Fixing the problems

Planners, activists try to rework Town Center

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

A county planner who has walked the embattled Clarksburg Town Center development says the project has strayed but can still achieve its goals.

Although large parts of the project fall short of what residents expected, the unbuilt areas of the Town Center can be planned more carefully and amenities added to make up for what is missing, said John Carter, chief of the Montgomery County Planning Board community based planning division.

The Clarksburg Town Center Advisory Committee, which uncovered the shortcomings, is talking with a private new urbanism planner about how to salvage their vision of their community. They are sharing what they learn with Carter.

Carter worked on the Clarksburg Master Plan and the original project plan ‘‘so I have a deep interest in this,” he said.

Clarksburg, like Silver Spring 10 years ago or Bethesda 25 years ago, is a community in flux, Carter said.

‘‘The community is aware, they understand what was approved initially and have high aspirations and they’re focused on it. That’s why Silver Spring turned out the way it did and Bethesda,” he said.

While other county officials are compiling the list of violations in the Clarksburg Town Center, Carter is working on designing remedies for the problems.

On Tuesday the Planning Board appointed Bill Mooney as acting deputy director of the agency. His main focus will be on addressing inconsistencies in development plans for Clarksburg Town Center and communicating with various community groups.

Carter and Rose Krasnow, chief of the Planning Board’s development review division, spent Aug. 13 touring the Town Center with members of the Clarksburg Town Center Advisory Committee.

‘‘It was really worthwhile to see the project through their eyes,” Krasnow said.

The orientation of the houses to the street, the elementary school under construction, the community parks and the path connecting the development to the school are good aspects of the development, Carter said.

‘‘There’s a lot of good things out there,” he said.

The Clarksburg Town Center has the potential to be another King Farm, but with more open space and a better-sized commercial area, he said.

A public space is critical to achieving a sense of community, he said.

The undeveloped commercial area can save the original vision of the Town Center, he said. The mix of stores, the building heights and how much housing is allowed in the commercial area will have to be carefully planned. The community should be walkable with storefronts facing the street and parking behind the stores.

Studies show people spend more money per hour in this kind of new urban setting than in a traditional strip mall, so the developer should not be so reluctant to embrace the concept, said Amy Presley, co-chair of the Clarksburg Town Center Advisory Committee.

Planners are currently evaluating the developer’s plan for the commercial area. The plan has elements the community likes, but also features elements they do not like including a large grocery store and parking lot.

The Planning Board is scheduled to vote on the plan in October.

Krasnow is evaluating the list of alleged violations and hoping to sit down with developers and the community before scheduled Planning Board hearings next month to work out an agreement on violations and sanctions. The builders are still not acknowledging violations, Krasnow said.

In July the Planning Board found the developer and builders in violation of height and setback restrictions on as many as 500 homes. Because the board did not have specific measurements, it assumed all townhouses and apartment buildings in Town Center were in violation until proven otherwise, Krasnow said.

One set of height measurements submitted by builders found far fewer homes than 500 in violation. The board asked builders to re-measure homes using a second method and the board will verify the numbers, Krasnow said.