The Montgomery County Planning Board approved a working draft of a plan to rezone and improve safety along a 3.5-mile stretch of University Boulevard between Wheaton and the Capital Beltway.
A public hearing will be held Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. Individuals may sign up to testify at the public hearing either in-person or online via Microsoft Teams.
The county council is expected to review these plans this summer.
The area includes Montgomery Blair High School, Woodmoor Shopping Center, Saint Bernadette Catholic Church and School and many homes.
The goal of the plan is to improve traffic safety and to boost economic development and regional connectivity. It calls for rezoning an area that now calls mainly for single family homes to CRN and CRT zones, which would allow an overlay zone.
The overlay zone would be used to define neighborhood residential building types and prioritize development standards. It would permit a diversity of housing types including single units, duplexes, small apartments and townhouses. The homes would be transit oriented.
Amount of setback and height limits would be different in an overlay zone than in a residential zone. A building could be granted 90% lot coverage if deemed appropriate for that area.
Plans also call for wider sidewalks, improved parks and better public transportation stops.
The plan recommends rezoning of existing single-use commercial shopping centers, religious properties and properties that face University Boulevard.
This is an interactive map of the proposed zoning recommendations.
Other recommendations include locating higher building densities and mixed uses at locations near BRT stations with existing commercial properties, including the WTOP property, the Kemp Mill Shopping Center and Four Corners, and ensure new development transitions from larger to smaller buildings to adjacent residential properties.
Bus dedicated lanes would be installed along University Boulevard and Colesville Road.
The plan includes ways to connect smaller streets rather than flowing onto University Boulevard. That includes looking into alternate ways to get around the Four Corners area by University Boulevard and Colesville Road.
After listening to the plan presentation by county planners, Planning Board Chair Artie Harris praised the staff’s “outstanding outreach to the community” for input.
“This is really a remarkable plan,” said Board Member Josh Linden. “It’s nice to see it come to fruition.”
Residents can sign up for the plan’s newsletter to receive regular updates.
Photo courtesy Montgomery Planning
