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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.
Chevy
Chase Bank Meeting
April 17, 2007, 7:15 p.m.
Sole D'Italia, Ashton
Joe Pearson, Vice President, Real Estate
Development, Chevy Chase Bank, presented. He introduced other members of
his team who were there to answer specific questions. He discussed
questions that the Park and Planning Staff had about the previous plan.
The meetings with the Park and Planning Staff took place on April 4th and April 9th. Changes were made to accommodate Staff’s concerns.
- The bank entrance is now on Porter
Road
- The bank has been moved closer to Route 108
- The exit is only on Route 108, currently eastbound only. With approval, possibly a westbound lane will be added.
- Storm water management is no longer an
underground vault, but rather a five foot wide french drain off the
parking lot, at the back of the property. This will be better
environmentally. Chevy Chase Bank will landscape around the
structure.
- As a result of moving closer to Route 108, the bank was able to add a 4th lane of ATM drive through, on the east side of the
building. Typically that is what Chevy Chase Bank hopes for
in their plans.
- There will be 30 parking spaces, one less than in the previous plan. There are more parking spaces than
required, but Chevy Chase Bank believes that the parking requirements
are not realistic. There is no longer any parking along the Porter
Road side of the building.
- Chevy Chase signage will appear
on the front and back of the building only, not on the sides.
- Tree specimens have not been chosen yet, but
will probably be a mix of evergreen and deciduous varieties. There
are no plans to remove any trees.
According to Joe Pearson, "This is a
county-supported plan." They will be resubmitting their plan to
the Park and Planning Staff by the end of the week and feel that the plan is
about 70% complete. There is no indication yet of a
public hearing date, but they are speculating that it will be sometime in
October. They hope to have the groundbreaking in February.
To see the handout provided by Chevy Chase Bank at
the meeting, click here. Another drawing that may be easier to read is also available.
Questions and Discussion:
There were many concerns expressed about drainage as
typically this area backs up when there is a lot of rain.
Water drains into the
lowest point of the property and then into the wetlands on Porter
Road. There will be less water draining than with the original plan
because of the single curb cut on Route 108. The water there will be
guided to a new sewer drain that will take the water across Route 108.
Hard pavement is
actually reduced in the new plan and that will decrease the amount
of run-off.
Why is there access on Porter Road?
The County wants access
from a secondary road, not off of a main road (Route 108). The fewer curb cuts there are on Route 108, the better.
Who owns Porter Road?
Many thought it is a
private road. Chevy Chase Bank will look into this.
Overall, the Chevy Chase Bank representatives
thought that the new plan is more pedestrian-friendly, with active fronts and
very green. They say that they are following the Sandy Spring
– Ashton Master Plan guidelines.
There was discussion about the brick crosswalk in
front of the building in the first plan. They noted that brick can be
costly to repair over time as cars drive over it. A suggestion was made
to use stamped concrete. Joe Pearson agreed and said that will be a
part of the plan, unless it is noted as a problem by the Park and
Planning Staff.
Discussion of the lighting:
Joe Pearson brought a
sample sign letter to show. It is a new product and will be red during
the day and back-lit white at night. After seeing it inside, many
requested to see it outside as well.
Chevy Chase Bank is interested in meeting to discuss
a streetscaping plan so they can match whatever other development
happens in Ashton. It was noted by some in the audience that Chevy Chase
Bank might be the one who determines what that trend will be.
The meeting ended at about 8:15 p.m.
Contact Information:
For further information, please contact:
Joe Pearson
Vice President, Real Estate Development
Chevy Chase Bank
7501 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814
240-497-7032
jbpearson@chevychasebank.net
Also, if you would like to contact the Park and
Planning Staff, address correspondence to:
Joshua Sloan
Development Review
MNCPPC
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Joshua.sloan@mncppc-mc.org
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