Briars Acres Community Association

P.O. Box 1172

Olney, MD  20832

November 16, 2004

The Montgomery County Council

C/o Steve Silverman, County Council President

100 Maryland Avenue

Rockville, MD 20850

Re:  Olney Master Plan

Dear President Silverman and the County Council:

The Board of Directors of the Briars Acres Community Association (BACA) would like to express our concern regarding the development of the 32-acre Bowie Mill site, and its treatment within the Olney Master Plan.  Our community consists of 119 households adjacent to the Bowie Mill site.

We believe that the best use of the Bowie Mill site would be as a future school.  Many homeowners believed this to be the intended use based on their reading of the 1980 Olney Master Plan.  If this use is not feasible, we ask that the Council consider a “land swap.”  This would result in:

1. The development of higher density affordable housing closer to town center and public transportation consistent with the goals and strategies of the General Plan.
2. Standard R200 housing with the requisite number of MPDUs on the 32-acre site.  This would assist the County with its goal of providing affordable workforce housing.

The development of the Bowie Mill parcel should be architecturally consistent and compatible with adjacent semi-rural R200 neighborhoods.  We are greatly concerned about the impact of any high-density development on our already over-taxed roads, schools, and services.

Please help to preserve and protect the quality of life in Olney. 

Sincerely,

Brian Bailey, Ph.D.

President

Cc: Montgomery County Council Members: Phil Andrews, Michael Knapp, Marilyn Praisner, George Leventhal, Michael Subin and Nancy Floreen, Tom Perez