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.

Town Meeting - 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.

Question and Answers

Question:  How do you get in and out of the bank?

Answer:  Entrance is from Porter Road (on the west side of the site).  Exit is either via Porter Road, or if turning right, directly onto Route 108.  Someone expressed strong concern about the ability to turn left into and out of Porter Road.  It was noted that banking hours are restricted, not nearly as long as stores.  If this is a concern to you, contact Chevy Chase Bank and the Park and Planning Staff (contact information is available here).

Question:  What will happen to Sole d’Italia?

Answer:  The restaurant will have a couple of months notice before it will be shut down.  During that time the owner will look for another location.  There is currently another Sole d’Italia on Layhill Road at Bel Pre Road.

New Hampshire Avenue and Ednor Road Intersection (Presented by Michelle Layton)

The Resurrection Baptist Church is being built at that intersection.  Approximately a year ago, all the trees were removed within a day or two.  On October 8, the SSARPC sent a letter to the Planning Board asking that the construction of the church be halted until a plan is approved for restoring the rural atmosphere of the intersection.  The Master Plan (pages 43-45) explicitly states that the trees are to remain.  The Church planted a number of new, extremely small trees that will take about 20 years to grow to a reasonable size.  The Master Plan states that this area is the entryway to Ashton and is to remain rural.

There is no way to immediately restore the area.  The developer has been encouraged to plant large trees and native trees and to consider other options, such as a split rail fence, that would make the area look more rural.  Robert Kronenberg of the Montgomery County Park and Planning Staff has written a letter to the church requiring that it submit a new landscaping plan.  So far the church has not submitted that new landscaping plan. 

The previously approved landscaping plan was displayed and the Limit of Disturbance area identified.  This is an area where no vegetation was to be removed, but, in fact, all of it was demolished.

The church has said to Robert Kronenberg that they plan on shifting some trees (previously allocated to the back of the lot) up to New Hampshire Avenue and that a new landscaping plan will be submitted. 

The next step is to make sure that Robert Kronenberg of the Park and Planning Staff hears your thoughts.  Information about where to write is here.  The web site will be updated to include who in the church should be contacted [done].  Some ideas that might be discussed are:

Plant good size trees (e.g., 2 to 2 1/2 inch minimum diameter)
Plant a mixture of native trees
Develop a new landscape plan
Include rural characteristics in the landscape plan

Questions and Answers

Question:  Do you know what types of little trees were planted?

Answer:  No, this information will be part of the landscaping plan.

Question:  Is the developer saying that he didn’t know about the Master Plan requirements?  What is the penalty for doing this?  A home in Potomac did this and had to pay a major fine.

Answer:  There is no penalty.  Churches are under different rules than commercial developers and houses.  Also, the trees were removed from the state right of way and the state gave the church permission to do it.  The best that can be done at this point is to plant so that the area will be recreated as closely as possible in the future and to get a landscaping plan that specifies a rural look.  The name of the contact for the church will be put on the web site in the "Let Your Voice Be Heard!" area [done].   It was noted that this is County Executive Leggett’s church, so another idea is to write to him.

Statement from the Audience:  There will be two vacancies on the Planning Board coming up.  These appointees will have influence on this type of issue (see here to apply).  It was noted that the intersection problem is no longer being addressed by the Planning Board; it has been completely turned over to the Park and Planning Staff.

Comment from the Audience: Since it appears the Planning Board has no authority to enforce the replanting of the area, letters should be directed to the owner/developer of the site.  When writing letters to the developer, it is advisable to copy the Planning Staff so that they are aware of community concerns.  Contact information is available here.

Ashton Meeting Place (Brooke Farquhar)

Someone asked how long SSARPC has been working together and it was stated that it has been over 2 1/2 years since the group was organized to learn more about the development being planned for the southeast corner (Ashton Meeting Place).

There is good news:  the SSARPC Steering Committee, the developer and the Park and Planning Staff are in agreement on the design of Ashton Meeting Place. 

In June 2007 the Planning Board denied the Ashton Meeting Place plan. Some of the reasons for the denial included:  lack of active store fronts, pedestrian traffic, scale of the stores not fitting into a rural area, and off-street parking in front of buildings. 

At the public hearing on June 28, Miche Booz of SSARPC presented a conceptual plan for Ashton Meeting Place that met the Master Plan requirements.  That evening, Miche received a phone call from Fred Nichols, the developer, asking if they could work together on a new plan.  The result was a Charrette (brainstorming meeting) in July, with citizens and a developer team.  All ideas were put on the table and all issues were discussed.  A conceptual plan was developed which was later further refined into the plan submitted to the county for approval. 

There were a number of innovative ideas developed at the Charrette.  The design includes an underground parking garage which allows the upper area to be level with the streets instead of sloping.  Also, residences provided by condos within the shopping area in the old plan were changed to six houses of various sizes around the edges of the shopping area.

Some specific issues agreed to at the meeting include (see here for the complete list):

Overall square footage of the commercial buildings will be less than 74,000
Six family houses, of various sizes, will be around the edges of the area
Grocery store will be less than or equal to 18,000 square feet
Parking deck will have landscaping
On street parking will be on New Hampshire Avenue and Route 108

After the Charrette, the SSARPC design team, Miche and Brooke worked closely with the developer to work through the details.  Miche gave a lot of thought to the types of materials to be used so that there as a variety of materials, not just brick.

There will be a green space on the corner.  Although not part of the submitted design, the developer has agreed that there will be a path diagonally through the green so that people will not wear a dirt one.  SSARPC people met with an arborist from the Park and Planning staff to discuss how the path could be built while still protecting the large elm tree.  Under any scenario, the beech tree is too close to the sidewalk to be saved, but the other, larger elm tree is healthy and will be saved.  The design for the path in the green space has not been submitted to Park and Planning, so, if you are concerned that it be built you should write to the Planning Board.

Questions and Answers

Question:  When will this go to the Planning Board?

Answer:  The tentative date is May 15.  Ashton Meeting Place and Derrick’s Addition (to be discussed next) will go to the Planning Board on the same date so that the Board can consider the design of both corners and how they relate to each other.  Each plan will have a separate hearing, with an opportunity for you to testify at each one.  The Planning Board, if it wishes, can defer voting until it has heard testimony about both projects.

Question:  How many parking places will there be?

Answer:  322.  There are about 240 underground and about 80 above ground.

Question:  Is an 18,000 square foot supermarket area large enough to attract a tenant?

Answer:  Fred Nichols said that a couple of possible tenants are interested, but that moving in will not happen for a couple of years, so it is too early to sign a contract.  The supermarket industry is changing a lot.  The store will be big enough to accommodate a small supermarket.

Question:  Do we know what other retail stores will be included?  There was expressed a concern about the noise level if a McDonalds-type restaurant is part of the development.

Answer:  The Planning Board only approves the category of use and design, not the specific tenants.  The only drive through lane will be for the Sandy Spring Bank.  Also there are signage requirements, which if changed, require the developer to go back to the Planning Board.  McDonalds standard signage does not meet the requirements.

Question:  Will the state provide traffic lights to make it easier for people to enter and exit?

Answer:  There will be no traffic lights at the entrances and exits.  Concern was expressed about the danger of entering and exiting.  Comments should be sent to the Park and Planning Staff.

Question:  Will there be extra security for the underground parking area?

Answer:  Fred Nichols, the developer, said that the ceilings are very high so there will be better lighting than is found in most underground parking areas.  Also, there will be a lot of activity in the underground level; there are elevators to buildings and delivery truck loading docks on this level.

Derrick’s Addition (Northeast Corner) (Presented by Miche Booz)

The Northeast corner, known as Derrick’s Addition, previously housed the Freestate gas station and Kimballs Servicenter (garage). 

The proposal includes a gas station with a connected convenience store at the corner.  That building will be up against the road and will have active store fronts. 

On the northern half of the property a retail and office building is proposed, set back from the street, without active store fronts, in the middle of the parking lot.

Miche showed a conceptual drawing illustrating how the Northeast corner and the Ashton Meeting Place designs can mesh by bringing the building to the street, not having parking in front of the building, and creating an active store front.  We hope that these two corners will define what will be done when the other two corners are redeveloped. 

The developer has responded to the SSARPC design committee’s concept, stating that moving the retail building from the center of the parking lot to the street will cause difficulties with delivery trucks getting into the loading dock.  The SSARPC Steering Committee believes that an anticipated tenant should not be the driving force for the design, especially if it results in a design that does not conform to the Master Plan.  Perhaps the intended use will not work in the site available; the building, as now designed, may be too big. 

The original design had a car wash in the area behind the gas station, but it was determined that the zoning does not allow a car wash.  The current design contains an automobile service center in that area, and it isn’t clear that the zoning allows for that use on that part of the site.

Questions and Answers

Question:  There are two entrances to the 7-11 store but at night it only operates with one entrance.  What about the convenience store?

Answer:  Fred Nichols responded that the 7-11 store is open 24 hours a day.  The Derrick’s Addition convenience store will only be open when the gas pumps are open, which will not be 24 hours per day.

Question:  What is the auto service building?

Answer:  Fred Nichols said that this is under consideration.  He also pointed out that he would like to move the building to the street, but it is a narrow lot and there is a 10 foot drop.  The best use of the site is what has been submitted due to the major grade changes.  The design allows for someone to walk easily between the two buildings.  The problem about street front is not just the loading dock.  Miche pointed out that he and others examined the grade of the lot in great detail, and that most of the lot has a minor grade, with a major grade where the landscaping is to be done to screen the houses to the north from the view of the site.

Question:  When will deliveries be done?

Answer:  Fred Nichols responded that deliveries would probably be mostly early in the morning and during other morning hours, similar to the 7-11 deliveries.

Question:  What landscaping will be done to shield Ashton Knolls?

Answer:  Fred Nichols answered the question.  The homeowners association has requested a 6 foot plastic fence, which will be built.  There will also be trees planted.  And, there is a pond that will be used as a natural resource and for storm water management for runoff from the roads.

Question:  There was concern expressed about contamination created by the previous Freestate gas station.  Have soil samples been taken to test for contamination?

Answer:  Fred Nichols said that testing was done when the tanks were removed and there was no leakage and the Maryland Department of Environment gave the area a clean bill of health.

Question:  Is there a web site for Derrick’s Addition?

Answer:  Fred Nichols said that currently there is none.  [Note that there is information about Derrick’s Addition on the SSARPC web site and it will be updated as more information becomes available.]

Wrapping Up (by Michelle Layton)

Michelle thanked everyone for coming and asked people to share with their neighbors and friends what they have learned this evening about the current developments in the area.

We expect Ashton Meeting Place and Derrick’s Addition will be going to the Planning Board on May 15, but that may change.  Letters giving your opinions about these two plans need to be sent by May 1 in order to be included in the packet reviewed by the Planning Board before the hearing.  You may also sign up to speak at the hearing, and you may hand written copies of your testimony to the staff and Board at that time. There is no particular deadline for comments on Resurrection Baptist church.  As for Chevy Chase Bank, the Planning Board will not consider further comments, but concerns about implementation of the approved plans may be brought to the attention of the Planning Staff.

The SSARPC has been very successful in its activities.  This past week we have learned about two new developments that the SSARPC might be interested in working on.

The Goddard School, which was originally going to be built on Bentley Road near Route 108, is now being considered for an area near Meeting House Road.  The SSARPC Steering Committee will be meeting with the developer next week to learn more about the plans.

The WH Rental Center, opposite the Sandy Spring Museum, is closed.  The Park and Planning staff has told us that they will be meeting soon with a developer to review a proposal to put a self-storage facility in that area.

Once we get more information, the Steering Committee will determine if either of these projects is something that SSARPC should be working on. 

In the meantime – what can you do as residents of the area?

First, in order to continue our work we need to be able to continue our payments to our lawyer, fund such activities as printing fliers, and renting places for town meetings.  The Steering Committee members contribute a lot in terms of ideas and volunteer time, and also have provided much financial support.  A number of neighbors have also supported us financially, and we definitely appreciate the contributions, and we ask others to consider contributing as well.  See here for how to make contributions, either by check or online.

Second, please consider letting the appropriate people know about your ideas.  Letters to developers, the Planning Staff and Planning Board will be considered by the recipient.  To let your voice be known to people in the area, consider writing a letter to the Gazette.  The SSARPC would appreciate getting copies of what you submit (look here for more information).

Finally – please talk to your neighbors and let them know about new developments in the Sandy Spring and Ashton areas (of course, information is available at www.ssarpc.org or www.preserveashton.net).  And – let the SSARPC Steering Committee know of your ideas by sending email to feedback@ssarpc.org.