Planning Board Denies AMP Plan, Page 2

The decision strongly supports the SSARPC vision for a rural village, a major part of the Master Plan.  Each Board member spoke about the need to comply with the Master Plan’s guidelines for rural village character in Ashton.  This means the developers now have a clear mandate to maintain a rural village atmosphere by placing buildings fronting the street at a small scale and size, keeping parking lots small and behind the buildings, and providing spaces that invite people to get out of their cars and walk. 

The fact that the plan was denied rather than deferred means that the developer must now start the approval process from the beginning, with a new plan.  The Gazette reports that the developer, Fred Nichols, has stated “…we’re going to get a new plan with input from the community…”.  We look forward to working with Mr. Nichols to ensure that the development on the Southeast corner supports the Master Plan, does not violate zoning requirements, is of the scale and size appropriate for the space, and is a mixed-use site that Ashton residents will be attracted to.

Educating the community so that it can provide informed input to the Planning Board has been done by volunteers, many of them your neighbors.  Many citizens wrote letters to the Planning Board and testified at the public hearing.  SSARPC thanks you for participating. 

SSARPC plans to continue its work to ensure that new development in the Sandy Spring and Ashton area conforms to the Master Plan, not just the AMP development, but other development as well.  We encourage you to let us know (send email to ssarpc@preseveashton.net) of projects that you hear of that SSARPC should consider tracking.

We will keep you informed as we learn more about what the future plans are for the village center in Ashton.

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