Planners encouraged feedback about transportation, community facilities, parks, connectivity and placemaking
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, held a community meeting on December 14, 2015 for the Rock Spring Master Plan. The planner-led discussion at Walter Johnson High School focused on placemaking and urban design strategies in the Rock Spring area of North Bethesda and drew about 40 participants.
Planners began the meeting with a summary of findings from the Technical Assistance Panel review of Rock Spring, conducted by experts from the Washington, DC chapter of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) on December 1 and December 2, 2015.
View the ULI findings from this recent event.
The ULI team recommended many of the strategies and ideas now being studied by planners for the area, including stronger gateways, better pedestrian connections and a mixed-use village center. Planners realize there is great potential for Rock Spring to transform into a mixed-use community with enhanced amenities and connectivity.
Development Planned for Rock Spring
At the past two community meetings, staff informed participants about approved development projects within the Rock Spring Master Plan area. The first residential development in Rock Spring was completed in 2004; this 368-unit multi-family community is known as Berkshires of Rock Spring. In the center of Rock Spring’s office park, residential builder EYA is currently constructing 168 townhouses.
A significant amount of development has been approved, but is currently unbuilt. The mixed-use project known as Rock Spring Centre, located on 30 acres on the north side of Rock Spring Drive across from Walter Johnson High School, will include one million square feet of commercial uses and more than 800 dwelling units. The Ourisman Ford site on Westlake Terrace has been approved for 340 multi-family units and over 50,000 square feet of retail.
At the December 14 community meeting, staff also informed the community about potential plans for the Wildwood Medical Center site. In addition, planners presented models of successful streetscapes and intersections from communities such as Bethesda, Rockville and Silver Spring that could inspire similar designs in Rock Spring.
Participants had the opportunity to provide feedback on many of the planning issues, including pedestrian safety, transportation, community facilities, community identity, parks and economic development. They spoke about the need for a new school and community center within the Rock Spring area, pedestrian safety for Walter Johnson students, more access to public transit, improvements to local streets and other concerns.
View the Rock Spring Master Plan Scope of Work presented to the Planning Board on October 8.
Background on Rock Spring
Once considered a premier office location, Rock Spring has been particularly hard hit by the current downturn in the office market. Single-use business parks without access to transit, like Rock Spring, are struggling with the highest office vacancies. The current office vacancy rate in Rock Spring is 23.7 percent, higher than the County’s overall vacancy rate of 15 percent. In recognition of the changing preferences of employers and their workforce for locating in transit-served locations with a dynamic mix of uses, this planning effort will explore ways to reimagine Rock Spring.
The 1992 North Bethesda/Garrett Park Sector Plan recommended some mixed-use zoning in the Rock Spring area, and one residential development of 386 multi-family units has been completed and a new 168-unit townhouse project is under construction. Much of the property in Rock Spring was converted to the Employment Office (EOF) zone when the Countywide rezoning became effective on October 30, 2014. The Rock Spring Master Plan effort will allow for a more detailed and nuanced assessment of the area’s zoning.
In addition, the 1992 Sector Plan also recommended construction of the North Bethesda Transitway to connect the White Flint area with Montgomery Mall via Old Georgetown Road and Rock Spring Drive. The Transitway is included in the approved 2013 Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan (CTCFMP) and provides a framework for re-evaluating Rock Spring.
Challenges confronting the Rock Spring planners include:
-Reinventing an auto-centric suburban office park.
-Identifying opportunities for improved connectivity.
-Examining places for public use spaces and amenities.
-Introducing residential and retail uses into predominately non-residential development to create a mixed use environment.
-Identifying sustainable environmental measures.
-Analyzing the impact of potential new residential development on the public schools.
-Evaluating infrastructure needs for the area.
Learn more about the Rock Spring Master Plan.
For more information about the Rock Spring Master Plan, contact the planners:
Andrea Gilles, tel. 301-495-4541, email andrea.gilles@montgomeryplanning.org
Michael Bello, tel. 301.495.4597, email Michael.Bello@montgomeryplanning.org
Stay connected with the latest information about the Rock Spring Master Plan:
www.montgomeryplanning.org/rockspring