Council Meeting: Long Branch & Chevy Chase Lake on Agenda

The Montgomery County Council will hold morning and afternoon worksessions on the proposed Chevy Chase Lake Sector Plan on July 9. The Council also will begin to look at the Long Branch Sector Plan, with a morning overview and a 7:30 p.m. public hearing on the proposal that would create a pedestrian friendly community with improved facilities and designs for the neighborhood that will be revitalized as it is served by the future Purple Line.

The Council’s full day will begin with its regular weekly meeting starting at 9:30 a.m. in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The morning session, the afternoon session that will begin at 1:30 p.m. and the evening public hearing will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon). The broadcast also will be streamed through the County Web site at www.montgomerycountymd.gov. It will be repeated starting at 9 p.m. on July 12.

During the morning session, the Council will recognize Safeway’s new Bethesda and Olney stores which this year became the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certified grocery stores in Maryland. The designation signifies that a building was designed and built using environmentally friendly strategies. The Olney Safeway store features a pervious concrete pavement parking lot; a vegetative green roof; a public butterfly park that serves as a stormwater management feature; and a protocol-distributed refrigeration system. The Bethesda Safeway design includes glass windows accenting the front of the building that were made from recycled glass recovered from the original Safeway built in 1956.

The Council and its Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee have been addressing the Chevy Chase Lake Sector Plan for several months. The plan could significantly alter the small community located along Connecticut Avenue near the Beltway interchange. The Purple Line is planned to go near Chevy Chase Lake.

The morning worksession, which is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:30 a.m., will focus on the fiscal and economic impact of the Chevy Chase Lake plan. The worksession also will address transportation issues regarding the proposal. Portions of the Purple Line, which will connect the Bethesda and New Carrollton Metrorail stations, and the Capital Crescent Trail are regional projects that will pass through the area regardless of whether Chevy Chase Lake is redeveloped. Bikeways and sidewalks between Manor Road and Chevy Chase Lake Drive likely will be built only as redevelopment evolves—and the costs of those projects generally will be borne by the developers of those projects.

The afternoon worksession will address recommendations on the plan that were made by the PHED Committee.

During the morning session, the Office of Legislative Oversight will release a report entitled “Best Practices in Open Data Initiatives.” The Council has been seeking methods to make more data easily available to the public. Councilmember Hans Riemer, who is the lead member for digital government on the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee, has advocated the movement toward open government initiatives.

The morning session also will include introduction of a resolution to support the Montgomery County Early Childhood Advisory Council. The resolution is sponsored by Councilmember Valerie Ervin, who chairs the Council’s Education Committee.

About Staff Writer

View all posts by Staff Writer