Olney Oaks

Single Family Homeowners Association

Post Office Box 293

Olney, MD 20830

                                                                                                                                                                                                                November 15, 2004

President Steve Silverman

Montgomery County Council

100 Maryland Avenue

Rockville, MD 20850

 

Dear President Silverman,

 

The Board of Directors of the Olney Oaks Single Family Homeowners Association represents 424 homes.  The members of our association are concerned about potential changes to the Olney Master Plan.

 

Our members enjoy the small town feel of Olney.  It is easy to shop in town center and meet people you know.  As our population grows, problems with our roads, schools, and emergency services grow.  Due to explosive growth in the last decade, Olney’s infrastructure has been pushed to the limits.  The prior Annual Growth Policy placed Olney in a building moratorium due to congestion.  That moratorium has been lifted, development is proceeding, but no improvements have been made to correct the deficit in our roads.  Our plan needs to balance infrastructure and new growth.

 

A portion of Olney Oaks is adjacent to the 32 acre property on Bowie Mill Road.  This site is far from the amenities in Town Center and is surrounded by mature R200 neighborhoods.  The stream needs to be restored and wetlands undisturbed.  Our members recognize the need for affordable housing and support work force housing under the R200 standards on this site.  Many of our homeowners would agree that they could not buy a home in Olney if they were buying a house today.  It is imperative that Olney does not lose its middle class.  The Planning Board does not recommend any zoning changes to this property and we ask you to support their decision.

 

A police presence is needed in Olney.  Olney residents feel so strongly about this issue that they have donated money to create a police substation in our Town Center.  The county needs to find a permanent location and a potential site would be a part of a Civic Center. As the population in Olney grows, a Civic Center is very much needed and could house a larger library, a police substation, the Mid-County Regional Services Center, a teen center, and serve as a focal point of our semi-rural town. 

 

Please support the Planning Board recommendations and keep our plan in balance.

 

Sincerely,