2015, 2016, 2017 MDDC News Organization of the Year! Celebrating more than 160 years of service! Vol. 165, No. 26 • 50¢ SINCE 1855 Thursday, December 5, 2019 INSIDE No. 1 Cougars Fall Short! County Board of Education CC Happenings Though discussions involving approves controversial the nomination process for board members and the issue of compen- sation were lengthy and involved, school boundary changes neither side really had the chance to threaten the unanimous final pas- versa. It shifts students from Roberto sage of legislation establishing a By Ana Mulero W. Clemente Middle School to Policing Advisory Committee dur- Special to The Sentinel ing the county council meeting on Kingsview Middle School and from Dec. 3. ROCKVILLE – The Mont- the latter to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gomery County Public Schools Board Middle School, as well. of Education approved boundary “We’re just growing at an unbe- Page 3 changes on Nov. 26 to address con- lievable rate (of enrollment) and have cerns with projected overcrowding at for more than ten years,” Mont- Clarksburg and Northwest high gomery County Public Schools schools, with high school and middle (MCPS) Superintendent Dr. Jack school reassignments beginning in Smith said. “And it’s just a fact that September 2020. we’re going to have to continue to The school restructuring plan build additions, build schools, reno- passed with a vote of 7-1, impacting vate schools, and then populate those certain students at three high schools schools. And that will inherently in- in Clarksburg, Northwest and Seneca volve having students either change ‘The Nutcracker’ Valley and five middle schools. schools or go to a different school Student communities will be re- than where that neighborhood went assigned from either Clarksburg High three years ago and two years ago and Mark Dreisonstok reviews “The one year ago.” Nutcraker” in Glen Echo. School or Northwest High School to Seneca Valley High School, which is School restructuring comes as a result of projected overutilization at currently undergoing a $150 million Page 11 Clarksburg and Northwest high expansion project. schools, stemming from the results of Additional reassignments will a boundary study that the board had take place at Neelsville Middle approved last November to explore School, Rocky Hill Middle School, high school reassignments. PHOTO BY GEORGE SMITH Roberto W. Clemente Middle School, The Northwest High School football team ended No. 1 Quince Orchard’s The study projected that, by the Kingsville Middle School and Dr. season on Nov. 29 with a 22-13 victory to earn a berth to the 4A state finals end of the six-year planning period, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle as they take on Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Annapolis. Cougars running back Marquez Cooper falls to the ground as he is devastated in School. The shuffling reassigns stu- his final game as a senior. Story on Page 17. dents from Neelsville Middle School to Rocky Hill Middle School and vice See Changes, Page 8 Swarm! Polemical proposed housing impact fee draws applause, condemnation With a standing-room-only more expensive home on the same lot. would generate $10 million a year of erected on the same lot, it would sell crowd in attendance to see who By Suzanne Pollak These teardowns, as they are new money for the county, of which for $1.75 million, he said. would move forward to play in the @SuzannePollak That homeowner would not be big football game, Damascus High called, can be seen throughout the $5.7 million would be dedicated to charged an impact fee under the cur- School sealed the deal with a travel ROCKVILLE – Some people at- county on streets where mini-man- school construction, and $4.3 million rent law. victory, 21-14, over Huntingtown tending a Dec. 3 Montgomery County sions are situated amidst the older, would go into the county’s affordable But if someone built a new High School. Council hearing on the proposed smaller homes that were originally housing programs. 1,700-square foot townhouse on a va- Page 20 Housing Impact Fairness Act said it built there. “A newly rebuilt home is cur- would go a long way toward ending Councilman Evan Glass said he rently exempt. I don’t think that’s fair. cant lot, that developer would be homelessness and school overcrowd- proposed the impact fee to close what I don’t think that’s equitable,” Glass charged between $34,000 and ing while others called it a double he considered a loophole in the coun- said prior to the public hearing. “Ulti- $50,000, Glass said. housing tax that would drive business ty tax laws. Under the current impact mately, this legislation is about fair- The council has agreed to add out of the county. fee, all new home construction is ness.” 23,000 new affordable housing units during the next decade, and this fee The proposed act would levy an charged an annual impact fee, but A home built in 1948 that is would help meet that goal, Glass said. impact fee of about $50,000 every teardowns are not excluded. 1,700 square feet sells for $700,000, time an older home was torn down Glass predicted that if the impact Glass said. If that home is torn down and replaced by a much larger and fees also were levied on teardowns, it and a 42,000 square-foot-home is See Housing, Page 8 2 THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL DECEMBER 5, 2019 EFLECTIONS R The Montgomery County Sentinel, published weekly by Berlyn Inc. Publish- ing, is a community newspaper covering November 12, 1987: Council orders Silver Spring mall study Montgomery County, Maryland. Our of- fices are located at 22 W. Jefferson Each week the Sentinel visits a “Now we’ll see if Lloyd given to retail housing projects. ness district, up to 13,500 - an in- Street, Suite 309, Rockville, MD 20850. memorable story from its archives. Moore’s glorious vision can come Unanimously approved legis- crease of 8,800 jobs. Founded in 1855 by Matthew Fields. All mail to: P.O. Box 1272, Rockville, MD to fruition,” said Coucilmember lation establishing a transportation In addition to Moore’s pro- 20849-1272. Subscription Rates for The Now that the county council Neale Potter. management district in Silver posed project, which also includes Montgomery County Sentinel – Weekly by mail: $40.00 per year & $26.50 for Se- has made major policy decisions Moore has expressed interest in Spring to encourage greater use of four office buildings, apartment nior Citizens. (USPS) 361-100. spurring redevelopment of down- putting a department store on either mass transit and ride sharing as a buildings, an apartment building town Silver Spring, its attention is side of Georgia Avenue and con- way of to alleviate traffic conges- and a hotel, the new job ceiling Bernard Kapiloff focusing on what from the start has necting the two with an above- tion. could accommodate several new of- PUBLISHER EMERITUS been the most controversial issue-- ground walkway. But the council in- Voted 4-3 to allow substantial fice buildings, an apartment build- Lynn G. Kapiloff developer Lloyd W. Moore’s plan to structed its study group to explore new development in Silver Spring ing to house the National Oceanic CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER/ PUBLISHER build a huge shopping mall and of- whether retail development could by raising the number of additional and Atmospheric Administration [email protected] fice complex at the corner of Geor- be restricted to the block east of jobs permitted in the area to 11,250. and a smaller mall proposed by de- gia Avenue and Colesville Road. Georgia Avenue. The amendment to the county’s an- veloper Walter Petrie. Mark Kapiloff ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER The council unanimously The council also took the fol- nual growth policy also reserves Council President Rose Crenca [email protected] agreed Tuesday to set up a working lowing action on the three policy 2,000 of the new jobs for retail pro- joined council members William E. group to explore the feasibility of a initiatives affecting downtown Sil- jects and authorizes 3,000 new Hanna Jr., Micheal L. Subin and EDITORIAL retail shopping mall for Silver ver Spring. housing units for the downtown. Micheal L. Gudis in supporting the Spring. Unanimously approved an About 25,000 jobs now exist in higher job ceiling. Daniel Kucin Jr. The council asked the group, amendment to the Silver Spring sec- Silver Spring, with already-ap- And, the council introduced EXECUTIVE EDITOR which will include Moore’s repre- tor plan that specifies the criteria for proved projects amounting to an- measures designed to ensure the [email protected] sentatives and staff from the Plan- evaluating local projects. Most de- other 7,500 jobs. Kramer had pro- county has the authority to include José Umaña ning Board and County Executive velopment will be restricted to the posed raising the existing ceiling, “traffic mitigation agreements” as CITY EDITOR Sidney Kramer’s office, to deliver core area surrounding the Metro sta- which limited further approvals to conditions to development plans. [email protected] its report within 60 days. tion and special emphasis will be 4,500 new jobs in the central busi- Public hearings were set for Jan. 19. Neal Earley [email protected] ASSIGNMENTS NEWS George Smith Swastika drawn on student desk at MoCo middle school Write us PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR The Montgomery County Sentinel Tazeen Ahmad of eight bias incidents per month, ac- to administration, staff, students and CALENDAR EDITOR By Suzanne Pollak cording to the report. parents. [email protected] @Suzanne Pollak welcomes letters.