TASTE OF WHEATON 2012

Sam from Ledo's Pizza

Eli helps a customer at the IHOP booth

Corey and Janet Yu of Hollywood East Cafe

Jack Marshall at the Wheaton-Kensington Chamber of Commerce booth

Marian Fryer works the WUDAC booth

The Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee booth

Marian Fryer

Jeanette Feldner, WUDAC Chair and family

The State Farm team

Esther French from The Wheaton Patch

One of many fun activities for children at Taste of Wheaton

Eli Jackson with friends at the IHOP booth

Sosena gets ready for a balloon ride

Darin Jackson and family

The beautiful day led to big crowds at the Taste of Wheaton

Eli and the IHOP team

TASTE OF WHEATON TODAY!!!

Come visit the WUDAC booth today from 11am to 5pm. Meet our members and find out about all the exciting things things that are happening in downtown Wheaton!

Meeting Minutes 4-10-2012

Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee(WUDAC)

April 10, 2012 Meeting Minutes

2424 Reedie Drive, Wheaton MD 20902

Members Present:     Jeanette Feldner (Chair),  Marian Fryer, William Moore, Janet Yu, 

Jim Onder,  Linda Amendt,  Devala Janardan,  Henriot  St. Gerard, 

Matt Barry,  Ken Nelson

Members Absent:      None

Staff Present:             Ana Lopez van Balen, Director, Mid-County Regional Center      

                                    Sidney Cooper, Market and Communications Director

                                    Peter McGinnity, Wheaton Redevelopment Manager

Guests:                       Hans Riemer, Montgomery County Council member

                                    Sgt. Currie, 4^th District CBD,

                                    Esther French, Wheaton Patch

                                    Erich Brann, Costco

                                    Pat Harris, Lerch Early

Call to Order:             Chair Jeannette Feldner, 5:05pm

Motions:                     Minutes approved with corrections

Police Report:           

Sgt. Currie reported on 3 robberies, two at the Metro Station and one on Blueridge Ave. near the 7-11, with clothing and phones taken. There were two aggravated assaults on Grandview, domestic situations with arrests made, and 6 auto related thefts. He reported police are paying special attention to the clubs to control alcohol and other crimes.

Costco Presentation:

Erich Brann and Pat Harris presented a revised plan for the Costco gas station that they felt addressed community concerns. Some highlights of their plan included: double-walled pipes and tanks with auto cutoff leak detectors, a varied height “green” sound wall to shield noise from surrounding homes, photo controlled lighting, and a county approved storm water management plan. They feel the community has been misguided about project and they announced an open house at the Crossways Center on April 25^th for community comment. WUDAC decided to further discuss this issue at its May meeting in order to allow members time to gauge community sentiment.

Report from Councilmember Hans Riemer:

Noted that Council had voted unanimously earlier that day to support a staff backed $66 million plan to begin Wheaton redevelopment with a county building and Town Square on Lot 13. He stated he is sympathetic with the work community groups have done and believes this is the threshold of county investment in Wheaton. He believed this plan would result in more rapid delivery of valuable investment to downtown Wheaton.  He agreed that this alone would not revitalize Wheaton.  He recommended quarterly meetings with community groups, audits to survey sidewalks for “walkability”, free WIFI from the cable fund, a task force to study safety perceptions and a review to implement bike sharing and rapid transit initiatives.

Mr. Riemer then took questions and comments from the WUDAC members.  WUDAC members each shared their sentiments regarding the process that lead to the council decision.  Comments revolved around the following:

·         Redevelopment needing to go beyond the construction of a building and town square;

·         Not taking advantage of the private investment by B.F. Saul; 

·         Indifference to years of community “excitement” and the sense of building something together;

·         The disconnect between the changes in Wheaton since the 2009 study used to formulate the Council-backed plan;

·         Overall disappointment with the Council;

·         Some optimism with the plan in that now the money is finally committed to Wheaton;

·         Staying involved in order to have voices heard in what is to come.

RSC Director Report: A bigger better Farmers Market on the town green across from the Mid-County Regional Services Center will premiere on May 6^th. The existing Farmers Market will join forces with one currently located in Briggs Chaney to bring an expanded selection to our area.

Subcommittee Reports: Communications committee handed out a draft for WUDAC members to review for the May meeting. Sidney Cooper reminded all that Taste of Wheaton is May 20^th.  Due to time constraints all other committees submitted written reports.

Westfield Report: Matt reported that Mall sales were up 8%. Sales of food and shoes are hot while sales of fashion and jewelry are not.  Monster Auto Group has leased the space formerly occupied by Ourisman.  G by Guess and FYE are under construction.  Macy’s will be having a VIP shop day. Details to be announced

Redevelopment Report: Peter McGinnity submitted a written report for the record.

Other Business:

Jeanette stated that the terms of two members were up and those members need to let her know if they will reapply.  Also, the Committee Review Board’s report to the Montgomery County Council is due by May 6^th.

Community Concerns:  None reported

Meeting Adjourned:  6:35pm

Meeting Agenda Tuesday 5-08-12

Please silence cell phones

Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee

2424 Reedie Drive, Wheaton, MD 20902

Agenda

MAY 8, 2012

1.   Call to Order, Introductions,
Approval of Minutes,
Report of Chair                                       Feldner                 5:00 – 5:05 pm

2.  4^th District CBD Team Report                 Sgt. Currie            5:05 – 5:10 pm

3.  Community Concerns:

      Kensington Heights on
Costco Gas Station                                  Donna Savage      5:10 – 5:20 pm

4.   Report from Council Staff                                                    5:20 – 5:35 pm

      Adam Fogel from Councilmember Navarro’s office

      Adam Pagnucco from Councilmember Riemer’s office

      Tiffany Ward from Councilmember Elrich’s office

5.   RSC Director Report                               Van Balen            5:35 – 5:45 pm

6.  Subcommittee Reports:                                                         5:45 – 6:15 pm

      Advocacy                                                 Janardan

      Business Development                             Yu

      Communication/Promotion                      Onder

      Community Building                                Amendt

      Overseeing Budget                                   Barry

7.  Redevelopment Report                            McGinnity            6:15 – 6:20 pm

8.  Westfield Report                                      Barry                    6:20 – 6:25 pm

9.  Other Business                                         Feldner                 6:25 – 6:30 pm

10.                                                                  Adjourn                      6:30 pm

This information is available in an alternative format by calling 240-777-8103. Sign Language interpreter services will be provided only upon request with notice as far in advance as possible but no less than 72 hours prior to the event. If you need other services or aids to participate in this activity, please call 240-777-8103 or 240-877-8112 (TTY).

Councilman Hans Riemer Addresses WUDAC April Meeting

Councilman Hans Riemer made a surprise appearance at our April 10th meeting. In what could be considered a first attempt at fence mending after the council voted 9-0 on an alternative plan in opposition to the Wheaton Community's vision on urban redevelopment, Mr. Riemer explained the council's view for the Urban District revitalization. The plan calls for a county investment of $66 million to build a Park and Planning Headquarters and a Town Square in what is known as lot 13 near Reedie and Grandview.  In his address Mr. Riemer stressed that the council took its position in the belief that its plan was superior in that it would ensure a more rapid investment in the downtown area. He felt this plan would be less disruptive to nearby small businesses and quickly add foot traffic to spur daytime economic growth. He stated that the council did take the community's concerns into account and that this was just the first installment into a long term commitment to Wheaton. He recommended future quarterly meetings with community groups to continue this dialogue. Some items on his wish list for future consideration include possible free WIFI in the Urban District, bike sharing and rapid transit, and a task force to study the issue of safety perception in Wheaton and a survey of every street to ensure walkability.

Mr. Riemer took questions and comments from WUDAC Committee members. WUDAC vice-chair Marian Fryer expressed optimism because after years of false starts, at least now there are actual dollars to be invested in Wheaton. She reminded attendees that redevelopment is a process and that we need to continue to be engaged because there is plenty of time to affect the outcome. Matt Barry, large business representative and General Manager of Westfield, also expessed optimism and felt Mr. Riemer was right about the need for a safety review and a comprehensive vision dialogue.

Janet Yu, resident representative, summed up the feelings of many when she stated that the "excitement" the community felt of " building something together" was deflated by the council's action. Another residential representative, Henriot St. Gerard, reminded Mr. Riemer  that redevelopment was more than just the construction of a building and felt it was a mistake to ignore the private investment that B.F. Saul would have committed to Wheaton. Councilman Riemer replied that BF Saul wanted a hefty guaranteed return that the council felt did not warrant the risk of county money.

William Moore, large business representative, expressed his concerns that any future community dialogue may be ignored, much like the community backed plan that was tabled. WUDAC members Devala Janardan, Linda Amendt and Ken Nelson also expressed their frustration that the council's vote totally disregarded the feelings of the Wheaton Community.

Costco Presents Updated Gas Station Proposal to WUDAC

Costco representatives Erich Brann and Pat Harris attended our April 10th meeting and presented an updated proposal for the construction of a gas station at Westfield. According to Mr. Brann, many improvements have been made to address the concerns of the nearby Kensington Heights community. Highlights of their plan include: double walled piping with leak detectors that will shut the station down in the event of a breach; a variable height sound resistant "green" wall to shield the community from noise of idling cars; an air permeator inside the tank to capture vapors and return them to the tank; storm water management and lighting controls.

In spite of these enhancements, the Costco representatives were somewhat evasive when asked by WUDAC as to whether the Kensington Heights community has embraced this updated proposal, stating only that they feel the community has received bad counsel and is "misguided" about the project.

Costco will hold an open house April 25th from 7-9:00pm at the Crossway Community Center located at 3015 Upton Drive in Kensington. All concerned residents are invited to meet with Costco representatives and review the updated plan.

WUDAC has decided to withhold opinion on this plan until after members have had more time to study the proposal and gage community sentiment.

News flash: The Costco store construction now already underway has been moving ahead of schedule. The Grand Opening is now planned for October 12, 2012

County Council Votes to Support Their Vision for Wheaton

The County Council yesterday voted 9-0 to support a proposed Wheaton Redevelopment Capital Improvements(CIP) budget of 66.1 million, a plan recommended by their Senior Legislative Analyst Jacob Sesker. The county investment in Wheaton, though welcome, was a rejection of a community and WUDAC supported planned Public/Private partnership proposed by County Executive Ike Leggett which would have leveraged a 42 million County investment into a 200 to 300 million private investment by B.F Saul and others. The proposed CIP includes funding for an M-NCPPC(Park and Planning Commission) headquarters on parking lot 13, an area bounded by Grandview and Triangle Lane; parking; a Town Square; a financial feasibility study regarding the Metro busbay site; a parking study; planning for the Metro site, starting in FY 18; and planning studies regarding creating local jobs, job training and small business protection. In May, the County Council will conduct a final vote on all capital budget elements.
Although WUDAC is disappointed that the Council did not share the community's vision for the Wheaton Urban District, we will continue to be actively engaged in the ongoing legislative process and urge the Wheaton Community to do the same!

William Moore