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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.
AMP Design Submitted
to County;
Development Review
Committee Meeting Scheduled
For Monday, 10/22,
1:30 PM
The Ashton Meeting Place (AMP) plan
has been submitted to the Montgomery County Park and Planning Staff. The
next action is the Development Review Committee Meeting that will take place
on Monday, October 22, 1:30 PM at the Park and Planning offices, in the third
floor conference room at 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring. The public is
welcome to attend and observe; however, there will be no opportunity for
observers to voice their opinions at this time. The Development Review
Committee Meeting allows the Park and Planning Staff and staff of other
reviewing agencies such as State Highway Administration and County Department
of Permitting Services to give their comments on the current plan to the
developers. At the meeting the developers may be required to make additional
modifications in some cases, or may be given the “green light” to
proceed to a public hearing with the Planning Board. .
For several months, representatives of the SSARPC Steering
Committee have been working collaboratively with the AMP designers on the
development of the plans. Overall, the Committee is pleased with the plans
that have been submitted as they, for the most part, implement the Sandy
Spring/Ashton Master Plan’s vision of a rural village center. There are
currently two items that we still have concerns about, and which have been
relayed to the developers:
- In the current plan, the
“village green”, a grassy area at the corner of Route 108
and New Hampshire Avenue, will have walkways around the perimeter.
However, we believe there should be some type of walkway that cuts
diagonally through the green area in a direct route from the crosswalks
at the intersection to the interior of the shopping center; if not,
there will likely be a dirt path across the grass created by pedestrians
who tend to seek the most convenient route.
- Building #1, which is
next to the automobile entrance on Route 108 currently has no doors on
the street. There will be entrances from the east side and back of the
building, but without an entrance from the street, the building will not
have an active store front (as is called for in the Sandy Spring/Ashton
Master Plan) and pedestrians will have to walk around the building to enter.
This arrangement will make it inconvenient for those who park in the
parallel parking spaces on Route 108.
You are encouraged to attend the Development Review
Committee Meeting as an observer, and to submit your written comments about
the AMP Plan. Address them to:
Joshua Sloan
Attn: Ashton Meeting Place
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Email: joshua.sloan@mncppc-mc.org
The AMP website indicates that comments to the developer
should be sent by email to rfuller@nicholsmanagementinc.com
The SSARPC Steering Committee would like to receive copies
of letters and any other comments you may have. Please address them to:
SSARPC
Box 518
Ashton, MD 20861.
Email: ssarpc@preserveashton.net
You can let your views be known to the community by
sending a letter to The Gazette. The letter must be limited to 200 words,
and include your name and address. Letters received by Friday noon will be
considered for the following week’s paper. Letters should be sent to:
The Gazette
Editorial Department
1200 Quince Orchard Road
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Email: letters@gazette.org
or to gmacdonald@gazette.net.
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