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TOPIC: Pedestrian Access
I have lived in Ashton for
19 years and reside about 2 miles from the proposed Ashton
Meeting Place development. I am a member of the Sandy Spring-Ashton
Rural Preservation Consortium Steering Committee, but these comments
are made by myself as a citizen of the Ashton community.
An article in the June 14th
Washington Post caught my eye. The article is about the Planning
Board’s vision for the new Silver Spring transit center:
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“…a place that is appealing to pedestrians”
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“…size of crosswalks, appearance of sidewalks and creation of a
small park that may eventually contain a bike station”
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“…encourage walkable communities…. something that’s very
welcoming to someone on foot…”
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“…reduce the number of pedestrian conflicts with traffic…”
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“…place that will attract users of all different modes…”
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“…appearance of the development consistent….” with the area
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“…tree lined walkways”
I commend the Planning Board for
recognizing the importance of an inviting place for pedestrian
access to the new transit center.
What is the difference between this
development and the proposed Ashton Meeting Place development? An
obvious difference is scale; Silver Spring is urban while Ashton is
rural. The Silver Spring development is a transit center and
Ashton Meeting Place is a rural shopping center. However, with
respect to pedestrian access, the Planning Board’s concepts apply to
both locations.
Does the current Ashton Meeting Place
design realize the concept of an appealing, walkable area?
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The village green was initially designed as an attractive entry
for pedestrians and a space for socializing. The new design
reduces the size and function of the green so much that it is no
longer an enticing area to enter.
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Before, pedestrians could enter the interior of the shopping
area through the village green. Now, people approaching from
the intersection will have to walk long distances on the
sidewalks along the highways to get to many of the shops: Route 108 (and the back wall of the grocery store) and
Route 650.
From Route 108, people will have to walk across the loading
dock area of the grocery store to get to the shops, a safety
concern
The State Highway Administration has
considered pedestrian access along Routes 108
and
650.
Crosswalks will be made of a brick like material and there will be
push-button walk signals. This will help reduce conflicts between
pedestrians and traffic.
In order to make the crosswalks work as
an integrated area, sidewalks need to be developed in all the areas,
not just around Ashton Meeting Place. It is now possible to walk
from downtown Sandy Spring to the crossroads on sidewalks, and
people do that regularly.
The Ashton Meeting Place developers do
not seem to understand that there will be increased pedestrian
traffic. In Mr. Perrine’s letter of June
22nd,
on page
2,
he contends that there are few homes around the area so that few
people will be walking. Although I live
2
miles away, people in my neighborhood walk or bike to the
crossroads. People walk to the area from Sandy Spring and Sherwood
High School, as well as all the single family homes and townhouses
that are close by. Since the developer does not recognize the need
for a walkable area, why is he asking for a variance to reduce the
number of parking spaces by 26?
The Staff recommends “Sites should be
pedestrian oriented with plazas, greens and sidewalks…” Please,
support the Staff report and deny this application.
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