Council Weighs Options for Park and Planning Headquarters in Wheaton

The Montgomery County Council is weighing the need for urgency in building a new Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission headquarters in Wheaton against the desire to encourage private developers to share ideas and submit proposals for the Reedie Drive and Parking Lot 13 area.

Before budget decisions are made at the end of May, the county’s Department of General Services will be talking with developers who have expressed interest in building in downtown Wheaton.

With cramped working conditions at a deteriorating headquarters building in Silver Spring, Park and Planning is eager to move. Meanwhile, the council is eager to signal its commitment to Wheaton revitalization, after a year of talks between the county and M-NCPPC.

Council members considered two options at a worksession Friday morning. Both plans would alter a plan for Wheaton redevelopment the council approved last year that envisioned a government office building shared by M-NCPPC and county agencies on Parking Lot 13, on the north side of Reedie Drive.

Option No. 1: "The split-project option"

The first option, supported by Council President Nancy Navarro (D-Dist. 4) of Silver Spring, whose district includes Wheaton, would transfer control of M-NCPPC headquarters from the county to M-NCPPC. The location of the proposed headquarters would shift from Parking Lot 13 to the Mid-County Regional Services Center site on the south side of Reedie Drive.

Under the option, funding for a town square—a major priority for Wheaton residents—would stay in the budget for Wheaton redevelopment. The new building likely would house offices for the Mid-County Regional Services Center and the Wheaton Urban District.

If Park and Planning were to build a new headquarters south of Reedie Drive in Wheaton, it would need to acquire more land, M-NCPPC Chair Françoise Carrier told council members during a joint committee meeting Friday.

Option No. 2: "The developer proposal approach"

The second option, backed by County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), would postpone the decision of where to locate the M-NCPPC headquarters in favor of spending more time engaging with private developers and soliciting proposals for the area encompassing Parking Lot 13 and the south side of Reedie Drive.

“It might result in some delay,” said David Dise, director of the Department of General Services, speaking for Leggett. But ultimately, Dise said, focusing on private investment would bring a long-term economic benefit to Wheaton, whereas the public building would not contribute to the long-term tax base.

Both options would put on hold any plan for county agencies to move to Wheaton to share a building with the proposed Park and Planning headquarters. Leggett opposes moving the agencies, citing costs.

The first option would not preclude looking at private development possibilities for the Reedie Drive site and Parking Lot 13, Navarro said.

The committees are tentatively scheduled to discuss the issues further April 24.

Related Links:

• Wheaton Redevelopment: Different Site Considered for Park and Planning Headquarters - Wheaton Patch (April 3, 2013) 
• Committee packet prepared by Council staff for April 12 meeting - Montgomery County Council website (April 10, 2013) 
• How to Voice Your Opinion About Wheaton Redevelopment - Wheaton Patch (April 5, 2013)
• When Will the County Council Discuss Wheaton Redevelopment? - Wheaton Patch (April 4, 2013)