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Community Corner

Wheaton Redevelopment - Add Your Voice to Save the Town Square

The proposed plan for downtown Wheaton puts the town square on the south edge of county property, cut in half by Reedie Drive.  Putting the square on the perimeter of development opens it to the bus bays and their noise and fumes.  More troubling though, the future of the square will be in jeopardy when WMATA eventually develops its air rights over the Metro and bus station.  Unless the County makes a covenant with the citizens to never reduce the size of the town square, it is likely to be reduced when WMATA develops its air rights.  Since the county and WMATA are not ready to collaborate in Wheaton redevelopment, the plan needs to recognize and account for the potential development of WMATA (and other surrounding property.)  Toward that end, the new MNCPPC building should be placed where the Mid-country Regional Center now stands where it will provide a strong buffer between the town square and the Metro and buses.  Because that site is lower in elevation, the new MNCPPC building would be able to rise much higher without overshadowing the surrounding shop buildings than if it were placed where the contractors currently propose.  The other major deficiency of the plan is that it fails to do anything about Reedie Drive, Grandview, or Triangle Lane, perhaps because the contractors did not want to have to negotiate with local businesses over parking spaces.  Reedie Drive needs to be absorbed by the construction of the MNCPPC building.  It needs to disappear.  Otherwise it will forever divide the square.  Eliminate that section of Reedie or run it underneath the building and public space.  All cars approaching from East, West and North should be funneled into the underground parking and the streets that surround the square should become pedestrian walkways and allow restaurants and shops to set up outside seating.  Traffic should not cut through the heart of the square.  The plan we have been given would doom the town square and fail to take this opportunity to make the triangle pedestrian friendly.  Please consider placing the MNCPPC at the southern edge between the square and the Metro/busses, eliminate Reedie Dr., and turn Triangle Lane and Grandview into pedestrian walkways.

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