Written Testimony to the Planning BoardJune 25, 2007
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Leslie Cronin Olney, MD
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Ashton Meeting Place
Preliminary Plan No.
Site Plan No. |
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June Royce Hanson, Chairman MNCPPC Planning Board Silver Spring, Maryland
Re: Ashton Meeting Place (Preliminary Plan
Dear Mr. Hanson:
Again, thank you to the staff at Park and
Planning for their diligent and carefully considered response to the
Planning Board's and community's concerns about Ashton Meeting
Place. I trust that the Board will follow the lead of its
professional staff and vote for denial, at least on the R-
I am deeply troubled that it may not, as
evidenced by the applicant's revised submittal that removes
impervious surfaces from the wetlands and buffers but shows parking
for commercial use in the R-
The issue of on-street parking appears to be particularly thorny within the community, but on-street parking is critical to the success of the "village" both commercially and socially. Personally, I think the more traffic-calming devices such as raised crosswalks, the better--in the end, they will facilitate pedestrian and vehicle safety. Perhaps, too, on-street parking should be restricted to non-rush hours.
SSARPC has submitted a plan that demonstrates our vision of what might be built on the Ashton Meeting Place site. It allows for significant mix of uses square footage, but adheres to wetlands, parking, and Master Plan criteria. The Planning Board would do well to take it into consideration.
Sincerely, Leslie Cronin Olney, MD
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