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.

Oops

Apologies to those who received a piece of spam from this email list.  It was a slip up on the part of yours truly, the operator of the LISTSERV server that supports this list.  Not everyone will have received the spam;  I deleted as many as I could when I realized I had made a mistake.   – Roger Fajman

Chevy Chase Bank Plan Approved by  Planning Board

At the Montgomery County Planning Board meeting on April 10, the Planning Board unanimously approved the preliminary and site plans submitted by Chevy Chase Bank.  The SSARPC Steering Committee also recommended approval.   If you would like to listen to the hearing, it is available here (it’s a very large file).

Preliminary Plan Review

Neil Braunstein, Montgomery County Park and Planning Staff, presented an overview of the plan as part of the Preliminary Site Plan proposal.  He pointed out that there will be three drive through lanes, with the use of Porter Road as driveway entrance and exit, a right exit onto Route 108, and with parking behind the building. 

There will be changes made to Route 108 to improve traffic flow and the Bank will work with others to make sure that the construction on Route 108 is in accordance with the State requirements.

The plan has been designed to retain a specimen tree that is on the property. An updated forest conservation plan has been approved that requires the Bank to provide six additional trees.  There will also be a bioretention facility in the back of the building, to collect and filter rain water. 

There were two concerns expressed by citizens.  The first was in regard to the traffic on Porter road.  People who use Porter Road expressed concern that traffic exiting from the bank would stack up on Porter Road and make it difficult for residents to exit onto Route 108.  The staff believes that this will not be a significant problem.  Porter Road will be widened near Route 108 to provide better access for vehicles, there will be a right turn exit directly onto Route 108, and sidewalks will be provided to provide for the safety of and access for pedestrians.  The second concern was about the safety of the bioretention facility between the southern property line and the parking lot. Water will be collected in the facility and the citizens are concerned that this will present a hazard for children who live in the area.  The staff doesn’t consider this to be hazardous since there will be a maximum of 9 inches of water that in most cases will be drained off within a day. 

The staff recommended approval of the Preliminary Site Plan. 

Site Plan Review

Joshua Sloan, Park and Planning Staff, reviewed the Site Plan. 

With regard to the Sandy Spring-Ashton Master Plan, the design has paid attention to pedestrian traffic.  There is a door in front of the building leading into the lobby area, and there is seating and a bike rack in front of the bank.  There is a sidewalk along Route 108 and work is proceeding to get bus pads and benches installed for improved bus access.  There is a drive aisle in front of the bank to allow traffic to move easily to Porter Road to exit.  Porter Road is the only way to exit to the left onto Route 108 since the State Highway Administration will not allow a direct left turn onto Route 108.  The driveway uses pedestrian paving (looks like brick).  There will be signage warning pedestrians of oncoming traffic and directing cars.  The design serves as a speed control for traffic.

A commissioner asked if Porter Road is a public street.  Yes.  It has been maintained, but not all the way through and is not fully dedicated.  There is property to the west that can be subdivided in the future and the road can be changed to accommodate future development.  The portion of the road that runs along the bank site is dedicated.

The Planning Staff worked with the Bank personnel in looking at reorienting the building 90 degrees in order to eliminate the drive aisle in front of the building.  If this were done, all traffic would be routed through Porter Road and there were concerns about possible congestion on Porter Road.  This would mean that the drive throughs would be behind the building and that people would have to walk from the parking lot across three drive throughs to get to the bank.  In this design, the specimen tree could not be saved and there would be an underground storm water system.  The staff felt that the current design was the best for the site and is substantially in compliance with the Master Plan.  The staff and Bank worked closely with the community to make sure that the plan was in compliance with the Master Plan.  The design includes a reasonably traditional active front, parking behind the building, and an emphasis on pedestrian access.  There will be good landscaping that will shield the view from the road. 

The building is a reasonable size compared to other buildings in the area.  It is 24 feet high, which fits in with the height of other buildings.  The green area is five times the amount required.

Two community concerns were brought to staff’s attention through phone calls.  One concern came from Porter Road residents about the access to Route 108 from Porter Road (previously addressed).  The other concern was that there will be too many parking spaces.  There are 30 parking spaces in the design and the requirement is a minimum of 10 spaces.  The guidelines for parking spaces are about 20 years old.  The staff agreed with the developer that 30 spaces seemed reasonable.

Chevy Chase Bank Presentation

Harry Lurch, Chevy Chase Bank’s attorney represented the Bank.  He thanked the team that worked together on the design, pointing out the very cooperative people in the Park and Planning Staff (Neil Braunstein, Joshua Sloan, Cherian Eapun, Candy Bunnag and Bill Barron) and the community members who met with the group and openly and politely expressed their opinions and ideas.  Thank you.

Citizen Input

Michelle Layton, representing SSARPC, read a statement giving the SSARPC Steering Committee’s recommendations.  She pointed out that although she was allocated 10 minutes, her testimony this time would be much less, but she would probably use all the time for the next hearing.  Michelle pointed out the excellent working relationship that exists with Chevy Chase Bank personnel and changes that they made to their plans because of community input.  She also pointed out that the design comes a long way towards meeting the criteria of the Master Plan.  There is the drive aisle in front of the building, that is required for traffic flow, but major efforts were made to make the area pedestrian friendly, such as using pedestrian paving.  The SSARPC Steering Committee supports the staff recommendation that the plan be approved.

The only other citizen providing input was Jennifer Fajman, also a member of the SSARPC Steering Committee, but her testimony was as an individual, not representing the SSARPC.  Jennifer opened her statement by commenting that citizens do not get input into what type of commercial enterprises is built and that she doesn’t think we need another bank in Ashton.  However, given the fact that there will be a bank, she commended the Bank representatives on their open relationship with the community, their understanding of the Master Plan, and their modifying the design to make it fit into the Ashton area, including attention to landscaping.  She recommended that the Planning Board approve the plan.

Planning Board Deliberations and Action

Chairman Hanson pointed out that it was a pleasure to see the type of cooperation that has occurred between the developer and the community; it sets an excellent example.

There were motions to approve both the Preliminary and Site Plans, and the votes for each were unanimous to approve the plans.

Commissioner John Robinson said he wanted to make an observation.  He congratulated the Bank on its design and working so closely with the community.  He reminded the other commissioners of a meeting recently where the developer was very hard headed.  He also commented on the collaborative design brought forward, noting that it is an illustration as to how a design focused on pedestrian access can still accommodate automobile requirements, and that these two ideas are not inconsistent.

Another commissioner commented that it is an achievement when a representative from a civic association says we really don’t think we need your building, but you really did a very good job in designing the building and conforming to the Master Plan.