County Council Hearing on Olney Master Plan -- Tuesday, September 21st
Politicians know we have busy lives and your letters and
attendance at the hearings speak volumes. We will be testifying.
Please come to listen and support our testimony with your
applause. If you would like to testify, call 240-777-7931 to
sign up. The hearing is on Tuesday, September 21st at 7:30 pm
at the County Council building located at 100 Maryland Avenue in
Rockville, Maryland. Send letters addressed to President Steve
Silverman to
county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov.
Background
A Master Plan outlines recommended land uses, zoning, and general
locations for such public facilities as schools, parks, libraries, and
fire and police stations. They are updated every 10 – 20 years. The
process to update a master plan is lengthy and includes:
- Community Input (July 2001 – 2003)
- Planning Board
- Public hearing (September 25, 2003)
- Work sessions (October 2003 – May 2004)
- Final vote (May 27, 2004)
- County Council
- Public hearing (September 21, 2004)
- Work sessions (October– December 2004)
- Final vote (expected early 2005)
The goal in both the 1980 Olney Master Plan and the update is to
reinforce a satellite town concept. That is, to have a highly dense town
center to serve the local residents at the intersection of 108 and 97
with rings of residential development that are less dense as one moves
away from the center.
Letter Writing Guidelines
The impact of your letter is 75% the fact you wrote a letter and 25%
content. Writing to a government official sends a very important
message: you care enough about what is happening to take a few moments
of your time to let them know you are concerned. So the essence of your
letter should be just that: who you are, what you are concerned about,
and what you want done. The letter can be two to three paragraphs (1 – 3
sentences each).
1. First paragraph: Explain who you are, such as:
- I have lived in Olney for…
- I moved to Olney because…
2. Second paragraph: Explain why you are writing, such as:
- I am writing in reference to the Olney Master Plan update.
- I
feel the Draft of the Olney Master Plan is good overall and should
not be substantially changed.
- You can mention some of the good things listed below that you do
not want changed. Pick the one that means the most to you. Do
not list them all.
- The current draft does not change the zoning on the 32 acre
property on Bowie Mill Road and includes open space with an active recreational component
as part of any future development.
- The current draft reinforces the satellite town concept by having no
commercial development outside of Town Center.
- The current draft preserves of the character of existing communities.
- The current draft contains strong language to find a location within Town Center for a
Civic Center.
- The current draft protects the Hawlings River and Patuxent River Watershed.
3. Third paragraph: Explain what you want the recipient to do, such
as:
- I want you to consider….
- I want you to include/exclude….
- Choose from items listed below as weakness of the current Draft
of the Plan. Pick the one that means the most to you. Do not
list them all.
- The Special Protection Area (SPA) with an 8% impervious cap that
was approved for the North Branch of the Upper Rock Creek should be
extended to the entire watershed, not to the man made boundaries of
master plan boundaries. (FYI – the 32 acre property is part of the
North Branch.)
- With growing populations, smaller class sizes, and shrinking
land availability, the 32 acre property on Bowie Mill Road should be
re-evaluated for a school need or be used to acquire/leverage
school property in a different location.
- The higher density zoned for the Golden Bear Triangle property
should depend on approval of the ICC.
- A Special Protection Area (SPA) for the Northwest Branch of the
Upper Rock Creek watershed is needed.
Maximize Your Impact!
- Always include your name and address.
- Letters can be sent via email or through the post office.
- The same letter signed by two people counts as one letter.
Therefore, have each member over 18 in your household write a
separate letter (first paragraph will be different).
- Letters with factual mistakes are disregarded as uninformed
resident – no matter how trivial the fact. If you are not sure of a
fact, leave it out. Less can be more.
Addresses to send your letter E-mail:
county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov
This email is sent to ALL
Council members. You can address it to President Silverman.
Regular mail:
Montgomery County Council
100 Maryland Avenue
Rockville, Maryland 20850
Directions to the Public Hearing
Head South on Georgia Avenue
Turn Right onto Route 28/Norbeck Road
Turn Right onto Viers Mill Road
Cross over 355
The second intersection is Maryland Ave, but for parking:
Turn Left at the first light onto Monroe Street and then take an immediate right to enter
a parking garage. |
