Planners discussed goals of connecting future bus rapid transit stations to neighborhoods along Veirs Mill Road, from Wheaton to Rockville
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, launched the Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan at a public meeting held on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at Sargent Shriver Elementary School (12518 Greenly Street, Silver Spring, MD).
About 40 residents and stakeholders listened to a presentation about the purpose and goals of the plan, and major areas to be analyzed. Planners discussed the need to increase pedestrian and bicycle safety, and provide better connections from the proposed bus rapid transit (BRT) stations on Veirs Mill Road to neighborhoods, shopping centers and major public facilities along the corridor. Audience questions focused on the future BRT system along Veirs Mill Road and how it will affect parking and demand for development in the area.
The next community meeting for the Veirs Mill Corridor Plan will be held in late March. For more information, consult the Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan website.
Background on the Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan
The Montgomery County Planning Department, under the guidance of the Montgomery County Planning Board and Montgomery County Council, initiated the Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan in January 2017. To develop the plan, staff will review current land uses and existing conditions in order to make recommendations for improvements in the area.
The Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan extends approximately four miles, from the City of Rockville to the Wheaton Central Business District and Vicinity Sector Plan boundary. The new corridor plan boundaries roughly correspond to a ¼-mile area around each of the BRT stations identified in the 2013 Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan.
The Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan will:
- Evaluate and provide recommendations to guide future land uses along the Veirs Mill Road corridor from Wheaton to Rockville.
- Develop recommendations to improve the compatibility between the land uses adjacent to Veirs Mill Road and the future BRT corridor.
- Offer recommendations to improve pedestrian and bicycle accessibility, connectivity and safety within the plan area.
- Explore opportunities for redevelopment at strategic locations to provide more walkable, neighborhood-serving development.
- Consider a comprehensive streetscape design and opportunities for placemaking within the corridor.
The Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan will develop long-term land use recommendations to complement the Veirs Mill Road Bus Rapid Transit Study recently completed by the Maryland State Highway Administration in coordination with the Montgomery County Department of Transportation. This transit study evaluated alternatives for rapid bus service along Veirs Mill Road between Wheaton and Rockville, originally recommended as part of the 2013 Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan.
Learn more about the Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan and sign up for the plan e-newsletter to hear about future meetings.