SILVER SPRING –Montgomery
County planners just finished their first draft of a study of the length of
Georgia Avenue from the District line to Howard County that recommends a
cohesive design strategy for the land along the roadway.
The
Planning Board will review the Georgia Avenue Concept Study on Thursday. Once
the draft is approved by the Board, it will go the County Council for review.
Once accepted, the study and its policy recommendations will become a framework
for master plans and future development in the corridor.
The
study analyzes the 18-mile stretch of road and recommends ways to create a
development pattern of concentrated, urban-oriented centers and mature residential
communities. In the report, planners describe each community – from fast-paced downtown
Silver Spring to quiet suburbs like Olney and rural communities of the
Agricultural Reserve – and envision ways to strengthen and unify them as
distinct areas.
The
public realm – all that is visible from the sidewalk – has been neglected at
the expense of moving traffic through the major six-lane thoroughfare, planners
say. To reverse that, they recommend strategies to make Georgia Avenue more
attractive and safe for pedestrians, bicyclists and people with disabilities, especially
in areas surrounding Metro’s Red Line stations along the corridor.
The
study also recommends that future development be more environmentally sensitive.
To that end, the study specifies a need to provide better stormwater management
and plant many more trees to improve water quality.
Following
guidance in the eight community plans that cover the corridor, planners call
for most growth occurring at a series of centers, including the major
employment areas of Silver Spring and Wheaton, where they recommend a mix of
jobs, housing, retail and entertainment as well as smaller retail nodes at
Glenmont, Aspen Hill and Olney.
Who:
Montgomery
County Planning Board
What:
Georgia
Avenue Concept Study
When:
Thursday,
December 18, approximately 5 p.m.
Where:
Park
and Planning Headquarters
8787
Georgia Ave., Silver Spring
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