Redevelopment Threatens Small Business and Community Programs
Montgomery County councilmembers tried to reassure people in Wheaton about the changes redevelopment will bring.
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Concerns surfaced at last night’s town hall meeting that coming redevelopment in Wheaton will displace small businesses and minority-serving community programs.
Luis Bonilla of Choice Electronics, a supporter of the Coalition for the Fair Redevelopment of Wheaton, asked Montgomery County councilmembers what they would do to ease problems for small business owners. Other members of the coalition sat in the audience gathered at A. Mario Loiederman Middle School and held up small green signs.
Councilmember Hans Riemer (D-At large) responded that the small business character of Wheaton “is not something we want to lose.” He said that the redevelopment plan does not indicate that Wheaton is not thriving: “Wheaton is not a failed commercial district.”
However, Riemer added that because Wheaton’s business district has a Metro station, it should prepare itself to absorb development.
Councilmember Marc Elrich (D-At large) addressed what he called the “fundamental tension” between developers and the small businesses that currently occupy prime downtown real estate. As development raises property values, small businesses could be left with only one option: to move elsewhere.
“We have very few programs that help small businesses stay in place in the face of rising rent levels,” Elrich said.
But Councilmember George Leventhal (D-At large) cautioned that small business owners should not worry about being forced out soon because redevelopment will be a “20 to 30 year process.”
“Wheaton is not going to change radically tomorrow,” Leventhal said.
Redevelopment plans would displace the community programs currently housed in the Mid-County Services Center on Reedie Drive. One such program, Proyecto Salud, provides health services for minorities. At the town hall meeting, Proyecto Salud’s director, Cesar Palacios asked the councilmembers where the programs would be housed in the future.
The councilmembers deferred to Ana Lopez van Balen, the Mid-County Services Center’s director, who could not give a specific answer, but said that “the plan is to include everyone.”
Thomas Hardman
8:41 pm on Thursday, November 3, 2011
I find it almost astonishing that there has been no reporting on the Council responses to questions about what they are going to do for Aspen Hill, what about the possible Walmart in Aspen Hill, what about the upcoming Aspen Hill Master Plan revision, etc etc. It might not be Wheaton, but the same issues affect all of us, and with the Census Redistricting, we may all soon share the came District Council representation. These issues deserve coverage.
Judy Fiml
9:31 am on Sunday, November 27, 2011
I live one block from the proposed Aspen Hill Walmart and have for 25 years. I have trouble driving in the area now... and see families with strollers in danger as they attempt to simply cross Conn Avenue. There certainly must be a more appropriate solution for the use of a vacant building besides placing a Walmart there!
Thomas Hardman
8:04 pm on Sunday, November 27, 2011
If families in strollers decided to obey the law -- and the new highly-visible curb signs -- and crossed at signal-controlled intersections in the crosswalks, they would be in little danger.
No office building can succeed there, except perhaps for a government office building. Neither the County nor State governments have expressed interest when contacted. The only uses for the property are commercial, almost certainly retail. Because of the size and location of the property, only Big Box retailers can be there. Or did you want even more strip-mall frontage in the Aspen Hill Central Business District.
I've thought this over and have consulted with various persons attached to this matter, and whether or not there is to be a Walmart there, traffic control will have to be coordinated with the State Highway Administration.
All entry and egress on both Aspen Hill Rd and Georgia Ave (MD-97) will have to be blocked. The only entry would be off of Connecticut Avenue between its intersections with Aspen Hill Rd and Georgia Avenue. An additional signal will have to be installed and that will work with the other traffic signals nearby. Additionally, this will ease traffic issues with Home Depot as well, not to mention allowing traffic from that side to go straight across Connecticut Ave to the Northgate Plaza shopping center. That shopping center can be redesigned to deal with Aspen Hill and Georgia Avenue traffic entry/egress to the whole system.