Plan recommendations address land use, zoning, transportation, housing, parks and open spaces, community facilities and urban design in bow-tie-shaped area of North Bethesda
SILVER SPRING, MD –The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, will present the White Flint 2 Sector Plan Working Draft at the November 10 meeting of the Planning Board.
The White Flint 2 Sector Plan aims to close the gap between the Twinbrook Sector Plan and 2010 White Flint Sector Plan areas and the City of Rockville. Its land use, zoning and transportation recommendations will apply to properties in a bow-tie-shaped area between the boundaries of these already established Plans. White Flint 2 will connect common elements between the Plan areas, including Rockville Pike and the proposed network of bike lanes and public open spaces.
View the White Flint 2 Working Draft.
In the White Flint 2 area, planners studied properties along Executive Boulevard, west of Old Georgetown Road; east of the CSX rail tracks, between Randolph Road and Nicholson Lane; and north of Montrose Parkway along Rockville Pike to the city limits of Rockville. Nicholson Court, which was a part of the 2010 White Flint Sector Plan, is also included in the White Flint 2 plan area.
Following the Planning Board’s review and approval of the working draft, a public hearing on the White Flint 2 Sector Plan will be held on December 15 at the Planning Department (8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD). To sign up to testify, consult the Planning Board’s web site for details.
Summary of White Flint 2 Sector Plan Recommendations
Land Use and Zoning
-Promote the transformation of single use commercial shopping centers into mixed-use places along Rockville Pike (MD 355).
-Integrate new residential and non-residential uses in the Executive Boulevard office park and promote mixed-use neighborhood centers at the Loehmann’s Plaza and Randolph Hills Shopping Centers.
-Retain existing multi-family residential development as an important resource of market-rate affordable housing and promote a diverse mix of housing options for residents at different stages of life.
-Retain light industrial properties to provide important services, offer opportunities for small businesses, entrepreneurs and vocational and entry-level employment. Promote a diverse mix of housing options for residents.
Mobility
-Promote walkability with new streets and enhanced streetscapes to define the public realm.
-Encourage variety in new building heights and massing to maximize access to natural light and air.
-Extend the Rockville Pike (MD 355) Boulevard concept to the city limits of Rockville with bus rapid transit (BRT).
-Establish new streets that permit alternative ways to navigate and connect to adjacent communities.
-Support the 2010 White Flint Sector Plan recommendation for a MARC Station but recognize that Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) must develop criteria for infill stations in Montgomery County.
-Accommodate new bikeways that link to the 2010 White Flint Sector Plan area and the City of Rockville.
Parks, Open Spaces, Community Facilities
-Create new parks and open spaces for public use and expand the network of interconnected open spaces envisioned by the 2010 White Flint Sector Plan.
-Develop at least 10 acres of public use in the Plan area.
-Address school capacity issues in the Walter Johnson cluster.
-Promote the co-location of public facilities to reduce public expenditures and minimize land area.
-Retain existing wooded areas where designated and provide increased tree canopy.
Urban Design and Sustainability
-Promote energy efficiency and encourage net-zero energy building design.
-Provide adequate transitions between new development and existing neighborhoods through appropriate
building heights and development intensities.
-Establish new pedestrian paths and bikeways between existing residential communities and new mixed-use development.
Implementation Strategies for Development
The White Flint 2 Sector Plan Working Draft includes a plan for staging development in three distinct phases so that public infrastructure can be provided in a timely manner to support new residential and non-residential projects. The working draft of the plan notes that the County Council and County Executive will determine how to fund infrastructure projects. The expansion of the existing White Flint Special Taxing District is one option for this funding.
For more information about the White Flint 2 Plan, contact:
Lead Planner Nkosi Yearwood, tel. 301-495-1332, email Nkosi.Yearwood@montgomeryplanning.org
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