Meeting Round-Up: WUDAC December

The Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee met Dec. 13 at the , as it does every second Tuesday of the month.

Here are some of the highlights:

Police report

Sergeant Adam Currie, of the 4th District Montgomery County Police, reported on crime in Wheaton’s Central Business District, a topic of particular interest after the three carjackings at Wheaton Plaza in late November.

He spoke about how residents can help prevent crime by locking car doors and watching abandoned homes for signs of illegal activity, such as underage drinking. Currie also addressed the perception of a high rate of violent crime in Wheaton. Full story to come on the Patch later today.

Talks with Wal-Mart 

Ana Lopez van Balen, in her report as the director of the Mid-County Regional Services Center, mentioned that “Wal-Mart reached out to me” and that the company hopes to start holding community conversations in January about Wal-Mart’s plans in Aspen Hill.

Wiliam Moore, a WUDAC member who owns the IHOP in downtown Wheaton, suggested that Wal-Mart send a representative to speak with WUDAC.

Community Benefits Agreement Bill

Adam Fogel, chief of staff for Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Navarro, attended the meeting and answered questions about the community benefits agreement bill.

He said that Navarro “strongly believes in the concept that the community needs to be involved when these big-box stores come in.” Navarro is a co-sponsor of the bill.

Redevelopment Report

Peter McGinnity waived his time to present the Wheaton Redevelopment Program report in order to allow more time for community concerns brought forth by Danila Sheveiko of Kensington Heights. However, McGinnity distributed a printed copy of the report, which is attached to this Patch article.

Community Concerns

Danila Sheveiko of Kensington Heights asked WUDAC members to carefully consider their position on the community benefits agreement bill in the Montgomery County Council and what language they would recommend to improve it.

However, this plea came too late, as WUDAC had voted--just minutes before--to send a letter to the council saying that the bill “is untenable in its current form, and does not adequately balance business and community interests.”

Sheveiko also brought up the proposed small business kiosk in the Wheaton Mall. The kiosk would open when the Costco opens and would promote small businesses, according to the terms of the $4 million county grant to Westfield. Sheveiko asked WUDAC to get involved with setting up the kiosk now, even before the Costco opens for business.

Westfield

Matt Barry, the general manager of Westfield Wheaton, did not attend the meeting and so did not give a report on Westfield.