ezStorage Sandy Spring
ezStorage Will Not
Build in Sandy
Spring
October 29, 2009
The passage of
the Zoning Text
Amendment
ZTA 09-01 by the
County Council means
that Sienna
Corporation will not
be permitted to
proceed with its
plan to build an
ezStorage facility
in Sandy Spring.
The owner of the
land is considering
other possible uses
for it.
ezStorage Preliminary Plan Hearing Results
The ezStorage
Preliminary Plan
hearing was held
before the Planning
Board on January 8.
The purpose of the
hearing was to
determine if the
current ezStorage
Preliminary Plan is
consistent with the
zoning laws for
Sandy Spring.
The Site Plan
process (which
follows the
Preliminary Plan
approval) determines
the compatibility of
the then current
plan to the
Sandy Spring/Ashton
Master Plan and
the
Rural Village
Overlay Zone.
The final vote on
the Preliminary Plan
was three to two in
support of the staff
recommendation for
approval.
The vote
indicates only that
the law says that a
storage facility can
be built in the
designated area.
The vote is
based on the zoning
laws, not the
important
discussions that
occurred during the
deliberations.
Sound recordings
of the five parts of
the hearing are
available.
The community, both
Sandy Spring and
Ashton, came forward
with many reasons to
oppose the
Preliminary Plan.
There are
35 letters in
opposition on our
web site (the County
may have received
more), with no
letters received by
us in favor of the
development.
There were 21
people in the
community who gave
testimony opposing
the proposal and
none in favor.
Some
represented groups,
such as SSARPC, the
Sandy Spring Civic
Association, the
Auburn Village Home
Owners Association
and the Bentley Road
Civic Association.
As
written testimony
is collected it will
be added to our web
site.
If you have
testimony to submit,
please send it to
feedback@ssarpc.org.
More about the
Preliminary Plan
Hearing Results
ezStorage Documents
ezStorage Preliminary Plan
Discussion
ezStorage is planning to
construct a self-storage facility in Sandy Spring on the site of the old WH
Rental Center on Route 108. The
Planning Staff Report on the
Preliminary Plan
can be read here.
It is not
too late to make your voice heard by writing a letter
or sending email. The contacts at Park
and Planning are listed here. SSARPC would
like to receive a copy of your correspondence. Copies of letters we have received can be
read here.
The SSARPC Steering Committee is opposed to the building any storage facility
in the downtown Sandy Spring and Ashton areas. There are eight ezStorage facilities located
within 15 miles of Sandy Spring. Such storage
facilities are typically found in industrial and/or heavily retail areas,
such as those where ezStorage has already located in Montgomery County: Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Germantown,
Rockville, and Takoma Park. These images show something of the character of the areas as
well as the proposed area in Sandy Spring. In particular, constructing an ezStorage
facility adjacent to homes, close to the entrance of the Sandy Spring village
and across from the Sandy Spring Museum is not in keeping with the historic
and rural nature of the area, as called for in the Sandy Spring-Ashton Master
Plan.
More about the
Preliminary Plan
ezStorage Documents
ezStorage Open Meeting Summary (May 6)
Siena Corporation held an open meeting on May 6
to present to the community their plans for an
ezStorage self-storage facility in Sandy
Spring. It will replace the WH Rental building
on Route 108, across from the Sandy Spring
Museum. There were over 50 community members in
attendance. Many of the attendees spoke very
intensely against the idea of having a storage
facility in the rural, residential area of Sandy
Spring. Towards the end of the meeting, one
attendee summarized the feelings, telling the
developer that the people have spoken out
against this idea, and encouraged the developer
to look at other areas nearby, such as the
intersection of Route 32 and Route 108, which is
more commercial and industrial. The Gazette
published an
article with the title: “Residents:
ezStorage not compatible to downtown Sandy
Spring”.
Craig Pittinger, Vice President of Siena
Corporation, gave an introduction to their plan
for the ezStorage facility. He showed a picture
of a facility in Gaithersburg (807
South Frederick Avenue, Route 355) that has
the appearance of an office building. The
proposed structure is smaller than the
Gaithersburg facility (about 800 storage units,
some under climate control) and the design can
be changed to blend into the area. The facility
will be two stories above ground and one below
ground. The total floor area will be about
116,000 square feet. The plan will include
three or four retail stores in the front of the
building (one selling packing supplies) and
parallel parking on the street. There is also a
parking lot on the east side of the building.
The zoning of the area is C2, which permits
commercial structures like the one being
proposed.
More about the ezStorage Open Meeting
ezStorage Documents
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