Some members of the local business community are not sure they like what they see in the concept plan for a new downtown Olney.
Debi Klein, who owns The Backyard Naturalist with her husband Mike, says she is not opposed to the plan, but is cautiously skeptical about its impact on Olney.
‘‘I’m worried about Olney’s character being devoured,” she said. ‘‘The reality is that property values and rents will soar and small businesses will disappear. Corporate models will appear, but they are not as vested in the community as we have been.”
Others, like Karen Rollings, who owns property at the end of Morningwood Drive and intends to build townhouse units for retail, residential and commercial use, calls the plan ‘‘fabulous.”
She said the units appeal to people who are not ready for Leisure World, but no longer need their four-bedroom colonial in Olney.
‘‘We’ve had more than 100 people contact us about this project and everyone loves what they see,” she said. ‘‘People love the idea of sidewalks and places to walk to, rather than a busy commercial center.”
The Olney Town Center Advisory Committee, comprised of members of local civic organizations, homeowner associations, businesses and county agencies, has been charged by the county Park and Planning Commission with creating a community-based vision of how a new town center would look and how it would function in relation to the surrounding neighborhoods.
The committee was formed as part of the Olney Master Plan process, which was approved in April 2005.
In addition to creating the concept plan to include a civic center and town commons, the committee will review development proposals for parcels within the town center, the 90-acre commercial area surrounding the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Route 108, and make recommendations to the county Planning Board.
The advisory committee’s concept plan, which it has been sharing with groups and organizations around town since it was unveiled in December, is one possible illustration of how the town center could look with full build-out, but is not a blueprint for development.
Jim Smith, chairman of the advisory committee, said the group has tried to be as responsive as possible to the comments it has already received.
The committee has extended the date for public suggestions from mid-March until June.
‘‘Sometimes news travels fast, and sometimes it doesn’t. With people just finding out about this, it was the appropriate thing to do,” he said, referring to extending the comment period.
Based on some of the comments already received, the advisory committee has made the concept plan easier to understand, Smith said.
‘‘We’ve clarified the boundaries of the Olney town center area and are adding a legend,” he said. ‘‘We want it to be easy to interpret.”
Joe Buffington of the Re⁄Max Realty Center attends monthly meetings of the Greater Olney Civic Association representing the Olney Chamber of Commerce. What he saw on the original concept plan surprised him, he said.
‘‘All along I thought this committee was going to help develop streetscapes and facades of buildings, but it wasn’t until the first presentation I saw that they were putting the words of the master plan into pictures,” he said. ‘‘Even after seeing the presentation three times, I still had lots of questions.”
The original drawing showed a road running through the property where the Olney House, the Buffington Re⁄Max building and the historic Olney House springhouse are located.
‘‘We worked with the Historic Preservation Committee to preserve that springhouse, and the committee had overlooked it,” he said. ‘‘It just concerned me that there could have been other things they had overlooked.”
In response to Buffington’s concerns, the advisory committee removed the road from its drawing.
Some have described the new downtown Olney as a miniature version of The Kentlands in Gaithersburg or King Farm in Rockville. Buffington is not sure that is the look Olney residents want.
‘‘Olney is an established town,” he said. ‘‘A lot of the towns that have the mixed-use development are new. Right now, you can look behind almost any building or shopping center and see trees. That’s Olney’s rural roots, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
Buffington was also concerned that while two of the committee members represented the business community (a representative from the Carl M. Freeman Companies and a representative from the Olney Chamber of Commerce) he did not feel that was enough.
Buffington recognizes that the advisory committee members are volunteers, and says they have been responsive to his concerns.
Debi and Mike Klein have operated their store at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Morningwood Drive for nearly 20 years.
While they do not own their building, they have what Debi Klein describes as ‘‘a good, solid, long-term lease.”
Over the years, Klein says they have developed a very loyal following, and have contributed to the community by speaking at local schools, donating countless items, and sending their customer who come from all over to other local businesses.
Klein said she was aware that Olney’s master plan was updated, but did not realize the implications for Olney were as drastic as they seem to be.
‘‘Initially, I was selfishly scared about how this would affect our business,” she said. ‘‘We need to be in a spot with high visibility and dedicated parking, since we carry out 25- or 50-pound bags of seed to our customers’ cars.”
She also thought that four- or five-story buildings all around would bring higher price tags, and that their store might not survive if relocated.
‘‘Mom and Pop shops operate on a small profit,” she said. ‘‘It’s a lifestyle decision — we cover our bills and make a living. For us and for our customers, this is perfect.”
Other business people seem less worried about the proposal for a new town center.
Bob Fletcher, owner of Fletcher’s Service Center on Georgia Avenue, said he is appreciative of the work of the advisory committee.
‘‘They seem to be very open minded and realize this is a work in progress,” he said. ‘‘They’ve been very willing to disseminate information to the community.”
Fletcher notes that the proposed changes are based on the master plan, which is an approved document.
‘‘This just breathes life into it and lets the inevitable change happen with some oversight,” he said.
Olney Chamber of Commerce President Ellen Coleman said the organization has not taken a formal position on the proposed plan.
‘‘We need to have more feedback from our members and expect to take a position shortly,” she said.
