Ashton Meeting Place Approved:  Overview

and Summary of Planning Board Hearing

On May 15, the Planning Board unanimously approved the preliminary and site plans submitted by the Ashton Meeting Place developers.  There is a lot of material available here on this web site:

• Audio recording of the hearing, available here and here (two very large MP3 files).
• Presentation by the Planning Staff (16 pages), viewable online and also downloadable .  The Planning Staff report is also available.
• Several drawings of what Ashton Meeting Place will look like, including a rendered version of the landscape plan are available.
• SSARPC Steering Committee's letter to the Planning Board recommending that the plan be approved with just a few conditions. 
• The Gazette article about the Public Hearing.

The Commissioners unanimously approved the Preliminary and Site Plans.

Overview of the Planning Board Hearing

• At the conclusion of the meeting Commissioner Bryant and Chairman Hanson commended the SSARPC for its commitment and thanked the developer for working with the community to develop a much better design than the plan that was presented a year ago.

• Park and Planning Staff presented the Preliminary and Site Plans

  • Commissioner Cryor discussed the issue of the large tree failing due to the construction and a modification was made to the approval agreement stating that if the tree is dying that the builder will replace the tree with one that has a four to six inch caliper.  The Planning staff will agree with the developer on the tree selection and will follow the health of the tree for two years.

  • There will be a bike path on New Hampshire Avenue from Route 108 to Crystal Drive.

• Nichols Development presented their plan, indicating that they agree to the diagonal path in the green area at New Hampshire Avenue and Route 108, and that they agree with the other conditions on approval as well.

• Michelle Layton testified for the SSARPC, indicating that the design meets the Sandy Spring-Ashton Master Plan.  She also said that the SSARPC feels that it should no longer be necessary to debate certain parts of the Master Plan as more development occurs in the Sandy Spring and Ashton areas.
• The Commissioners unanimously approved the Preliminary and Site Plans.

Summary of the Planning Board Hearing

Comments made by the Planning Board. Commissioners and people giving testimony indicated that this development should set a standard for future developments in the Ashton Village Center.  In particular, Commissioner Allison Bryant complimented the SSARPC for its focus on ensuring a rural shopping area:

“I’m going to probably shock some of the folks….  I always thought that the Sandy Spring preservation group was cutting off its nose to spite its face. At the last session we had I said why are you going against this when it is obviously needed in that community – this kind of services it will provide – and I really thought that you were misled…..  this is a much better project than the one that I supported at first and I commend you for sticking to your guns in spite of my rightness and I commend the applicant for listening to you and being willing to work with you…..  this can really be a model, I believe.”

Chairman Hanson said after the plans were approved:

“I would like to add to comments made by Commissioner Bryant that this is a much improved plan over the one we have seen before and I want to thank the applicant and the community for working together to achieve something that I think is going to be an asset to the community and one that will be well used and will be of both benefit to the applicant’s pocketbook and the quality of life to the community.”

More About the Ashton Meeting Place Hearing

Ashton Meeting Place News

Ashton Meeting Place Documents