Shady Grove Sector Plan Minor Master Plan Amendment
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Committee: PHED AGENDA ITEM 11A&B Committee Review: Completed March 23, 2021 Staff: Pamela Dunn, Senior Legislative Analyst Worksession Montgomery Glenn Orlin, Senior Analyst County Council Purpose: To make preliminary decisions – straw vote expected Keywords: #Shady Grove, Minor Master Plan Amendment SUBJECT Council worksession to discuss the recommendations of the Planning, Housing, and Economic Development (PHED) Committee regarding the Planning Board Draft of the Shady Grove Sector Plan Minor Master Plan Amendment. EXPECTED ATTENDEES Casey Anderson, Chair, Montgomery County Planning Board Gwen Wright, Director, Planning Department Mike Riley, Director, Montgomery Parks Carrie Sanders, Chief, Mid-County Planning, Planning Department Jessica McVary, Master Plan Supervisor, Mid-County Planning Nkosi Yearwood, Planner Coordinator, Mid-County Planning Patrick Reed, Transportation Planner Coordinator, Mid-County Planning Steve Findley, Environmental Planner Coordinator, Mid-County Planning Eric Graye, Planning Supervisor, Countywide Planning & Policy Christopher Conklin, Director, Montgomery County Department of Transportation Hannah Henn, Deputy Director, Montgomery County Department of Transportation Andrew Bossi, Director’s Office, Montgomery County Department of Transportation COUNCIL DECISION POINTS & COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION • Council will take straw votes on the recommendations of the PHED Committee regarding the Planning Board Draft of the Shady Grove Sector Plan Minor Master Plan Amendment. • The recommendations (too numerous to list here) are covered in two separate staff reports. The staff report labeled Agenda Item 11A addresses the land use; zoning; historic preservation; urban design; parks, trails and open space; and community facility recommendations in the Plan. The staff report labeled Agenda Item 11B addresses recommendations related to transportation infrastructure and adequacy, as well as development staging. DESCRIPTION/ISSUE On October 15, 2020, the Montgomery County Planning Board approved the Shady Grove Sector Plan Minor Master Plan Amendment. The Plan makes recommendations for urban design; land use and zoning; historic resources; and parks, trails and open spaces within the Shady Grove Sector Plan area, as well as recommendations intended to address transportation capacity; development staging; overall circulation; and pedestrian and bikeways connections within the Plan area. SUMMARY OF KEY DISCUSSION POINTS • The PHED Committee held three worksessions on the Plan. • The staff report for the first worksession, held on March 1, can be viewed at: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/agenda/cm/2021/20210301/ 20210301_PHED2.pdf • The staff report for the second worksession, held on March 15, can be viewed at: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/agenda/cm/2021/20210315/ 20210315_PHED1.pdf • The staff report for the third worksession, held on March 18, can be viewed at: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/agenda/cm/2021/20210318/ 20210318_PHED-5.pdf • The Planning Board Draft of the Shady Grove Sector Plan Minor Master Plan Amendment can be viewed at: https://montgomeryplanning.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Shady-Grove-Minor-Master- Plan-Amendment-Planning-Board-Draft-12-17-20.pdf This report contains: Staff Report for Agenda Item 11A: Memorandum on urban design, zoning, historic resources, and other land use-related recommendations Staff Report for Agenda Item 11B: Memorandum on transportation infrastructure, development staging and adequacy. Alternative format requests for people with disabilities. If you need assistance accessing this report you may submit alternative format requests to the ADA Compliance Manager. The ADA Compliance Manager can also be reached at 240-777-6197 (TTY 240-777-6196) or at [email protected] Agenda Item #11A March 23, 2021 M E M O R A N D U M March 18, 2021 TO: County Council FROM: Pamela Dunn, Senior Legislative Analyst SUBJECT: Shady Grove Sector Plan Minor Master Plan Amendment PURPOSE: Worksession – Review PHED Committee Recommendations This memorandum presents the recommendations of the Planning, Housing, and Economic Development (PHED) Committee regarding the Shady Grove Sector Plan Minor Master Plan Amendment. A separate memorandum from Glenn Orlin will address the Committee’s transportation recommendations. This memorandum covers recommendations on urban design, land use, zoning, housing, parks, trails and open space, sustainability, historic resources, and community facilities, both property-specific recommendations and broader recommendations for the Plan area in general. The PHED Committee’s recommendations are highlighted in bold. Councilmembers may wish to bring their copy of the Plan to the meeting. BACKGROUND The Shady Grove Sector Plan Minor Master Plan Amendment encompasses a plan area defined by several major transportation facilities, including Frederick Road (MD 355), the Intercounty Connector (MD 200), Shady Grove Road, Redland Road, Midcounty Highway, the Metrorail station and tracks, the CSX rail tracks, and the future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor along MD 355. The Plan area is home to a variety of residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional uses. Established residential neighborhoods are primarily in the northern and southeastern portions of the Plan area. A variety of public facilities, including Blueberry Hill Local Park, Redland Local Park, Washington Grove Conservation Park, Mill Creek Stream Valley Park, and Shady Grove Middle School provide recreational and educational opportunities to residents in these areas. Single-use commercial areas along Crabbs Branch Way, Frederick Road (MD 355) and Oakmont Avenue further define the Plan area. In addition, the Plan area is adjacent to three municipalities: the City of Rockville, the City of Gaithersburg, and the Town of Washington Grove. Since 20061, the Plan area’s size has been modified with the annexations of three properties by the Cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville. Families represent a majority of households, 72 percent, in the study area. Single-headed households account for approximately 28 percent of residents, which is comparable to the Countywide average of 30 percent. The area’s household types for owner-occupied (63 percent) and rental-occupied (36 percent) housing are comparable to the Countywide averages. The study area’s white population (57 percent) is higher than the Countywide average of 46 percent and the percentages of Asians (18 percent) and Hispanics (20 percent) are also higher than the Countywide averages of 14 percent and 18 percent, respectively. African Americans account for 14 percent of residents in the study area, which is lower than the Countywide average of 17 percent. The vision of this Sector Plan Amendment is to create a future Shady Grove Metro Station area that is home to a mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented environment with attractive streetscapes, distinctive architecture, and a sense of place that is complemented with public art, facilities and amenities, and new mobility options. This vision is consistent with the 2006 Shady Grove Sector Plan, which aimed to transform a light industrial area into a new mixed-use community near the Shady Grove Metro Station PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS On pages 18-19 of the Planning Board Draft Sector Plan Amendment, key recommendations are organized under one of the following eight categories2: Urban Design, Land Use and Zoning, Housing, Mobility, Parks, Trails and Open Space, Sustainability, Historic Resources, and Community Facilities. As the name suggests, the key recommendations offer a summarized view of the most prominent recommendations under each area of focus. I. Urban Design (pages 21-29) This Sector Plan Amendment confirms the framework recommended by the 2006 Plan; design recommendations are focused on neighborhoods that remain undeveloped or areas where potential has changed as a result of development approvals, changes in zoning, or annexations by adjacent municipalities. Design guidance is focused on commercial clusters on Shady Grove Road and Metro East, West, and South neighborhoods. According to the Sector Plan Amendment, development within the Metro neighborhoods should promote quality building and site design for all new development; prioritize development at strategic locations; focus improvements along existing streets that connect to the Metro station and communities on both sides of the rail tracks; and concentrate public open space at locations supportable by existing and proposed connections, integrated as accessible amenities. In addition, redevelopment and new construction should create a pattern of interconnected streets and public open spaces with street-oriented buildings; explore a vertical use mix, where feasible; consider horizontal mixes to retain existing uses or create unique local character; consider different and innovative types of development; prioritize development along Somerville Drive and Redland Road; reduce the size of larger blocks to promote pedestrian activity; encourage quality building and site design elements; and ensure design of new buildings provides amenities supportive of pedestrian, bicycle, and micro-mobility circulation. 1 The current Sector Plan for this area was adopted in 2006. 2 Each one a chapter in the plan. 2 With respect to urban design and open space, the Sector Plan Amendment confirms several of the components of the open space system recommended by the 2006 Plan