Town Meeting Summary
Updates on SSARPC Activities
The meeting was held on Wednesday, April 16,
at 7:00 PM in the cafeteria at Sherwood High
School. There were approximately 75 people
in attendance. The slides used at the
meeting can be seen
here (a PDF file).
Welcoming Remarks
Doug Farquhar was the meeting moderator and
welcomed people to the meeting. He stated
that initially SSARPC was looking at
development projects that were at the Ashton
crossroads (Route 108 and New Hampshire
Avenue), but SSARPC has expanded its
interests to other sites in the Ashton area
as needed, such as the intersection of New
Hampshire Avenue and Ednor Road.
Information about all SSARPC projects can be
found on our web site (www.ssarpc.org,
also known as
www.preserveashton.net).
There is a real success story to tell this
evening. Ashton Meeting Place now has a
beautiful design that conforms to the Sandy
Spring-Ashton Master Plan. The new design
is a result of cooperation between the
developer (Fred Nichols, who is in
attendance), SSARPC, and Montgomery County
Park and Planning.
We need your financial support. We are
proud of our successes and our work in
progress, done with support of a lot of
talented volunteers. However, we still owe
money to our lawyer who provided some very
important services at a reduced price in
2007 and has been very patient as we raise
funds. Any contribution you can make will
be a big help.
Doug introduced Michelle Layton, SSARPC
co-chair. At the last Town Hall meeting,
Paul Mannina was the other co-chair, but he
has resigned and our new co-chair is Donna
Selden. The work of the Steering Committee
as a whole needs to be recognized; there are
a lot of very talented volunteers who
provide thoughtful ideas, vision as well as
a lot of work. Thanks to everyone who has
been involved.
We will be reviewing the various projects
and take questions after each presentation.
Chevy Chase Bank in Ashton
(Presented by Michelle Layton)
All the information is available on the web
site (www.ssarpc.org
or
www.preserveashton.net).
The Montgomery County Planning Board hearing
on the Ashton Chevy Chase Bank site plan was
held on April 10 and it was unanimously
approved. The new bank will replace the
Sole d’Italia restaurant. At the hearing,
the developer thanked the Park and Planning
Staff and the community for their support.
The SSARPC Steering Committee recommended
approval noting that the plan is
substantially in compliance with the Master
Plan, recognizing the changes the Bank made
to the original design in response to
community input. Parking was relocated to
the rear of the site, a drive aisle was
deleted, and pedestrian paving added to a
drive lane in front of the building, all in
response to SSARPC’s insistence that the
plan meet Master Plan guidelines for
creating an active street front. There were
a few concerns brought to the Planning Staff
concerning the plan: the drive aisle in
front of the building will be pedestrian
friendly but is not in strict compliance
with the Master Plan; concern about exiting
from Porter Road, especially turning left,
onto Route 108; safety of the storm
management pond; and the number of parking
spaces.
More...
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