Letter from Marc Elrich Regarding the EYA Proposed Plan

Marc Elrich was one of only three County Council
members who voted to grant the Seven Oaks
Evanswood neighborhood's request
for oral argument against EYA's proposed
development on the Chelsea School site. 

In response to a Seven Oaks Evanswood resident's open letter to the County Council expressing disappointment that the majority of the County Council refused to grant the Seven Oaks Evanswood Citizens' Association's ("SOECA") request for oral argument against EYA's application to rezone the Chelsea School to the second densest zoning available for townhouse development,

Marc Elrich - one of only three County Council members to vote in favor of SOECA's right to be heard - stated the following:

"I too was dismayed by the outcome of the vote...I have had serious concerns about this development all along, and I did not believe that the changes sufficiently addressed my concerns.  I believe that the approved plan violates the intention of the North and West Silver Spring Master Plan.  The proposed project of townhomes is too dense given its proximity to the adjacent single-family neighborhood. 

The master plan for the area included a conscious decision that the buffer between the R-60 zone and the more dense zones would be along Cedar Street; that is, the single-family detached homes along Cedar Street which were recommended to be special exceptions for non-resident professional offices (some are still owner occupied).  In fact, during the master plan process, there was some discussion about allowing townhomes along Cedar Street but the decision was made to leave them as they are now.  The idea was that when one drove by them, they looked like part of a single-family neighborhood. 

The reclassification of the Chelsea School property eliminates that buffer and violates the conscious decision stated in the master plan that the transition between the CBD and the R-60 zones would be on Cedar Street.  Furthermore, I believe that the Hearing Examiner's decision did not sufficiently protect the environmental and historic resources in the area." [Emphasis added]

It is a shame that other County Council members, including another former citizens association president, Nancy Floreen, as well as Craig Rice, Hans Reimer, Nancy Navarro, and George Levanthal, chose not to respect the recommendations of the North and West Silver Spring Master Plan.

We Are MoCo

EYA's destabilization of the Seven Oaks Evanswood neighborhood is just one of many development concerns in Montgomery County.  Often, private citizens, are helpless to fight against corporate PR and legal budgets which promote pro-development blogs, pay for newspaper ads, and retain expensive attorneys that specialize in zoning law.  Residents in neighborhoods affected by potential incompatible development are forced to become citizen advocates in order to preserve and protect the health and welfare of their families and their community.  The local government, which should protect Montgomery County residents, may choose to take drastic actions such as voting not to even give citizens a right to speak before the County Council on development matters that will directly impact their neighborhoods.

WeAreMoCo.org is a communication network for Montgomery County residents to share information of individual concern for countywide consumption. The focus is on governmental processes and decision making as they relate to the welfare of residents and the preservation of neighborhoods. 

WeAreMoCo.org enables Montgomery County residents to join forces with others working toward a more transparent, more accountable, more inclusive Montgomery County government.  Learn how others before you have won or lost their battles. Gain support for your initiative while you support the initiatives of others. Change your government one issue at a time.

By working together, Montgomery County residents stay informed, get connected, take action and get results.  For more information, please go to: http://wearemoco.org/.

Two Important Upcoming Events

1. Public Meeting with EYA to Discuss EYA's Development Plans for the Chelsea School Site

This Monday, July 16th, EYA will be holding a public meeting at the Riggs Tompson historic house on the Chelsea School property (Pershing entrance).  The meeting will be quite short - only an hour - from 7pm to 8pm.  EYA is holding this meeting because the Planning Department requires them to do so.  We encourage you to attend to ask questions and get details on this overly dense development inside of our neighborhood.  EYA has, in the past, used this meetings as a PR stratagem to justify their actions and to argue that the community supports them wholeheartedly. 

Please tell EYA that they must save the mature tree canopy on the Chelsea
School site.  The canopy - consisting of mature trees nearly 100 years old - are both an
environmental and cultural treasure to the community.

Please attend and let them know that you have concerns and will be monitoring them.  The Chelsea School Task Force, appointed by SOECA, has identified several issues with the proposed development which are of great concern to the community.  The proposed development raises issues regarding stormwater management, loss of mature tree canopy (EYA plans to cut down 77 mature trees - some which have been alive for nearly 100 year), the undermining of neighborhood traffic protection plans, and endangering the historic setting around the Riggs Thompson house.  The County Council chose to ignore all of these issues when they approved EYA's proposed rezoning without giving us a chance for oral arguments.  This is one of your last, best chances to make yourself heard.

To view a slideshow of endangered Chelsea School Trees, please visit the following site:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/96552856/Endangered-Chelsea-School-Trees

2. Public Stakeholder Meeting on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction

On Tuesday, July 27, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) will be presenting its draft plan for our state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2020.   The MDE is encouraging public comment on the plan as a whole as well as on the 65 control measures that comprise the plan, and welcomes any new ideas that members of the general public may have.

Attend the meeting at the Silver Spring Library to learn how experts think Maryland will be impacted by global warming in the coming decades, as well as how the state is hoping to slow down the growth of green house gas emissions in Maryland this decade.

What: Public Stakeholder Meeting on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction
When: Tuesday, July 17, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Where: Silver Spring Library, 8901 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910

More information can be found at: http://www.mde.state.md.us/programs/Air/ClimateChange/Pages/Air/climatechange/legislation/index.aspx/

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