Committee advises County departments on public services in the White Flint Sector Plan Area; and coordinates community activities that promote and advance business interests, and a sense of place, community, maintenance and walkability within the Area. The Committee will provide an annual report to the County Executive and County Council.

Members serve three year terms without compensation, but are eligible for reimbursement for travel and dependent care for meetings attended. Meetings are generally held monthly at 8:00 AM in North Bethesda, near the White Flint Metro Station.

Applicants of diverse backgrounds, professions, gender, geography, disability and ethnicity are encouraged to apply. Members of County boards, committees and commissions may not serve on more than one such group at a time. Members must complete training on the Maryland Open Meetings Act and basic parliamentary procedure. Elrich’s appointments are subject to confirmation by the County Council. Applications of those selected for appointment are made public as part of the confirmation process. The deadline for application is March 6, 2019. To apply please click here.

Looking for something interesting to peruse on this snow day? Want to learn more about our White Flint/Pike District neighborhood? You can discover information, graphics, videos, and more at the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) website.

HQ2 Branding Video:

HQ2 Aerial Video:

White Flint Business Location Brochure:

https://thinkmoco.com/white-flint-brochure

White Flint Business Location Landing Page and One-Sheet:

https://thinkmoco.com/locations/white-flint

Think Success: Music Center at Strathmore

White Flint video they created for Amazon:

Pike District Stats and White Flint Development Projects:

https://thinkmoco.com/reports

https://thinkmoco.com/talent-report

https://thinkmoco.com/growth-report

mocostrength.com
mocosuccess.com

mocostrength.com
mocosuccess.com

The purpose of Montgomery Parks’ Energized Public Spaces (EPS) Design Guidelines is to create energized, inviting, easily accessible, attractive, comfortable, and safe public spaces.

The EPS Design Guidelines will provide overall direction for major features of parks and public spaces design including the recommended size, type of experiences and amenities that each park type should provide. You can read a draft of the EPS Design Guidelines here.

When complete, the EPS Design Guidelines will be a companion document to the Energized Public Spaces (EPS) Functional Master Plan.

The Vision & Goals

These guidelines will aim to create places within a short walk where people of all ages and incomes can meet, play, relax, exercise, enjoy nature and more in a range of public spaces where we have the most people.

The guidelines will develop flexible guidelines for public spaces, create a common language for planners, developers, and citizens, and examples that illustrate the guidelines intent.

Public Input

Ideas and comments from the public are welcome throughout the planning process. The public is welcome to submit comments our Open Town Hall Webpage  or Contact the Project Coordinator for additional information. There will be a public hearing on February 28th.

From Bethesda Beat

A Montgomery County Council committee wants funding for station improvements at the Forest Glen and White Flint Metrorail stations to remain a priority in the county’s construction-projects budget.

County Executive Marc Elrich last month recommended deferring $14.7 million from the White Flint and Forest Glen stations projects and pursuing funding from the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority, which operates the regional subway system. Elrich recommended delaying funding for Forest Glen by two years and deferring funding for White Flint beyond the six-year period that the Capital Improvements Program budget covers.

But council Transportation and Environment committee members Tom Hucker, Hans Riemer, Evan Glass and Andrew Friedson indicated that they would not accept the Elrich’s amendments to the CIP budget, which the council is reviewing.

“We need to be prepared to pay for this ourselves,” Riemer said.

Riemer said the station improvement was key to “changing the dynamic” at White Flint in order to spur additional economic development. He said there are plans for transit-oriented development in the corridor and the station improvements are essential.

“It’s in our interest to get those projects completed, because it’s gonna enhance their [WMATA] ridership and there will be greater density around those stations,” Reimer said

Councilmember Andrew Friedson, whose council district includes White Flint, said a lack of county funding for the White Flint entrance sends the wrong message to private sector companies that the county hopes to attract. “Symbols do matter and actions do matter,” he said.

Read the full article on Bethesda Beat.

Damn, the weather got us again. They predicted snow and rain and cold so I an cancelled. And now it’s OK, of course. ARGH! But the walk is still cancelled. Sorry!

More than sixty people crammed into the Shriver Aquatic Center this week for our informative Community Meeting. We were grateful that Councilmember Andrew Friedson and MCDOT stopped by, and we heard interesting updates on development and the Western Workaround.

MCDOT, the County Executive’s Office, and MCEDC mentioned many websites full of information important to Pike District/White Flint residents.  As requested, here they are:

Western Workaround Updates
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/dot-dte/projects/whiteflintww/index.html
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/whiteflint/  Twitter #WhiteFlintWest

New Arrowwood Apartments near Harris Teeter
http://www.whiteflint.org/2019/01/14/latest-rendering-of-arrowwood/

Grand Park Proposed Development on Old Georgetown Road
http://www.whiteflint.org/2019/02/12/grand-park-project-drawings/

Wall Park Redesign
https://www.montgomeryparks.org/projects/directory/wall-park-renovation-plan/

Safe Routes to School
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DOT-PedSafety/SRTS/home.html

Montgomery County Economic Development
Amazon Video on White Flint
White Flint Information
White Flint One-Pager
White Flint Redevelopment Projects Brochure

White Flint 1 Sector Plan
https://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/communities/area-2/white-flint/
https://www.montgomeryplanning.org/community/whiteflint/documents/WhiteFlintSectorPlanApprovedandAdopted_web.pdf

White Flint 2 Sector Plan
https://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/communities/area-2/white-flint-2-sector-plan/

Once again, our monthly Pike District Promenade looks like it will be cancelled due to snow and rain on Saturday. Please put on your calendar March 16 (and cross your fingers for warm, sunny weather) for the next Pike District Promenade.