As prices rise in the area and multiple offers are made on new listings, it's important to remember that, unless the transaction is for cash (meaning that there is no outside financing for the purchase), there will be an appraisal done before the lender will approve a loan. The appraisal is paid for by the buyers, but it is really for the benefit of the lender to ensure that the amount advanced to the borrower is covered by the security of the property value.
Appraisers are licensed and must follow strict guidelines in valuing properties. So, even if the seller receives offers that are far above and beyond the price they asked for the property (or even hoped to obtain), there will be no settlement without an appraiser agreeing that the price agreed upon by the sellers and buyers is a fair market value. Real estate agents are taught that the test of market value (and its definition) is the price a seller will take and a buyer will pay in a fair and open market and an arm's length transaction (arm's length means that there is no reason for the price to be other than market value, such as selling a property to a relative and not under any duress). Under this definition, the contract price, however high it may be, could be considered to have set the market value for that property at that time in that market.
However, appraisers can't see it that way. They must use closed comparable sales, nearby (usually, within one mile) and recent. If there aren't comparable sales for your contract sales price, the appraiser may not agree with the price. In the event of a low appraisal (the appraisal is lower than the contract price), the buyers and sellers will have to try to negotiate a new price or the contract will fall apart if the buyer can't get a loan commitment based on the low appraisal.
Sellers, be aware of this concern. It's better to get the best price you can that is supportable to an appraiser than to agree to a possibly fairy-tale price that could cause then entire transaction to fail.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Why Should Sellers Jump into This Market?
It's been a long haul for the real estate market these past five years, but things are looking up for sellers this year. The entire DC Metro region is experiencing price appreciation, listing inventory is at historic lows, and buyers are out looking for their new home. So, why are sellers failing to put their houses on the market? The answers I get to this question generally come down to, "I'm not in a hurry and want to wait until there is more appreciation."
Here are the reasons this may not be the wisest choice:
What Do You Gain From Waiting?
1. We are all hoping that prices will appreciate during the next few years as the economy recovers and housing supply (especially in our area of North Bethesda) doesn't keep up with the population increases, but waiting to sell a property that has equity in it removes the potential to invest the funds in another appreciating property or in some other investment vehicle entirely. If you are familiar with the stock market, you understand the old adage that it often doesn't pay to be a "market timer" to try to capture the top or bottom of a market trend. Calculate what your proceeds will do for you today vs. what you think they can do for you in a future market.
2. If other sellers take the same position, there will be more houses on the market next year, which could dampen appreciation next year. If that happens, you would have lost a year for little increase in value.
3. Do you have some other place you'd rather be living? If so, what is the value in your life to waiting for a future event rather than proceeding with your goals and aspirations sooner?
Buyers Are Motivated Now
1. Interest rates are at historic lows, meaning that your buyers can afford more on their income. It is widely posited by economists that the time for these rates is limited. As the economy strengthens, banks will raise their rates. They are itching to do this, since none of them likes making 3.25% loans for 30 years. Higher interest rates are strongly correlated to pressure on price appreciation.
2. With few houses from which to choose, buyers are finding themselves competing when they make their offers. This forces them to make the best offer they possibly can (and quickly, too!) if they want to find a house they would like to buy. Their willingness to negotiate to better terms for the sellers is enhanced.
Each person's circumstances are different, and all of the factors need to be weighed based on that person's priorities, be it financial or based on lifestyle choices or, as is usually the case, a combination of the two. Sometimes, it's helpful to examine motivations to act now or to wait with a trusted adviser. I hope that the options and conditions that I have outlined above are useful in your decision-making process.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
A New North Bethesda Civic Association
The Greater Farmland Civic Association (GFCA) is now up and running, having had two general meetings, adopted bylaws, and poised to elect officers at the general meeting on March 13. It creates a community out of four defunct associations...Old Farm, Tilden Woods, Walnut Woods, and Hickory Woods. These neighborhoods are geographically located west of the Luxmanor Civic Association (LCA), east of I-270, and south of Montrose Road (which is also the boundary with the City of Rockville). The entire area is served by Farmland Elementary School and is in North Bethesda. GFCA now encompasses 971 properties, and the association is actively seeking input from residents for an upcoming directory and for membership. Dues for membership are $25 annually, which will entitle the member to a vote at meetings and access to the directory.
Committees have been formed and are still growing, with involvement from members being encouraged and solicited. Information about the community can be found at www.GreaterFarmland.org.
Historically, Tilden Woods was built by Community Builders between 1962 and 1964 as a "country-style" home in the woods just north of Bethesda. Most of the homes are split levels, bi-levels, and ramblers, with some colonial style homes, all in the 2000-2500 square foot range. Some of the homes have carports (which, over the years, have often been converted to 1-car garages or sunrooms), with many having off-street parking. Lot sizes range from around 9,000 sq. ft. to 13,000 sq. ft. There are approximately 260 homes in this neighborhood.
Old Farm was built between 1963 and 1966 by Kettler Brothers. There are over a dozen home styles, most of them colonials of varying sizes and layouts. Most of the homes have garages, predominantly 1-car. The lot sizes tend to be around 8,000 to 11,000 sq. ft. There are nearly 500 homes in Old Farm.
Much of Walnut Woods was built around the same time as Old Farm, but there were several builders and many building styles. Most are colonials, but there are a few ramblers. A number of these homes were built by the builder Groover-Cooley, which is renowned for quality construction and plaster walls. The "newer" (it's all relative) homes have 2-car garages. In the 1980s, Hickory Woods was built on lots closest to I-270. The neighborhood names of Walnut Woods and Hickory Woods, advertised by the builders and known by the residents, are not recognized in the legal descriptions, so the legal subdivision name for both of these neighborhoods is Montrose Woods. It is not too uncommon in Montgomery County for the developer/builders to name a subdivision with a different name than that in the public records. For instance, the community we all know as Windermere is in the public records as Heritage Walk.
Committees have been formed and are still growing, with involvement from members being encouraged and solicited. Information about the community can be found at www.GreaterFarmland.org.
Historically, Tilden Woods was built by Community Builders between 1962 and 1964 as a "country-style" home in the woods just north of Bethesda. Most of the homes are split levels, bi-levels, and ramblers, with some colonial style homes, all in the 2000-2500 square foot range. Some of the homes have carports (which, over the years, have often been converted to 1-car garages or sunrooms), with many having off-street parking. Lot sizes range from around 9,000 sq. ft. to 13,000 sq. ft. There are approximately 260 homes in this neighborhood.
Old Farm was built between 1963 and 1966 by Kettler Brothers. There are over a dozen home styles, most of them colonials of varying sizes and layouts. Most of the homes have garages, predominantly 1-car. The lot sizes tend to be around 8,000 to 11,000 sq. ft. There are nearly 500 homes in Old Farm.
Much of Walnut Woods was built around the same time as Old Farm, but there were several builders and many building styles. Most are colonials, but there are a few ramblers. A number of these homes were built by the builder Groover-Cooley, which is renowned for quality construction and plaster walls. The "newer" (it's all relative) homes have 2-car garages. In the 1980s, Hickory Woods was built on lots closest to I-270. The neighborhood names of Walnut Woods and Hickory Woods, advertised by the builders and known by the residents, are not recognized in the legal descriptions, so the legal subdivision name for both of these neighborhoods is Montrose Woods. It is not too uncommon in Montgomery County for the developer/builders to name a subdivision with a different name than that in the public records. For instance, the community we all know as Windermere is in the public records as Heritage Walk.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Great News! Friends of White Flint have a new, updated site!
Go to www.WhiteFlint.org to see the latest in designs, approvals, submissions, and plans for the White Flint/North Bethesda business area. Friends of White Flint is an organization with members including local residents, county employees (planning staff and others), business owners, and developers, all interested in growing a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly, consumer and resident-friendly North Bethesda. The site is the most comprehensive compilation of all of the current projects.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Energy Efficiency Mortgages
Energy-efficiency mortgage products are relatively in the financing and conservation world. It is not easy to develop new mortgage products, since they generally have to conform to new FannieMae or FreddieMac underwriting guidelines to be eligible for sale on the secondary mortgage market. Without having special programs like these approved for Fannie/Freddie underwriting, the number of lenders willing to create such loans would be ridiculously small.
These loans have been available for a few years, but are becoming more common. For a property that has energy savings built-in (replacement windows, extra insulation, solar or geothermal systems, etc.), an energy assessor will determine the amount of savings created by the improvements, which allows the borrower to take a larger loan (since the extra money isn't needed for utility bills). It may also be possible to take a larger loan for a property that needs the improvements, giving the borrower extra funds to improve the property.
A better description of this type of loan can be found on the blog of an Envoy Mortgage loan officer, who is specializing in loans tailored for energy efficient properties.
These loans have been available for a few years, but are becoming more common. For a property that has energy savings built-in (replacement windows, extra insulation, solar or geothermal systems, etc.), an energy assessor will determine the amount of savings created by the improvements, which allows the borrower to take a larger loan (since the extra money isn't needed for utility bills). It may also be possible to take a larger loan for a property that needs the improvements, giving the borrower extra funds to improve the property.
A better description of this type of loan can be found on the blog of an Envoy Mortgage loan officer, who is specializing in loans tailored for energy efficient properties.
Planning Department Publishes a New Site for N. Bethesda Development Information
Go to this new page to see a map of the White Flint Sector along with the new developments that have been applied for or are under construction. Clicking on a project gives you the approval process status as well as the size of the project. It will not give you the Application Number that you need to find more information about a specific project on the Montgomery County Planning site. You can click on the Locator Wizard from the planning site to find the project and obtain its Application Number, but it's cumbersome. Hopefully, the creator of the new map page will add application numbers in the future.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Groundbreaking for Pike and Rose - July 16, 2012
The ceremony on 7/16 was a happy event, with attendees including Gov. O'Malley, Lt. Gov. Brown, the comptroller, many other state officials, Cty. Exec. Ike Leggett, Council Pres. Roger Berliner, Councilmembers George Leventhal & Hans Reimer, the CEO and other officials of Federal Realty Investment Trust, including Evan Goldman, who has shepharded this project and met with community members many times. Other developers were invited, as well as community members who've been active all along. It was hot, but a beautiful day. The speeches included discussion of the unique public/private financing arrangements that could be models for future development financing, the scale of the economic impact, and the commitment of the gov't and developers to create a transit-oriented community that is a benefit to the county and the surrounding neighborhoods. It was great fun to see the project begin.
Our old Mid-Pike Plaza will be the new Pike & Rose development. Currently 24 acres of asphalt, it will be 8-9 blocks of "green" buildings with ground-level retail, bike and pedestrian pathways, pocket parks, apartments and commercial space.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Here's Help in Figuring out Which Products are Healthy
Many items that we install in our houses can make us sick, from carpeting to paint to our new furniture (and, yes, our new cars). That new car is "off-gassing," which means that some of the chemicals used in the manufacture of the plastics and fabrics are escaping into the air we breathe. If you are interested in checking out products before you buy them and in evaluating the air quality in your home, take a look at Greenguard's website.
Ice Dams - What to do before it snows
There are several measure that can be taking to prevent ice damming on your roof in times of tremendous ice and snow. Yes, we had a non-winter, but that could be completely different next year.
If you are putting on a new roof, have the installer add a barrier over the felt (and under the shingles, before they are installed) at the edges of the roof near the gutters. The barrier material is about 3 feet wide and comes on a roll. It will prevent any water that is forced under the shingles from leaking into the walls and attic.
For an existing roof, you can buy heater coils of several different types that will prevent ice from forming. One type is placed in the bottom of the gutter and can be plugged into an outlet on the exterior of the house. Another type is more of a serpentine electric coil that lays on the shingles just above the gutter. In this instance, you would want to put the coil on the roof if there is a forecast of an extended snow or blizzard approaching. The most elegant installation would be an electric coil in the gutter plugged into a dedicated exterior outlet near the roofline that is controlled by a switch from inside the house. If the water flows freely through the gutter and drains to the ground without the downspouts and gutters filling with ice, ice damming will not occur. See my post in 2009 regarding the creation of ice dams and how they form.
If you are putting on a new roof, have the installer add a barrier over the felt (and under the shingles, before they are installed) at the edges of the roof near the gutters. The barrier material is about 3 feet wide and comes on a roll. It will prevent any water that is forced under the shingles from leaking into the walls and attic.
For an existing roof, you can buy heater coils of several different types that will prevent ice from forming. One type is placed in the bottom of the gutter and can be plugged into an outlet on the exterior of the house. Another type is more of a serpentine electric coil that lays on the shingles just above the gutter. In this instance, you would want to put the coil on the roof if there is a forecast of an extended snow or blizzard approaching. The most elegant installation would be an electric coil in the gutter plugged into a dedicated exterior outlet near the roofline that is controlled by a switch from inside the house. If the water flows freely through the gutter and drains to the ground without the downspouts and gutters filling with ice, ice damming will not occur. See my post in 2009 regarding the creation of ice dams and how they form.
Planning Begins on White Flint 2 Sector Plan
The planning department has approved a scope of work to begin planning for the business district north of the White Flint Sector Plan approved in 2010 and south of the Twinbrook Sector Plan. This area straddles the boundary between Montgomery County and the City of Rockville, so there will be some lively discussions about the connectivity of Rockville Pike, its design as a "boulevard," and the placement and coordination of potential bus rapid transit (BRT), currently proposed for the center of the boulevard-style median in the White Flint Sector Plan. Information and maps are available at the page for this sector plan, http://montgomeryplanning.org/community/whiteflint2/
It has been noted in The Gazette (May 2, 2012) that the plan will require a new elementary school in the Walter Johnson High School district.
If you want to be on the contact list for the planning department with regard to this sector plan, send an email to
nkosi.yearwood@montgomeryplanning.org
It has been noted in The Gazette (May 2, 2012) that the plan will require a new elementary school in the Walter Johnson High School district.
If you want to be on the contact list for the planning department with regard to this sector plan, send an email to
nkosi.yearwood@montgomeryplanning.org
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Open House for present/receive comments for Zoning Rewrite
http://bethesdaservice.
Don't miss this chance to learn more about the Zoning Rewrite Project and what it will mean for residents in Bethesda-Chevy Chase, North Bethesda-Garrett Park, and Potomac. Drop in any time between 5-8 p.m. Monday, April 16 to speak with planners about this important countywide initiative.
Planners are rewriting the Zoning Code to modernize antiquated, redundant zoning regulations and create new tools to help achieve goals in community plans.
At the open house meetings, attendees can view graphics and other materials that explain whats being considered, such as potentially reducing the number of zones and how new zones might apply in communities.
Participants at each open house will see exactly how what's proposed applies to their neighborhood. Each meeting will provide information on six different master plan areas. To see what master plan area applies to your property, go tomontgomeryplanning.org/gis/
5-8 p.m. Monday, April 16
Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda
Planners are rewriting the Zoning Code to modernize antiquated, redundant zoning regulations and create new tools to help achieve goals in community plans.
At the open house meetings, attendees can view graphics and other materials that explain whats being considered, such as potentially reducing the number of zones and how new zones might apply in communities.
Participants at each open house will see exactly how what's proposed applies to their neighborhood. Each meeting will provide information on six different master plan areas. To see what master plan area applies to your property, go tomontgomeryplanning.org/gis/
5-8 p.m. Monday, April 16
Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda
Master plans: Bethesda Central Business District, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Friendship Heights Central Business District, North Bethesda/Garrett Park, Potomac Subregion, Westbard, Woodmont Triangle
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Free Shredding Offered with Material Recycled
Office Paper Systems has a facility at 7650 Airpark Road in Gaithersburg (take Shady Grove Road past Muncaster Mill Road, and it becomes Airpark Road) that accepts paper that needs to be shredded. You can bring your materials in boxes, plastic garbage bags, whatever. If you have huge volumes, give them a call first so that they are ready for you.
This is a free service. OPS will recycle the shredded material, so you are securing your identity and recycling paper at the same time! The website is www.freesecureshredding.com.
This is a free service. OPS will recycle the shredded material, so you are securing your identity and recycling paper at the same time! The website is www.freesecureshredding.com.
Drop Off Hours
Monday - Friday
8:30am - 3:00pmPhone
301-948-6301Address
7650 Airpark Rd,
Gaithersburg, MD 20874
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Montgomery County Dept. of Environmental Protection Posts Resource Site
This site, www.MyGreenMontgomery.org -
1. Search for local, state, and federal utility information for energy programs
2. Create your personal "green" plan
3. Comment on projects and join discussion groups
4. View calendar events
5. Central resource for public information on environmental and energy topics
Source: The Gazette, 1/18/12
1. Search for local, state, and federal utility information for energy programs
2. Create your personal "green" plan
3. Comment on projects and join discussion groups
4. View calendar events
5. Central resource for public information on environmental and energy topics
Source: The Gazette, 1/18/12
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Zoning Code Rewrite for Montgomery County
Before starting this discussion, it's important to understand the difference between the master plan process and zoning. Zoning is the codification of rules that govern what can be built or what uses are allowable under a specific zoning classification. In the creation of a master plan, specific land parcels are assigned to zoning classifications. An owner of a property can look up the zoning classification for his/her property and should be able, from the zoning code, to determine what can and cannot be built there and what uses are allowable.
The following information is from a community meeting conducted last night by Parks and Planning at the Trinity Lutheran Church on Old Georgetown Road (thank you, Trinity, for donating the space!). This effort is my interpretation and understanding of the presentation.
Parks and Planning has been working on a new zoning code for the past three years.
The process is available to the public at www.zoningmontgomery.org.
Here are some background stats for our county:
1. The last rewrite was in 1977.
2. 49% of the county is in the agricultural reserve and parks, leaving 51% as "develop-able"
3. Of the 51%, only 4% remains today as available for new construction of any kind (as opposed to tear-downs and infill). the rest has been built upon.
4. 42% of the county land is residential, 97% of which is zoned for single family dwellings. Only 2.5% is multi-family residential.
The current zoning code is the most complicated and redundant code in the country. There are 121 zoning categories, and the code is in excess of 1152 pages long. There are many pages of charts simply listing the zoning categories; each one has multiple references and footnotes. It is extremely difficult for anyone who wants to build something here to figure out what they are allowed to do.
The new code is not finalized, but is reaching the stages for public comment, further refinement, and eventually, will be brought to the County Council for adoption. It will have a single chart page with all possible classifications. Once online, the public can click on a classification and be brought to all relevant information about allowable building envelope and uses.
Uses for any given classification will be P (Permitted), L (Limited), or C (Conditional). The old category of "special exception" will now be Conditional Use.
Examples of the new classifications are:
RLD20 (Residential Low Density, 20,000 sq. ft. minimum lot size), which replaces R200
RMD9 (Residential Medium Density, 9,000 sq. ft. minimum lot size), which replaces R90
EOF (Employment Office) will be a new commercial category. There will be several other E.. categories for science, education uses.
The residential categories will not change permitted uses from those in the current residential zoning code. Rumors of commercial activity or multi-family uses in currently-zoned residential neighborhoods are untrue. There will be some relaxing of standards for accessory or "granny" dwellings, allowing a maximum 800 sq. ft. attached accessory dwelling or 1200 sq. ft. detached accessory dwelling. There will be specific requirements for parking, limitation to number of residents, and limits on the number of such dwellings on a residential block. These do not allow two-family rental housing, but are designed for an owner-occupant to have an additional dwelling space within their own property.
The most noticeable changes to the zoning code, including in the residential categories, will be the concept of "setback planes." Currently, setbacks are based on the "footprint" of a building, with each zoning category specifying how many feet a side yard, front yard, or rear yard is to be set back from the lot line. There are also height limitations do not correct for topography (slope). The new code will introduce the equivalent of a 3-D "box" into which the new house must fit. There will be standards to determine how much a new building may pierce the box, known in the code as planes. This will prevent a new house from towering over its neighbors and will be easier to understand for builders and homeowners seeking to construct within an existing neighborhood.
The various Employment categories will be written to allow for different levels of mixed-use so that a new commercial development may have retail on the ground floor with residential units above. Current zoning only allows mixed use in certain transit areas, where the new zoning was imposed on top of old, outdated commercial zoning. In addition, developer applicants for new construction will have clear standards to meet. They may have the option of adding space or other design elements that they want by selecting public amenities from an established list to add to their project. During this meeting, there was discussion about bringing the public into the sketch plan process (early in the approval process) so that public input is gathered before county staff and the developers come to an private agreement.
In a discussion of the unfriendly nature of Executive Boulevard for transit and non-vehicular access, it was noted that this commercial area will be in the White Flint 2 master plan. Now that the White Flint Sector Plan has been adopted, this area will be examined next. It will be rezoned with the new classifications so that it is likely to include some residential and retail uses in the future.
Plans for a WalMart in the Pike Center (currently, Office Depot, Bagel City, TGIFridays are there with other retail stores) were discussed. So close to the Twinbrook Metro station, this property is decidedly unsuitable for a retailer that is 100% vehicle-dependent. The discussion of zoning for this property centered on how zoning could encourage transit-friendly uses and discourage a WalMart-type use.
The director of Parks and Planning, Rollin Stanley (who was the presenter at this meeting with several of his staff), has a blog. Go to www.montgomeryplanning.org and click on The Director's Blog.
Again, the zoning rewrite is available on www.zoningmontgomery.org. It is a work in process, and appears to be a vast improvement over the current system.
The following information is from a community meeting conducted last night by Parks and Planning at the Trinity Lutheran Church on Old Georgetown Road (thank you, Trinity, for donating the space!). This effort is my interpretation and understanding of the presentation.
Parks and Planning has been working on a new zoning code for the past three years.
The process is available to the public at www.zoningmontgomery.org.
Here are some background stats for our county:
1. The last rewrite was in 1977.
2. 49% of the county is in the agricultural reserve and parks, leaving 51% as "develop-able"
3. Of the 51%, only 4% remains today as available for new construction of any kind (as opposed to tear-downs and infill). the rest has been built upon.
4. 42% of the county land is residential, 97% of which is zoned for single family dwellings. Only 2.5% is multi-family residential.
The current zoning code is the most complicated and redundant code in the country. There are 121 zoning categories, and the code is in excess of 1152 pages long. There are many pages of charts simply listing the zoning categories; each one has multiple references and footnotes. It is extremely difficult for anyone who wants to build something here to figure out what they are allowed to do.
The new code is not finalized, but is reaching the stages for public comment, further refinement, and eventually, will be brought to the County Council for adoption. It will have a single chart page with all possible classifications. Once online, the public can click on a classification and be brought to all relevant information about allowable building envelope and uses.
Uses for any given classification will be P (Permitted), L (Limited), or C (Conditional). The old category of "special exception" will now be Conditional Use.
Examples of the new classifications are:
RLD20 (Residential Low Density, 20,000 sq. ft. minimum lot size), which replaces R200
RMD9 (Residential Medium Density, 9,000 sq. ft. minimum lot size), which replaces R90
EOF (Employment Office) will be a new commercial category. There will be several other E.. categories for science, education uses.
The residential categories will not change permitted uses from those in the current residential zoning code. Rumors of commercial activity or multi-family uses in currently-zoned residential neighborhoods are untrue. There will be some relaxing of standards for accessory or "granny" dwellings, allowing a maximum 800 sq. ft. attached accessory dwelling or 1200 sq. ft. detached accessory dwelling. There will be specific requirements for parking, limitation to number of residents, and limits on the number of such dwellings on a residential block. These do not allow two-family rental housing, but are designed for an owner-occupant to have an additional dwelling space within their own property.
The most noticeable changes to the zoning code, including in the residential categories, will be the concept of "setback planes." Currently, setbacks are based on the "footprint" of a building, with each zoning category specifying how many feet a side yard, front yard, or rear yard is to be set back from the lot line. There are also height limitations do not correct for topography (slope). The new code will introduce the equivalent of a 3-D "box" into which the new house must fit. There will be standards to determine how much a new building may pierce the box, known in the code as planes. This will prevent a new house from towering over its neighbors and will be easier to understand for builders and homeowners seeking to construct within an existing neighborhood.
The various Employment categories will be written to allow for different levels of mixed-use so that a new commercial development may have retail on the ground floor with residential units above. Current zoning only allows mixed use in certain transit areas, where the new zoning was imposed on top of old, outdated commercial zoning. In addition, developer applicants for new construction will have clear standards to meet. They may have the option of adding space or other design elements that they want by selecting public amenities from an established list to add to their project. During this meeting, there was discussion about bringing the public into the sketch plan process (early in the approval process) so that public input is gathered before county staff and the developers come to an private agreement.
In a discussion of the unfriendly nature of Executive Boulevard for transit and non-vehicular access, it was noted that this commercial area will be in the White Flint 2 master plan. Now that the White Flint Sector Plan has been adopted, this area will be examined next. It will be rezoned with the new classifications so that it is likely to include some residential and retail uses in the future.
Plans for a WalMart in the Pike Center (currently, Office Depot, Bagel City, TGIFridays are there with other retail stores) were discussed. So close to the Twinbrook Metro station, this property is decidedly unsuitable for a retailer that is 100% vehicle-dependent. The discussion of zoning for this property centered on how zoning could encourage transit-friendly uses and discourage a WalMart-type use.
The director of Parks and Planning, Rollin Stanley (who was the presenter at this meeting with several of his staff), has a blog. Go to www.montgomeryplanning.org and click on The Director's Blog.
Again, the zoning rewrite is available on www.zoningmontgomery.org. It is a work in process, and appears to be a vast improvement over the current system.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
A Great Site for Innovation and Energy Consumption Information
I've added a new link in the panel to the right... check it out, the Smithsonian Magazine has an online site devoted to eco-issues. Come back to it often for all new information.
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