Below are initial responses to the developer’s “draft/final” plan unveiled in April 2018
Design Issues
- The building fills nearly the entire lot, with almost no public open space.
- The only public space is a sidewalk strip and concrete apron, separated from the highway by “scrappy” vegetation, with pedestrians and bikers passing through.
- The lay-by was moved back. Workers will now travel almost the length of a football field with handcarts and pallets in order to get deliveries to the Co-op. This will significantly lengthen the time trucks are there unloading.
- The elevator is at the opposite corner from the Co-op. Co-op shoppers who park in the garage will push grocery carts more than the length of a football field across the entire development to get to the elevator, and leave carts in the garage.
- The rooftop open space is apparently now private space.
- Space for storage and pickup of waste and recycling, including dumpsters, for the Co-op and the new businesses in the development, remains unclear.
- We know nothing about how an underground garage would be kept safe and clean–a challenge for any garage.
- We have multiple alternative designs for revitalizing the lot with green/arts/public space, and ground-level coffee/brewpub/pop-up local businesses. There is no current City process for considering alternatives.
Lay-by Issues
- The Co-op cannot control the size of trucks (including 18-wheelers) or timing of deliveries. On an average morning, three or more trucks arrive simultaneously.
- The lay-by does not have space for simultaneous delivery by more than one large truck.
- The lay-by has eliminated the bus stop and bike share currently at this location. They must be moved to some undetermined location.
- The developer suggested that waiting trucks drive around the block on a predetermined neighborhood route if the lay-by is occupied. Truck drivers have publicly stated that this will not happen, because it would set them way off their schedules. Trucks will either be backed up along Carroll, or double-parked blocking traffic, or simply drive away without delivering.
- It is unclear what would stop a taxi or uber, or a motorist picking up a cup of coffee, or dropping off a friend, from stopping in the lay-by. There should be a required zone for this kind of stopping.
- Trucks in the lay-by will impede sight lines, and block visibility for pedestrians, bikers, and other cars. Impatient motorists will pull out past waiting trucks, which already happens frequently with buses at the Junction.
- The Fire Chief has expressed concerns on getting emergency vehicles out quickly with a lay-by.
Other Traffic and safety issues
- Traffic congestion will get worse with new drivers to new offices and retail.
- Students walking to and from school already face hazards. The hazards will multiply with trucks and buses blocking traffic on Carroll and Ethan Allen.
- With increased traffic, how will cars safely enter or exit the garage into traffic on Carroll? If they can only turn right on exiting the development’s garage, they will have to drive through residential streets to return to Carroll going west.
- Because it will be so difficult to enter or exit the garage onto Carroll, cars (and trucks) will seek parking in the adjacent residential streets.
- People who don’t want to pay for parking or deal with the underground garage will try to park in the Co-op’s small lot on Sycamore.
- Increasingly frustrated through-traffic motorists will speed through the residential streets, including the very dangerous Columbia Avenue, to avoid Junction congestion.
- Where is the bus stop going to go? Will the new crosswalk be there? Both are absent or unclear in NDC’s drawings. Where will the bike station and bike lane go?
Economic Issues
- The Co-op may not survive the disruption of business during construction, loss of off-street loading, and loss of public surface parking in the lot. The Co-op is currently one of the largest employers and economic enterprises in our city.
- Increased retail rents, too expensive for local businesses, will drive gentrification.
- The City requires that the new spaces be rented to “predominantly” local or regional businesses. Will that be 51% regional chains and 49% national chains? Will a local franchise of a national chain be considered local (State Farm, for example)?
- With a private garage, will there be any “public” spots, versus spots for specific businesses? And we don’t know the prices for parking there. Why would people pay private garage prices to shop here when there is plentiful public garage parking in Silver Spring and Bethesda?
- This project gives control of the last flat, open, available public land in the heart of our City to a private developer who needs to maximize income on the building.
- Public land should be used for the public good.
