Residents voice continued concern over traffic, development

Planning Board holds worksession on Twinbrook Sector Plan

Of particular concern, she said, is the congestion at the intersection of Twinbrook Parkway and Veirs Mill Road. Ginsberg also said that she did not see the need for another MARC station — a suggestion that had been made by planning staff — because one already exists in Rockville.

Richard A. Gottfried, a member of the Twinbrook Citizens Association and a candidate for Rockville City Council, said he thought the Planning Board ought to focus on keeping Twinbrook a community rather than turning it into a city.

‘‘Twinbrook is a neighborhood and the way the plan is looking now, if you’re going to be bringing in 1,217 people, you ought to offer them neighborhood facilities,” Gottfried said after the meeting, adding that meant incorporating tennis courts and parks into the plan.

Claudia Kousoulas, senior planner for the community-based planning division of the county Park and Planning Commission, said the goal is to create a mixed-use community with both residential and commercial development.

The Twinbrook Sector Plan covers an area roughly bordered by the Metrorail and MARC train tracks to the west, Parklawn Cemetery to the east, the Montrose Parkway right-of way to the south and the Rockville city line to the northeast.

The sector plan is not the same as the Twinbrook Neighborhood Plan, a separate land-use document being reviewed by the City of Rockville.

It is also separate from the plan for Twinbrook Station, formerly Twinbrook Commons, that falls within city limits and includes a mix of retail, office and nearly 1,600 housing at the Metro station.

Currently, Kousoulas said, there are 4.1 million square feet of commercial development and no housing units, but the plan has the potential to generate 5.4 million square feet of commercial and 2,453 housing units. That could include a mix of garden apartments, townhouses and high–rises — 12 stories or less — closer to the Twinbrook Metro station.

She said Twinbrook’s mix of high technology uses, including office, laboratory and incubator space, combined with retail and residential uses would be unique to the Washington region.

‘‘We already have the technology here and we want to build on that,” Kousoulas said.

David Paine, coordinator for Park and Planning’s transportation planning section, gave a run down of the traffic and transportation issues contained in the staff draft. He said his division has studied the plan, taking into account a number of scenarios.

‘‘The plan area already has much in terms of transportation,” Paine said.

The plan, he said, recommends transit-oriented elements, such as a connected street network, pedestrian connections, a bike path and a MARC station.

Once staff members had finished their presentations, they answered questions raised by the Planning Board.

Commissioner John M. Robinson, vice chairman of the board, seemed concerned about the distribution of development and how that might impact traffic.

Commissioner Allison Bryant said he thought the plan as it stands was ‘‘creatively done.” He said his concerns were that existing residents would not want to absorb the growth in their neighborhoods and that the plan flows into and matches what Rockville develops on its side.

Kousoulas said the mix of uses seems to be in scale with recommendations proposed by Rockville in its adjacent areas.

The Planning Board also raised questions about school and road capacities, what types of residential units would be built and parking.

Kousoulas said staff will develop a public hearing draft and likely hold a hearing in the beginning of November.