Business & Tech
Wheaton Redevelopment Report: End of October
Final Safeway approval, slow going through worksessions on Sector Plan.
It's been a busy few weeks for news related to Wheaton's changing downtown. The Planning Board discussed many Wheaton issues during its October 28th meeting.
In addition, B.F. Saul will host a meeting on November 17th at 7 p.m. at Crossways Community to gain community input . Topics will include small business retention, uses of public space, and sustainable development, all specifically about the properties B.F. Saul intends to build on near the southern point of the Triangle area.
Elementary School on its Way to Being Built for 2012
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The proposed elementary school to be built on the former site of the McKenney Hills Elementary School, adjacent to the McKenney Hills Neighborhood Park, made its way along the next step in the chain of approval. MCPS is aiming to open the school by the first day of the 2012-2013 school year. The school is being built to alleviate , which is currently close to being doubly overenrolled.
Most of the testimony was from parents or neighborhood residents about the need for the school, plus discussing what the McKenney Hills Forest Preservation Group, concerned for the surrounding woodland area, had proposed to change in the Forest Conversation Plan for the school's construction.
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Ennalls Avenue Realignment Question Takes Up Nearly Entire Worksession
The second scheduled worksession to discuss feedback to the didn't get close to all of its agenda items, as Board members questioned the ramifications of changing the street path of Ennalls Avenue from Grandview to Georgia for well over an hour.
Board member Norman Dreyfuss asked several staff members what would happen to property owners along the and on Georgia that could be affected by moving the street further south to line up with Price Avenue.
Staff members cited several reasons for the abandonment of the current path of Ennalls to create a new street, including allowing for a possible signal across Georgia, including pedestrian safety and connectivity to create an east-west alternative to University Boulevard and parcel consolidation for the B.F. Saul project.
The board spent considerable time on how the county would go about creating a road through current private property and which properties would actually be affected.
"They are, understandably so, not very excited about a road proposed through their property," Justin Clark, from the transportation division of MNCPPC, said about property owners who had spoken to staff about the possible realignment.
Both B.F. Saul and the county were supportive of the realignment as part of the Master Plan, specifically to create parcel consolidation. While the Master Plan includes a proposed route for the realignment, MNCPPC staff said that an engineering study would take place before it was finalized.
Ultimately no decision was made from the planning board about Ennalls Avenue.
Safeway Project Approved
Patriot Realty's site plan, with , passed the final vote of the Planning Board on October 28th. After a discussion of the building project, as well as the public art by Judy Moore to be placed around the building, the site plan was swiftly approved.
Developers are aiming to start demolishing the existing Safeway by the beginning of next year.
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