Kids & Family

Council's Redevelopment Plan Includes Coalition's Revisions

The revised language adds small business and job creation opportunities.

What did the Coalition for the Fair Redevelopment of Wheaton get out of ?

Compare the language originally included in the council staff proposal and the revisions proposed by the Coalition and adopted by the council. Changes are in bold.


PROPOSED LANGUAGE: "The Executive will brief the Council regarding the outcome of these studies before the Executive resumes negotiating the terms of any General Development Agreement." 

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PROPOSED REVISION: "The Executive will brief the Council regarding the outcome of these studies and any planning or negotiations regarding job opportunities and training as well as small business protections before the Executive resumes negotiating the terms of any General Development Agreement."  

PROPOSED LANGUAGE: "The project  also provides up to $650,000 in FY13 for consulting services, including an evaluation of the financial feasibility of redeveloping the WMATA bus bay site and a comprehensive parking study to identify potential disruptions to parking supply and changes in parking demand that result from redevelopment and how those changes in supply and demand might affect existing businesses in Wheaton, and to identify potential solutions (including, but not limited to signage, parking management, and temporary/interim parking)." 

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PROPOSED REVISION: "The project also provides up to $650,000 in FY13 for consulting services, including an evaluation of the financial feasibility of redeveloping the WMATA bus bay site; a comprehensive parking study to identify potential  disruptions to parking supply and changes in parking demand that result from redevelopment  and how those changes in supply and demand might  affect  existing businesses in Wheaton, and to identify potential solutions (including, but not limited to signage, parking management, and temporary/interim parking); and planning studies that review potential  models and approaches to creating additional local jobs and job training opportunities in advance of /during redevelopment, including relevant case examples in Montgomery County as well as innovative models from other jurisdictions in the DC region as well as nationally."

Ash Kosiewicz, the lead organizer, said that the Coalition was excited that the council adopted its recommended language. However, because Wheaton redevelopment will now begin with the M-NCPPC headquarters instead of the platform, construction on Lot 13 will move up three years, which leaves businesses less time to prepare for the disturbance, he said.

"We're really happy that there's some language there, but there still needs to be dedicated work to make sure that the funding is there to support small businesses and that there are those protections in place," he said. 

Kosiewicz called the inclusion of parking studies a "huge step forward" because it was a major concern for small business owners in the Wheaton downtown area.

"We had been told for a long time that there was parking nearby and that there were enough spaces, but there was nothing in writing saying how they were going to get people from where they parked to the downtown," he said. 


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