Planning under way for Olney

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Planning under way for Olney

After months of creating a Town Center work plan, advisory committee begins to tackle the vision

by Terri Hogan | Staff Writer

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The face of downtown Olney is changing, thanks in large part to the Olney Master Plan.

The redevelopment of Olney Town Center — what many people think of as ‘‘downtown” Olney — was a major focus of the master plan, which was updated in March 2005.

The Town Center is the commercial area around the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Route 108. It covers about 90 acres, and includes about 150 stores or other commercial establishments.

It consists of more than 820,000 square feet of commercial space, of which approximately 550,000 square feet is retail.

Over the next 20 years, the Town Center could possibly have up to 500,000 square feet of additional commercial growth for a total of some 1.3 million square feet of commercial space, and between 400 and 1,300 residential units.

During the master plan process, many people expressed concern that the area was not pedestrian-friendly and lacked convenient connections between the shopping centers.

Another aspect of the Olney Master Plan was the creation of a civic center where multiple public facilities could be housed in a single location, and a major open space for the community to gather for festivals and other events.

Yet another concern was the town’s aesthetic appearance. There are many types of buildings and architectural styles, and the views from the road are mostly of expansive parking lots.

A group of residents has been appointed to the Olney Town Center Advisory Committee (OTCAC) to help guide future development and to create a thriving focal point for the community.

The vision

The vision for the new Olney Town Center includes a variety of building heights, up to 70 feet tall, street facades, unique landscaping and attractive streetscapes.

Buildings along the edge of Town Center would be shorter, and compatible with the adjoining residential development.

The ground floor of the buildings would be used for retail space, while upper floors could be used for office or residential space.

On-street parking would be available, as would additional structured parking.

The new development in the Town Center could create a ‘‘main street” appearance by locating building fronts at or close to the sidewalk.

The redevelopment of the Olney Town Center is driven by the new Mixed Use Town Center zoning, which was created for the Olney Master Plan.

While the concept is new for Olney, it can be seen in other nearby communities.

‘‘This would be along the lines of The Kentlands, portions of King Farm, and downtown Rockville where the new library is,” James Smith, OTCAC chairman, said.

The voice

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission chartered the OTCAC to create a community-based vision of what the future Town Center would look like and how it would function in relation to surrounding neighborhoods.

The committee is comprised of representatives from civic organizations, homeowners associations, social service agencies and business groups in Olney.

The OTCAC is charged with creating an illustrative concept plan, creating a concept for a civic center and town commons area, and review development proposals for properties within the Town Center.

The committee also will facilitate communication among landowners within the Town Center, develop recommendations for capital improvement projects and provide input in the redevelopment of adjacent neighborhoods.

After the committee members were selected by Park and Planning Commission, the group began meeting last year. The group meets monthly.

Smith, an Olney resident with a master’s degree in urban planning, said he was not involved in the master plan process, but became interested after reading about the OTCAC.

‘‘I am interested in Olney civic activism, and was nominated for this committee by my homeowners association,” he said. ‘‘While I wasn’t involved in the master plan process, we are lucky to have people like John Lyons on our committee who were very involved.”

Smith also credits members Paula Kahla, an area businesswoman, and Helene Rosenheim, a longtime member of the Greater Olney Civic Association.

‘‘They’ve been around a long time and are very vested in the community, and provide an incredible amount of knowledge, he said.

The group has formed a subcommittee to develop a concept plan, which is one of its primary objectives for this year.

Committee member Nancy DeLalio is an architect, and her firm is providing its services to the Olney Town Center Advisory Committee.

‘‘We expect to have the plan completed and available for public input by later this year,” he said.

Smith said he is impressed by the committee.

‘‘It’s a very dedicated group of 12 people and it’s a real good mix of organizations they represent,” he said. ‘‘They’re not only intelligent, but talented, too. They’re some of the best in the community.”

The early meetings were used to determine how the group would proceed, and to create a work plan for this year and beyond.

‘‘Now the meetings are more sustenance, and not as formative,” Smith said.

The meetings are open to the public and Smith encourages people to attend.

The challenge

Smith said the work the committee is doing is all long-term.

‘‘We’re trying to come up with one design feature that will last 20 years, until the next master plan update,” he said. ‘‘The current pattern is strip malls on all four quadrants, but we want to remove that suburban feel and make it more like a downtown. The zoning allows us to create a lively downtown.”

It is also controlled by private landowner development, which means they can offer the guidelines to help shape the vision, but cannot make a landowner develop his property.

The committee has met with landowners to discuss possible redevelopment and to make them aware of the opportunities that now exist with the new zoning.

‘‘For example, if someone owned a single-family home in the Town Center, they should recognize the increased value of their property under the new zoning,” he said. ‘‘There’s a lot of great opportunities that didn’t exist when it was zoned residential.”

The largest landowner in the Town Center, the Carl M. Freeman Companies, has commissioned local architect Miche Booz to study all buildings within a three- to five-mile radius of downtown Olney.

The Olney Town Center shopping center, owned by Freeman, is the first large property expected to redevelop under the concept.

There is also the question of just how much power the OTCAC will have.

The primary authority vested in the committee comes from the direction provided by members of the County Council to the Planning Board ‘‘to give similar and equal weight to the committee’s and Planning staff’s advisory opinions.”

‘‘The Planning Board will seriously look at the committee’s recommendations and give it serious thought,” said Khalid Afzal, a team leader for the community-based planning division at Park and Planning. ‘‘They don’t have authority to make decisions, but theirs will be more than just another input.”

The future

Smith said he expects the first development to begin in three to five years.

‘‘The planning process takes a while, and we are just at the very beginning of that,” he said.

Afzal said he hopes the plan will evolve over time.

‘‘The committee offers a more detailed plan within the guide work of the master plan,” he said. ‘‘It can be adjusted to market conditions, but there can’t be any drastic changes.”

Smith said the work of the committee is long term, as well.

‘‘I hope to be on the committee 15 years, and I hope others will still be on then, as well,” he said. ‘‘The lifetime of the committee is the lifetime of the master plan.”

Committee members

The Olney Town Center Advisory Committee members are:

James Smith, chair, Oatland Farms HOA

Sunita Bhatia, vice chair, Olney Coalition

John Lyons, Greater Olney Civic Association

Dorothy Kane, Project Change

Joe Fritsch, Mid-County Recreation Advisory Board

Jim Wallace, Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board

Walter Lee, Environ HOA

Nancy DeLalio, Hallowell HOA

Mark Feinroth, Williamsburg Village Civic Association

Paula Kahla, Olney Chamber of Commerce