Olney Coalition

preserving the quality of life in Olney, Maryland
Last updated on Thursday March 01, 2007 06:17 PM

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News Archive — October, November, and December 2004

12/13/2004

Concept Plans for the Olney Town Center.

Carl M Freeman Retail has submitted concept plans (click here to see them) for the redevelopment of the Olney Town Center.  These are concept plans, not development plans.  The new Mixed-use Town Center Zone (MXTC) for the Olney Town Center was approved by the Planning Board on December 9th to be transmitted to the Council.  A public hearing before the Council will be held at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, January 18th on this zone (ZTA 04-26).  Call 240-777-7931 to sign up to testify.

12/7/2004

Full Council begins discussion on the Olney Master Plan.

The Council began its discussion on the Olney Master Plan.  Due to a full agenda, discussion was limited to 30 minutes.  The Council plans to discuss the plan in details beginning on Tuesday, January 18th.

11/30/2004

Full Council to discuss Olney Master Plan on December 7th.

The PHED committee has finished its work sessions on the Olney Master Plan.  Click here for a summary of major recommendations.   Come watch the full Council will discuss the Olney Master Plan at 2 PM on Tuesday, December 7th.  Your presence is noticed by the Council members.  The meeting will held in the County Council Building located at 100 Maryland Avenue in Rockville and will most likely start in the morning.  Letters can be sent to Council members through December 6th.  Feel free to write a second letter based on the PHED recommendations.  Click here to see the work session packet.      

11/19/2004

PHED Work Session on Monday, November 22 will Discuss Zoning on Several Properties.

The PHED committee will meet at 9:00 AM on Monday, November 22nd on the 7th floor of the County Council Building located at 100 Maryland Avenue.  Come watch our Council members discuss the Olney Master Plan.  The agenda for this session states that the Norbeck Country Club, Town Center, Miller, 32 acres on Bowie Mill, and Golden Bear properties will be discussed.  Click here for the full agenda.

11/19/2004

The Gallery of Letters is Growing Daily.

Many letters have been sent to the County Council regarding the Olney Master Plan.  If you would like to have yours added to the Gallery, please send it to bfalcigno @ olneycoalition.org with your permission to post the letter. 

11/16/2004

Concept Plans for the 32 acre Property.

During the October 25th PHED work session, President Silverman requested Planning Staff to draw several different concept plans for the 32 acre property.  He wants to determine the maximum number of units that can be placed on the property.  The three designs created by staff yield 77, 117, and 156 units.  The purpose of concept plans is to determine the maximum number of units that are possible, not to define what will be built. 

11/10/2004

Gazette Writes Article About Olney Coalition.

"There's a new force in town, and in one short year it has established itself as a force to be reckoned with."  Click here to read the full article.

11/9/2004

Council Members Mike Knapp, George Leventhal, and Marilyn Praisner discuss the Olney Master Plan at the November GOCA Meeting.

Every chair in the room was filled by Olney residents who attended the GOCA meeting to hear the views of our representatives regarding the Olney Master Plan.  After 2+ hours of questions and answers, the Council members encouraged residents to send an email expressing their concerns about the master plan and the future of Olney. 

11/8/2004

New Deadline for Letters - November 22nd!

The Voices of Olney Need to be Heard – Tell Your Story in a Letter.

The Olney Master Plan process is a very long process that started in 2001.  Many people wrote letters last fall to the Planning Board regarding the 32 acre property on Bowie Mill Road or to the County Council regarding the Freeman/Pulte proposal.  Right now the Olney Master Plan is in its final stage and is before the County Council.  The Council needs to hear from Olney residents about the Olney Master Plan before they vote; otherwise, they will believe we think the plan as it is written is great.  The major issues to address are how to balance more housing with our congested roads and schools as well as the appropriate size, scale, and location for future projects.  The most effective letters are those that come from your heart and explain how proposed changes affect you personally.  Click here for where to send your letter, suggestions for how to write your letter, and most importantly, the issues facing Olney.  Click here to see letter that others have already sent it. 
 

11/8/2004

One Reason for the Affordable Housing Crisis in Montgomery County.

A Washington Times article discusses affordable housing.  Click here for the full article. Here is an excerpt:

Why is the affordable-housing crunch so severe in the suburbs? To some extent, it is because of county planning, says Conrad Egan, president of the National Housing Conference.  "The trend is due in part to deliberate policies to grow more jobs than housing," he says.  Critics of such policies see them as a recipe for sprawl — the very problem they were enacted to remedy.  Essentially, counties such as Fairfax and Montgomery want more workers than they are willing to house. Why? Residential workers mean increased costs in the form of school construction, hiring teachers, etc.  More houses are viewed by many residents as visible evidence of the growth they don't want in their neighborhoods.  Residents demand that their elected officials enact policies to slow the rate of housing growth.
 

11/3/2004

County Executive Doug Duncan and Council President Steve Silverman Share Their Thoughts on Affordable Housing.

Click to see an October 15th Washington Post article titled "A Push for Affordable Housing" in which Doug Duncan vows to build 1,000 affordable housing units over the next four years on county owned property and an October 24th editorial by Steve Silverman titled "Middle Class and Priced Out of Montgomery."  In addition, see a letter written by Doug Duncan in response to a letter by a person who requested that no more county owned school sites are to be surplussed for housing. 

10/30/2004

Updated Calendar Section Now Available!

The County Council PHED committee is holding work sessions on the Olney Master Plan.  See our updated Calendar to read the Council Staff recommendations as well as notes taken by Olney Coalition during the work sessions.  It is a one way to understand what our Council members are thinking (and possibly how they will vote).
 

10/30/2004

PHED Committee Discusses Northern and Southwest Olney
President Silverman requests Concept Plans for the 32 Acre Property

The County Council 's Planning, Housing, and Economic Development (PHED) Committee met on October 25th to discuss Northern and Southwest Olney.  President Silverman requested Park and Planning staff to prepare several concept plans for the 32 acre property on Bowie Mill Road showing densities higher than the R200 zone.  More....
 

10/10/2004

PHED Committee Work Sessions on the Olney Master Plan Have Begun

The County Council 's Planning, Housing, and Economic Development (PHED) Committee held a work session on the transportation part of the Olney Master Plan on September 30th.  For future work session dates, check the County's web site.  All sessions are televised live on County Cable Montgomery Channel 6.   
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