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Developers, Planning Board discuss plans for Casey 6 and 7

Builder wants to use sites for non-residential and housing uses, but many questions still unanswered

Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2006

In an effort to set the Shady Grove Sector Plan in motion, developers met last week with the county Planning Board to discuss plans for how to develop the so-called Casey 6 and 7 properties.

The properties make up 42.5 acres of land and are located on both sides of Interstate 370, immediately east of the CSX railway and northwest of Shady Grove Road. Casey 6 is 25.2 acres, while Casey 7 is 17.3 acres.

EYA Inc. is the Bethesda builder on the project, and Holland & Knight LLP is the Bethesda law firm representing EYA.

The pre-preliminary plan proposes 329,300 square feet of non-residential use and 470 units of housing, including townhouses and condominiums, on the Casey properties.

Besides housing and commercial development, the original Shady Grove Sector Plan recognizes that the properties could be redeveloped with some facilities from the County Service Park.

The county hopes to relocate the service park, which straddles Crabbs Branch Way on the southeast side of Shady Grove Road.

In addition, the plan also provides some direction for an Intercounty Connector maintenance facility on one of the properties.

According to a report from county Park and Planning on the pre-preliminary plan, the State Highway Administration has expressed an interest in locating the facility on Casey 7. However, representatives from EYA said they believe a better location for the maintenance yard is on Casey 6. EYA said doing so would allow for more residential development on Casey 7, closer to transit and the Grove Shopping Center, which sits on the corner of Shady Grove Road and a short northern extension of Crabbs Branch Way.

EYA officials said they were in discussion with SHA about the issue.

John M. Robinson, a commissioner on the Planning Board, added that he also felt the ICC maintenance facility would be a better fit on Casey 6.

The pre-preliminary plan does not indicate where the County Service Park facilities or the ICC maintenance facility would be located.

N’kosi Yearwood, one of the lead planners on the Shady Grove Sector Plan project, said as far as moving the County Service Park, the office of the county executive has not yet issued any requests for proposals or expressions of interest. Without that process in place, Yearwood said, it is still unclear where, or if, County Service Park facilities would be relocated.

John Compton, mayor of Washington Grove, attended last Thursday’s Planning Board meeting to discuss how he and residents of Washington Grove believed development would impact their town.

‘‘There should be ample opportunity for appropriate development that has low impact on the town,” he said. ‘‘The applicant has engaged the town in discussing their interests and plans and we are encouraged that the town’s interests will also be addressed as the planning process takes place. Nevertheless, the applicant has not sufficiently acknowledged the town’s existence and interests in their written application, and we urge them and all their parties to do so in the future.

‘‘That being emphasized, the applicant’s line-of-sight perspectives from the nearest town residences are a welcome study to minimize visual impact on Washington Grove,” he added.

During his testimony, Compton also expressed concerns over how noise from the CSX railway, I-370 and existing industrial neighbors would impact the Casey properties.

Allison Bryant, a Planning Board commissioner, said he understood Compton’s concerns and that a detailed noise analysis would be conducted.

Lastly, Compton said he and other residents of Washington Grove are opposed to the placement of an ICC facility on either of the Casey properties. However, he said they are not opposed to the placement of some County Service Park facilities on Casey 6.

A Development Review Committee meeting is scheduled to discuss development on Casey 6 and Casey 7 on Nov. 20 at 10:50 a.m. at Park and Planning headquarters, 8787 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring.