Friends of Forest Glen & Montgomery Hills

Once again it is time for the residents surrounding Georgia Ave from 16^th Street to Forest Glen Road to support the recommendations of Alternative 5B in the MD 97 Georgia Ave Study.

On page 26 of the Forest Glen/Montgomery Hills Sector Plan PUBLIC HEARING DRAFT (dated APRIL 2019) Planning Staff recommendations support the design elements in SHA’s Alternative 5B. We remain solidly in support of the modified Alternative 5B design elements and affirm our strong support for these recommendations.

Please consider sending letters of support via e-mail to MCP-Chair@mncppc-mc.org, faxed to Chair Casey Anderson at 301-495-1320, or addressed to: Casey Anderson, Chair, Montgomery County Planning Board, 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. Comments must be received by May 29, 2019.

Over 900 residents signed a petition urging SHA to proceed promptly with Alternative 5B. This level and unanimity of support for a SHA project is unprecedented. You can see the signatures along with residents’ support here – or sign for yourself: http://chng.it/K7BhnrXFxM

Over the past year or so we have been working to do everything possible to make sure that the modified Alternative 5B is formally selected by the SHA Administrator, that plans are completed, and that construction and the necessary right-of-way acquisition is fully funded.

The problems of Georgia Ave between 16^th Street and Forest Glen Road have long plagued the neighborhoods and the boulevard solution is not new. In 1927 planners proposed the “boulevarding of Georgia Ave” (See ad above from the [Washington, D.C.] Evening Star, September 17, 1927, page 9, courtesy of WPCA resident Bob Oshel)

Forward forty years, and in the late 1970s, frustrated with the problems created by Georgia Ave, residents drafted their own master plan to fix Georgia Ave.  Consequently, a boulevard design for Georgia Ave was proposed by Planning in the 1978 North Silver Spring Sector Plan, recommended again in the 1996 Forest Glen Master Plan,  reaffirmed in the 2000 North and West Silver Spring Master Plan, and cemented in the 2008 Georgia Ave Study: An Urban Design Framework.

We hope that after 40 years of waiting the current plan will finally remake Georgia Ave into a corridor that connects and enlivens, rather than divides and blights.

Please send in your comments to Chairperson Anderson. It would help to copy Councilmember Tom Hucker via councilmember.Hucker@montgomerycountymd.gov and County Executive Marc Elrich via marc.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov so they can help secure the funding to make the plans a reality.

Dear Readers –

I’m excited to announce that I am putting my hat in the ring for the open seat at the Montgomery County Planning Board.

As a lifelong Montgomery County resident, I am committed to ensuring our county continues to invest in smart, green, and equitable policies that not only grow our economy, but also create a “sense of place” for all of our vibrant neighborhoods. Most importantly, as the son of immigrants, I hope to be a voice for our county’s more diverse populations and to advocate particularly for inclusive policies that serve our most vulnerable populations.

From my position as the Land Use Chair on the Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board to being on the Executive Board of the Sierra Club, to founding the Friends of Forest Glen and Montgomery Hills, I am a dedicated advocate who will work tirelessly for the issues that affect our communities.

It would be my honor to have your support and would love if you could show your support by emailing our County Council at

County.Council@MontgomeryCountyMD.gov

Thank you!

-Partap Verma

Founder – Friends of Forest Glen & Montgomery Hills

Join us at the Woodside Deli on Friday, February 1st from 5-7:30 pm.

We’ll be there from 5-7:30 pm. Warm up with some friends & neighbors. Learn about efforts to #FixGeorgiaAve. Support a local business. Have a beer (they sell beer and wine!)

Hope to see you there!

Please join the Transportation, Energy, and Environment (TREE) Committee of the Silver Spring Citizen’s Advisory Board (SSCAB) for a presentation and discussionWith Greg Slater, Administrator, Maryland State Highway Administration, Katie Mencarini, Senior Planner, Montgomery County Planning Department, and Gary Erenrich, Special Assistant to the Director, Montgomery County DOT

Monday, January 28^th 7:00 pm

Silver Spring Civic Building

Georgia Ave serves as a gateway to downtown Silver Spring, and the section between the Beltway and 16^th Street is one of the most highly-traveled, congested, and unsafe corridors in Maryland. SHA’s Purpose and Need Study reports crashes of all types occur at rates significantly higher than the statewide average for those crash types on similar roads. The current design of the roadway and intersections is both unsafe and unwelcoming to pedestrians and bicyclists, and therefore even with two nearby Metro Stations (Forest Glen and Silver Spring) few dare to walk or bike. The volume of vehicles, minimal pedestrian or bicycle safety measures, lack of greenery, hodgepodge of traffic signage, and overhead clutter make the area ugly and unwelcoming leading to stagnation of the neighborhood retail area and making it hard for businesses to thrive and for redevelopment to occur.

SHA, and Montgomery County Planning, and MCDOT have been working on a redesign of Georgia Ave that would create a pedestrian-scaled streetscape with improved sidewalks, a tree-lined median, and dedicated bike facilities. Efforts to improve traffic flow are also being studied, but within the context of prioritizing safety for all modes. Please come out and hear from Administrator Slater and Senior Planner Mencarini as they present interim- and long-term proposed roadway improvements and discuss the estimated timeline for implementation.

We hope you can join us.

You may have seen the signs or heard the news – Nothing Bundt Cakes is opening soon! Owner Katheryn Hoerster is happy to announce a projected soft opening date of December 31st for the cake shop located in Seminary Place Shopping Center. 

Nothing Bundt Cakes carries a variety of sizes and flavors of delicious bundt cakes, as well as a selection of gifts, cards, candles, and balloons to enhance any celebration. When the bakery opens, the rotating flavor will be Snickerdoodle, a cinnamon and sugar cake topped with their signature cream cheese frosting. Other popular flavors include White Chocolate Raspberry, Lemon, Red Velvet, and Chocolate Chocolate Chip. With four sizes of cakes, there is a solution for all your cake needs, whether business-to-business, gift giving, holidays, birthdays, or weddings.

Katheryn says she feels lucky to have found space in Montgomery Hills and is looking forward to being a part of the neighborhood. “Silver Spring has been so welcoming over the last few months” she says, “and I’m excited to be part of such a great community.” Though the area is facing some infrastructure challenges, she knows the vibrant and bustling neighborhood is a fantastic location for a bakery.

The Grand Opening party – CAKE-A-POLOOZA 2019 – will be held on Saturday, January 26th, with fun activities (and plenty of cake) for all ages. The chamber-hosted ribbon cutting will be January 23rd at 4:00. The whole community is invited to both events!

A Return to the Past!

Coming soon to a Metro Parking Lot near you…

#FGTownSquare

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) and its 6,500 members and the thousands of people that support improving options for safe and convenient biking, sent SHA Administrator Slater a letter to support complete funding for the Georgia Ave improvements.

You can read the entire letter here: WABA Letter of Support_MD97 Montgomery Hills_Oct 2018