Sandy Spring-Ashton Rural Preservation Consortium

The SSARPC (PreserveAshton.net)

supports development in Ashton that conforms to the Master Plan.

We are pro-Master Plan, not anti-development.

The process for approval of the construction of the Thomas Building (Goddard School and commercial offices) on Route 108, near the intersection with Norwood Road, includes a Development Plan Amendment Hearing to determine if amending the existing Development Plan to include the new use is appropriate.  The Development Plan Amendment approval process has two steps.  The first step is a Planning Board hearing that is scheduled for November 13 at about 2:30 PM.  The precise time will depend on the time taken by preceding hearings.  The Planning Board will forward its findings to a County hearing examiner, who will conduct another public hearing on November 21 at 9:30 AM (see below for the location).  The hearings will reference a schematic plan for the project.  The October 9 version of that plan is available for your inspection.  The Planning Staff's report and several letters to the Planning Board from the SSARPC Steering Committee and others are also available.

The planning process will also include the usual Preliminary and Site Plan hearings before the Planning Board, which will take place if the Development Plan Amendment is approved. At these hearings the Planning Board considers whether it should grant permission to construct the building, as designed, on the site.  The Planning Board may require changes to the design as a condition of approval.  Sometimes the Preliminary and Site Plan Hearings are combined.  We will let you know when these hearings are scheduled.  There will be opportunities to give input prior to these hearings.

You can give written input to the Planning Board’s Development Plan Amendment Hearing by sending a letter to these two people:

The Planning Board’s public amendment hearing will be held on November 13 at 2:30 PM, in the auditorium at the Park and Planning Commission building at 8787 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring.  The precise time will depend on the time taken by preceding hearings.  There will be an opportunity for members of the community to verbally express their opinions.  If you would like to testify, call 301-495-4600 to register.  You can also register online.  Testimonies are limited to three minutes, and if you have written testimony, bring ten copies to the hearing.

The second phase, the County hearing, will be held on November 21, 9:30 AM, at the

Office of Zoning and Administrative Hearings

Stella B. Werner Council Office Building

100 Maryland Avenue, Room 200

Rockville, MD 20850

Phone:  240-777-6660

Email:  ozah@montgomerycountymd.gov

Letters can be sent to the above address.  Anyone desiring to represent a group or association at the hearing must submit a pre-hearing statement in writing, no later than ten days before the hearing, indicating the name of the group, the name of the person(s) giving testimony, approximately how long the testimony will take and a statement of the grounds for the group’s position.  The pre-hearing statement must specifically identify any expert witnesses and summarize their testimony, must be accompanied by any reports or documents intended to be introduced at the hearing and should be sent to the address listed above.  An individual wishing to give testimony does not require a pre-hearing statement unless that individual is represented by counsel.  All information should be sent to the above address.

SSARPC would like to receive copies of letters.  Please send the letters electronically to feedback@ssarpc.org or via surface mail to Box 518, Sandy Spring, Maryland 20860.

Note:  An article about the Thomas Building was published in The Gazette, October 22, 2008, Page A4.  The hearings described are the Development Plan Amendment Hearings.  The date of the first hearing was changed after the article was published.