4 Steps Toward Wheaton Redevelopment

The money is there in the Montgomery County budget, and the county’s Department of Transportation has issued a request for proposals, asking potential developers to submit concepts by the end of July.

So what’s next? What are the steps standing between Wheaton and redevelopment, complete with a Park and Planning headquarters and town square?

Al Roshdieh, deputy director of the Department of Transportation, identified these key steps at a June 12 public meeting at the Wheaton Library.

First, the county will select a proposed developer based on what it gets back from the request for proposals. These proposals will be rated by a group of representatives from the County Council, the County Executive, the Department of Transportation, the Department of General Services, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commision and the Mid-County Regional Services Center. Selection will be based on the developer’s qualification to perform, the cost to the county and the quality of the proposed development, Roshdieh said. This group will come up with a shortlist and conduct interviews before choosing a developer.

Second, the county will negotiate a general development agreement. There will be an opportunity for public participation, to possibly make changes to the proposal, Roshdieh said. Since the M-NCPPC is involved, there will be a joint development agreement.

The third step is one of design and planning approval. The Montgomery County Planning Board will evaluate the public components through mandatory referral, which should take 1.5-2 years, Roshdieh said. The public will have another opportunity to give input at this point, Roshdieh said. The private components will go through the optional method, a zoning procedure used in central business districts like Wheaton’s, in which developers may seek higher densities in exchange for providing community amenities to support that density. Design and planning approval for the private components of the redevelopment should take 2-3 years, Roshdieh said.

The fourth step is construction, which Roshdieh estimates will take 2 years for the public components and 2 years for the private development.