For the first time, county planners will map out future development in the Long Branch neighborhood of Silver Spring with its own sector plan, a process the community hopes will help solve longstanding problems in the diverse, low-income neighborhood.

So far, only informational hearings have been held regarding the sector plan, a Montgomery County Planning Department tool used to guide future development in the county's planning areas. A public hearing before the county Planning Board will be held in December and a draft of the sector plan is expected for completion next fall.

Much of the focus will revolve around the two proposed Purple Line stops that are planned for Long Branch, which is bounded by the Capital Beltway to the north, Sligo Creek Parkway to the west, Carroll Avenue to the south and Northwest Branch to the east.

The Purple Line stops are planned for Arliss and Gilbert streets, just off Piney Branch Road, and they should provide much-needed mass transit to the neighborhood's many low-income workers, said Cynthia Rubenstein, a Long Branch resident and longtime activist. Ada Villatoro, owner of El Golfo Restaurant at 8739 Flower Ave., a block from the proposed Arliss Street stop, hopes the Purple Line will bring more customers to her restaurant and other small businesses in Long Branch.

But residents say it is the planners' job to ensure that the growth around Purple Line stops is not dictated solely by developers and that existing residents and businesses do not get pushed out.

While her rent of $20 per square foot is still much lower than what small businesses pay in nearby downtown Silver Spring, Villatoro said "we won't be able to make it" if the rent increases because of new development.

Most transit-oriented development in the county is mixed use, which means new businesses tied to development projects could come into Long Branch following the Purple Line's completion. There is an abundance of affordable housing in Long Branch, and maintaining that affordability for residents and business owners will be paramount, said Kathy Reilly, a project manager with the Planning Department.

"We're not going to drastically redevelop Long Branch," Reilly said.

"Street activation," having more people walking around using transit and local businesses, is key for a neighborhood now targeted with federal money because it has been designated a high-incident area of crime.

With street activation comes a better perception of public safety, Reilly said, something businesses in Long Branch have wanted for a long time.

"Being able to have eyes on the streets so places aren't abandoned at night; people living, working and traveling through; activity in the evening: one thing Long Branch is missing is some kind of place for people to commune," Rubenstein said.

Residents say one of the sector plan's main challenges will have nothing to do with policy or even development. It will be involving the neighborhood's immigrant and non-English-speaking population in a public process, something they have been reluctant to do in the past, Villatoro said.

"It's not that they don't want the neighborhood to improve. They just don't want to get involved in politics," said Villatoro, who is also the president of the Long Branch Business League. "We don't trust government because we come from broken governments."

The inability of the county to involve small-business owners in Long Branch's development has plagued the neighborhood for years, Rubenstein said. As a result, Long Branch has myriad independent property owners who are reluctant to plan any type of parcel assembly for a large-scale redevelopment project, Rubenstein said.

Planners said they will walk the relatively small neighborhood to enlist the community and will offer Spanish translation for all community meetings.

Long Branch had been previously addressed only through the City of Takoma Park Sector Plan and the East Silver Spring Sector Plan, both of which were updated in 2000. The neighboring Takoma/Langley Crossroads Sector Plan is in the process of being updated, but the Montgomery County portion of the plan, which straddles the Prince George's County line, has been postponed until next year.

For more information on the Long Branch Sector Plan, contact Project Manager Kathy Reilly of the Montgomery County Planning Department at 301-495-4614 or Kathy

.Reilly@MontgomeryPlanning.org.