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Sandy Spring-Ashton Rural Preservation Consortium
The
SSARPC (PreserveAshton.net)
supports
development in Ashton that conforms to the Master Plan.
We
are pro-Master Plan, not anti-development.
Last
chance for Public Comments about AMP!!!
Months of negotiation between the
SSARPC Steering Committee and the developer have resulted in agreement on a
compromise plan for Ashton Meeting Place (AMP). Details of that agreement were
presented at the town meeting on January
11, 2007, and
are repeated on the SSARPC website at www.preserveashton.org. Although a few of
our members still object to the size of the proposed grocery store, we believe
that the compromise plan reflects much of the intent of the Sandy Spring-Ashton
Master Plan and will, if approved, be a cornerstone for creating a new sense of
place and village center in Ashton. Therefore, we support
the compromise plan for the AMP.
Please be aware that we have just
recently learned that Park and Planning staff has concerns about the AMP’s
encroachment on wetlands and that their proposed wetlands mitigation plan
may not be acceptable. The SSARPC Steering Committee’s negotiations with
the developer focused on design changes to comply with the Sandy Spring-Ashton
Master Plan. We did not focus on wetlands issues. However, the SSARPC
Steering Committee respects and shares Park and Planning staff’s concerns
about wetlands. With the March 15 hearing rapidly approaching, and without the
benefit of an environmental expert retained by the SSARPC, we defer to Park and
Planning and other relevant governmental regulatory agencies on resolution
of the wetlands issue. Hopefully, this matter will be resolved by the Planning
Board and staff in a way that preserves the viability of the compromise plan
and complies with environmental constraints.
Let your voice be heard!
The Planning Board will hear
testimony from members of the community on the AMP proposal on March 15.
As this
is the last step in the planning process where public comment is considered, we
urge each of you to express your opinion by writing to or emailing the Planning
Board and/or speaking at the hearing:
1)
Write a
letter to the Planning Board about your opinion of the project (preferably by March 1)
Address letters or email
to:
Royce Hanson, Chairman
MNCPPC
Planning Board
ATTN:
AMP Development
8787
Georgia Ave.
Silver
Spring, MD 20910
Email:
mcp-chairman@mncppc-mc.org
We
suggest you keep your letter to one page and state whether your current letter
supersedes any previous letters you may have written.
2)
Sign up
to testify at the public hearing tentatively scheduled for March 15 by calling (301) 495-4605 (more information on the time and location of
the hearing will be provided when it is available).
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