Shady Grove Sector Plan
Environmental Focus Group - April 11, 2003

Attendees:
Tom Ogle, Montgomery County DEP/DEPC
Kay Guinane, Greater Shady Grove Civic Alliance
Pamela Lindstrom, Greater Shady Grove Civic Alliance
Tina Brown, Solutions Not Sprawl
Dolores Milmoe, Audubon Naturalist Society
Vince Berg, Montgomery County Resident
Stephen Caflisch, Sierra Club

Karen Kumm-Morris, Claudia Kousoulas, Nkosi Yearwood, Sue Edwards Community-Based Planning
Katherine Nelson, Mary Dolan, Michael Zamore, Environmental Division
Doug Redmond, Parks Department

The meeting began with a staff explanation of the planning process, the draft redevelopment scenarios, and the area's environmental issues. The group then discussed the environmental impacts and opportunities created by redevelopment. Notes from the discussion follow.

Plan Concepts

• There is no benefit to more housing around the Metro stations if housing is also increased in outlying areas, such as Olney. Particularly if satellite parking lots are not built to reroute drivers.
  
• The Plan's basic ideas are fabulous, taking the opposite perspective of the Upper Rock Creek Plan that "dumps" housing in what should be a low-density area. But together, the two plans cancel each other out. Shady Grove should happen instead of Upper Rock Creek, not in addition to. Need the trade-off to effectively preserve, not just pack in more people.
  
• The Shady Grove Plan should include a section discussing coordination with adjacent plans.
  
• There is less support for smart growth ideas if they are seen as an excuse for more traffic. Need to be regionally consistent.
  
• The Plan's transportation analysis should include a scenario that locates more housing in Shady Grove around the Metro and removes it from Upper Rock Creek and Olney.
  
• Will extra units in Shady Grove be presented as an alternative to more units in Upper Rock Creek?
  
• Create access to and throughout the community with as little reliance on an expanded road system as possible.
  
• Take an integrated approach that is more than superficial. Don't defeat the success of the urban core with a window-dressing of urbanism.

Affordable Housing

• Affordable housing and its impacts should be "counted" up front and should be designed and sized to blend into the overall community. Adequate public facilities should also be in place.
  
• Is there someone at Park and Planning who advocates for affordable housing?
  
• What are the characteristics of the Mill Creek community that should be considered in the design and location of affordable housing?

Site Design

• Can green space be created and captured in green buildings and in site design, such as courtyards?
  
• Enable underground, shared, and reduced parking to reserve green space.
  
• Create value to make underground parking feasible.
  
• Ensure treescape along MD 355, around the Metro, and along Shady Grove Road making them pleasant for walkers. Include below-ground utilities as part of the boulevard character. An attractive environment helps the community accept smart growth ideas.
  
• Can the planned library at Laytonia be relocated to the Metro core to support it as a community center?
  
• Use aesthetic improvements to meet multiple goals: greening, noise, visual, street safety (car speed). Use an integrated approach of solutions and problems.

Plan Recommendations

• Do the draft recommendations reflect what was said at the charrettes?
  
• The Plan recommendations should reflect the Level of Service approved by the Planning Board northeast to Ridge Road.
  
• How will the displaced service uses be handled?

Trails and Bike Routes

• Does the plan include any new paved trails? (Overall, there is less pavement and expanded connections into Rock Creek Park.)
  
• Avoid paving trails, however, it is good to have park access for pedestrians.
  
• Bike routes that tie Gaithersburg into the Metro and into Rock Creek Park are long-desired routes.
  
• The wildlife corridor needs to be preserved.

Water Quality

• The small pond across Crabbs Branch Way from the existing stormwater management pond was intended to offer enhanced water quality treatment.
  
• Does the stream, now in an open culvert, have to be moved?

Reforestation

• Reforestation is not triggered in Shady Grove by a loss of trees, in fact treed and green areas will increase over what is present, but by redevelopment. The Plan's recommendations cause no tree loss.
  
• Could the forest preserve required by reforestation standards be located in a small area of the headwaters of Mill Creek and help offset the impacts of the Oxbridge development on Mill Creek?
  
• The Crabbs Branch pond area is all reforested however, trees to the south of the pound don't naturally regenerate, probably due to wetness.
  
• Could reforest to the base of the stormwater management pond dam along Derwood Station community.
  
• Could also try reforestation on HOA common areas and on the Gude landfill.

Noise

• The area's soundscape is shaped by guidelines for transportation and other noise sources. The County has recently adopted a noise policy that includes highways and is based on the impacts on the receiving property.
  
• Recommend integrated site design that creates a transition of compatible, adjacent uses. Do a review at site plan level that looks at source and receiver and recommends realignment, attenuation, barriers, and enhanced architecture. Apply ordinance standards at final design.
  
• Require at-grade rail crossing to be horn-free zones, use parking garages or service sides of apartment buildings as noise buffers. Low barriers work with rail lines.
  
• The impact on communities of expanding noise walls is unpleasant, should investigate and invest in more landscaping.
  
• Think in terms of prevention first then protection. Include soundscape recommendations in the Plan.

Roads

• The ICC shouldn't be in the Plan. What are recommendations for the ICC roadway and other routes?
  
• The route of the ICC in this Plan takes up part of valuable water and wildlife corridor. The M-83 extension also takes up green space.
  
• Interchanges should help traffic flow but also create pedestrian, bicycle and local links.

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