Montgomery Planning is in the process of a placemaking effort for the Wheaton Central Business District to advance the recommendations of the 2012 Wheaton Central Business District and Vicinity Sector Plan and the 2022 Wheaton Downtown Study and 2023 Streetscape Standards. Through the Wheaton Placemaking project, Montgomery Planning will work with the community and local businesses to launch physical temporary placemaking installations in Wheaton. This initiative aims to show how existing planning recommendations can become physical reality, through making public space, safety, and connectivity improvements for those walking and rolling.
Placemaking installations will show how underutilized public space can be made more functional for the community and how the Wheaton Triangle can be made easier for pedestrians to navigate. At every step of the process, community outreach and participation will be critical to developing ideas, establishing recommendations, and making decisions.
Upcoming events
Join us at Wheels in Wheaton on May 31 and June 1!
As a part of the Wheaton Placemaking Initiative, Montgomery Planning will be partnering with the Wheaton Urban District to showcase what placemaking can do.
On Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1, Parking Lot 13 (11219 Grandview Avenue), directly behind the M-NCPPC Wheaton Headquarters, will showcase how underutilized public space in an urban center can be transformed to be functional, exciting, and recreational.
The parking lot will be temporarily transformed into a roller-skating rink and gathering space, fit with tables, seating, shading, decor, and the rink itself. Over the course of the two-day activation, the space will be open for public use, skating, demonstrations, entertainment, and eating and drinking.
Schedule
More details will be coming soon. Check back here for updates.
Saturday, May 31, 12 p.m.-8 p.m.: Wheels in Wheaton
Sunday, June 1, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.: Wheels in Wheaton, during the Wheaton Urban District’s Annual Taste of Wheaton
Design concept
Get involved
Want to help with the build? Enjoy interacting with visitors? Browse our list of volunteer opportunities and sign up to pitch in!
If you’re interested in partnering with us, please contact us!
What we’ve heard
This project came about as a direct result of the 2022 Wheaton Downtown Study. During engagement for the study, community members felt strongly about the small business character of the Triangle, the creation and support of public open space, a strong sense of place, and the improvement of safety and connectivity.
Building off the results of the study’s engagement and following a recommendation for placemaking activities in the Wheaton Downtown Study, the Wheaton Placemaking Initiative has focused engagement on placemaking specifically within the Wheaton Triangle.
Staff conducted a public survey, a walk-audit with community leaders, a public open house, participated at local events, and had one-on-one conversations with business owners, artists, and other community organizers. Here are the main takeaways:
- Community members want areas to gather, more outdoor dining options, and more local shopping opportunities.
- Most visit Wheaton to eat, shop, and attend local events, and there is a strong desire for more markets, more programming, and more entertainment for all ages.
- Safety measures and more comfortable ways to get from place to place are important to enhance the community.
- Wheaton’s unique sense of place, culture, and local business economy is important to build on, and further support and grow.
Frequently asked questions
Parking Lot 13 was selected because it is centrally located within the Wheaton Triangle and is surrounded by many small businesses, restaurants, offices, and services. During our walk-audit with community leaders, it became clear that this area of the Triangle is a focal point. Many pedestrian, cyclist, and vehicle routes lead to this location and link the neighborhood’s retail areas. This location also provides a good example of an opportunity site – though currently it exists as a county parking lot, it was once expected to hold a residential building. Part of our goal at Montgomery Planning is to show how underutilized spaces can be transformed and to incentivize permanent change by highlighting public interest in the space.
Placemaking is a long-standing goal and strategy for Downtown Wheaton. This activation is Planning’s first attempt at showcasing what placemaking can accomplish in Wheaton. If the community continues to support this work, and if the funding is available, there are many other placemaking opportunities for Downtown Wheaton.
Read more about the strategies for Downtown Wheaton in our 2022 study.
Placemaking can be done at varying scales by various parties. Local businesses, local community and nonprofit organizations, and local government are examples of who can do varying degrees of placemaking. Learn more about the opportunities and challenges of placemaking opportunities and challenges of placemaking.
Placemaking is the act of improving a common space to make it welcoming and attractive, so it better serves the needs of the people who use it.
Placemaking inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of the community, strengthening the connection between community and the places they share. This concept goes beyond promoting better urban design principles, placemaking facilitates creative thinking, capitalizes on community assets, and contributes to the community’s health, happiness, and well-being.
Placemaking can take on various forms, and typically refers to improvements to a public space that make it more functional and welcoming for the people who use it. Placemaking can be direct interventions – both physical site modifications and programmed activities – ranging from simple installations like sidewalk chalk art to significant transformations of parking lots into community gathering spaces. It is a tool that gives county residents a more tangible sense of what’s possible in their communities and of how Master Plan recommendations can be implemented—as well as what communities can create themselves with guidance on making it happen.
To learn more about placemaking and how Montgomery Planning utilizes it, visit our Placemaking home page, and read the Placemaking Strategic Plan.
Past events
Open house
On December 11, 2024, the project team hosted an open house at M-NCPPC’s Wheaton Headquarters. Over 50 community members stopped by to learn more about the project, provide valuable input, and engage with planners. Attendees visited stations set up around the room, each focused on a different aspect of the project including connectivity, activation, and retail.
Project kickoff
On August 22, 2024, the project team hosted project partners and major stakeholders for coffee, donuts, and conversation about how this project can take shape. Attendees participated in an interactive walking tour with the project team to discuss existing conditions and opportunities and challenges within the Core District.
Project timeline
-
Summer 2024Data collection and outreach
-
Fall 2024Data analysis and outreach
-
Winter 2025Finalize design and wrap up outreach
-
May 2025Implementation