Kensington Council Discusses Wheaton Redevelopment

Stay informed with Wheaton-related items that the neighboring Kensington Council discussed last week at its meeting.

Kensington MARC train station

A proposed zoning amendment would pull the MARC train out of the commercial/residential zones for the Wheaton Sector Plan as transit proximity. If the zoning amendment passes, the site would not get parking reductions and would not be able to maximize density just by being next to MARC station. A public hearing on this matter will take place on April 10.

Wheaton Redevelopment

Larysa Kurylas, who attended the meeting as a resident and not a representative for the Wheaton Redevelopment Advisory Committee, supports the platform project in an upcoming budget that will be voted on March 20. She said it's a key first step in transforming Wheaton into an urban sector. Without this first step, Wheaton will be “relegated to the backwaters.”

Councilmember Sean McMullen suggested the council motion to write a letter to county council as opposed to a resolution, suggesting they postpone decision-making in order to explore further details of the platform plan and its alternatives.