areawide recommendations

Design Direction
New development and construction must be
compatible with and defined by historic resources
that establish community identity. Design elements
relating to community history of railroad and other
themes should be incorporated into public spaces
and new construction to reinforce community
identity.

Historic Themes:
• A Native American Hunting and Gathering Ground
(10,000 B.C. – 1607 A.D.)
• The Waters Family and Early Agrarian Founders
(18th Century – Early 20th Century)
• Water and Steam Powered Mills
(mid-18th Century – 1920s)
• The Germans Behind Germantown
(1830s – 1870s)
• A Settlement that Followed Transportation
(Pre-1600 – Present)
Designated historic sites should be protected and
integrated into the community with compatible
adjacent land uses.

Historic Pleasant Fields / Basil Waters House is used for community events.

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 35

 germantown districts

G ermantown will be a transit-centered

community. Its seven districts will emerge
with strong identities, each a complete center,
Land Use Concept

focused on the CCT and MARC transit stations

or with a significant mixed-use core if not transit
served. These centers will be connected through
a range of options, including pedestrian routes,
recreation trails, environmental corridors, bike
facilities, or buses. People will have the option
to live within each center and be offered most
activities needed in their daily lives, all within the
Germantown community.

Total Development by Districts

Commercial Residential
Sq. Ft. (x1000) Units

Town Center 5,600 2,250

West End 2,100 2,010

Gateway 1,500 1,700

Cloverleaf 2,600 2,200

North End 5,000 2,780

Seneca Meadows/
3,900 2,400
Milestone
Montgomery
2,300 720
College

Fox Chapel 400 1,020

TOTAL 23,300 15,100

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 germantown districts

Town Center / West End Land Use

THE TOWN CENTER DISTRICT

The Town Center stretches from I-270 to the CSX

tracks and Wisteria Drive and comprises the
Core Neighborhood and the West End. This is
Germantown’s downtown where many civic and
entertainment uses intersect with the highest
density of streetfront retail, housing, offices,
commercial, and employment sites.

Town Center Core

Germantown’s civic focus will be the 213-acre
Town Center Core neighborhood located between
Wisteria Drive and I-270. This area will have a
mix of uses such as offices, restaurants, hotels,
housing, and civic facilities close to shopping,
transit, and jobs. Many large properties in the
Town Center are in single ownership and can
accommodate a significant amount of new
development or mixed-use redevelopment.
Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 37
 germantown districts

The Town Center includes cinemas, restaurants, residential uses. Expand police facilities, Create a new private street pattern that is
and hotels as well as such civic facilities as the retain the fire and rescue facility, and walkable and street-oriented. Provide a public
new Germantown Library, the Upcounty Regional provide structured parking for all uses on the street connection through the property to
Services Center, and the BlackRock Center for the property. Mixed-uses should include street connect to the Sugarloaf Shopping Center.
Arts that contribute to Germantown’s identity as level retail, restaurants, and a significant o Develop the Trevion property (TC-18) at an
the up-County cultural center. Adding residential amount of affordable or workforce housing. average density of 1.0 FAR of mixed uses
and commercial uses with an emphasis on o Redevelop properties along MD 118/I-270 with an employment emphasis that achieves
cultural, entertainment, and street level retail (TC-5 through TC-10) at an average density at least 65 percent office uses, a hotel and
uses will create synergy among diverse uses. of 2.0 FAR with mixed commercial uses some service retail, and a maximum of 35
including hotels. percent residential uses located along the
Land Use
o Redevelop the cinema (TC-3) and Century XXI Wisteria Drive end of the site.
• Orient new residential, retail, and restaurant
properties (TC-4) at an average density of 2.0 o Redevelop the Sugarloaf Shopping Center
uses along Century Boulevard to create an
FAR consisting of housing and entertainment (TC-20) at an average density of 0.6 FAR
active main street character. The use along MD
uses. of mixed uses with a retail emphasis that
118 will remain primarily office.
o Allow up to 1.0 FAR on the Safeway (TC- includes housing; the optional method of
East of Middlebrook Road 14) and EuroMotors (TC-15) properties development is recommended. Provide
o Redevelop the Bellmead property (TC-1) with between Century Boulevard and MD a public street through the property from
up to 2.0 FAR of mixed-use development with 118. Redevelopment should be primarily Germantown Town Commons to Wisteria
a minimum of 70 percent residential uses commercial uses with street level retail. Drive.
and include a 0.3 acre public use space at Retain a grocery store as street level retail.
o Redevelop properties along the southeast
the transit station. West of Middlebrook Road side of Locbury Drive Extended (TC-21) at
o Redevelop the Police and Fire Station o Redevelop the Germantown Commons an average density of 0.5 FAR if assembled
property (TC-2) at an average density of 2.0 Shopping Center (TC-17) at up to 0.5 FAR with under optional method development.
FAR of mixed-use development including a maximum of 40 percent residential uses.

38 Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

 germantown districts

Urban Form Town Center Urban Form

• Create a continuous building line along Century
Boulevard. Establishing this building wall is
critical. Requirements for amenity or open
space should not interfere with this objective.
Public use space should not be located in
the front building setbacks with no tie to
pedestrian circulation.
Amenity requirements are best provided
by creating intimate spaces fronted with
active uses. For individual buildings this can
mean a small, active, publicly accessible
space frequently at the side of a building
and connected to a mid-block pedestrian
connection. In this way, the retail activity still
has street presence next to the sidewalk as
well as a second frontage onto the small plaza
or mid-block connection thereby doubling
exposure and allowing for gathering space off
the main pedestrian thoroughfare.
• Keeping people on the sidewalk of Century
Boulevard is important. No open space should
compete with this objective. Small gathering
spaces along the pedestrian route allows for
people to gather for coffee or a meal and then
continue along the street patronizing local
businesses. Establish a series of parks, open
spaces, and other public gathering places
along Century Boulevard, anchored by a green
area at the bend of Century Boulevard and a
new park with an urban play area adjacent to
the Upcounty Regional Services Center.
• Improve the function and public enjoyment of

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 39

 germantown districts

the public common at the BlackRock Center • Allow buildings up to 180 feet (15 stories) • Reclassify Crystal Rock Drive from a major
for the Arts with additional seating, public art, immediately adjacent to the transit station at highway to a commercial business district street.
and event programming. The space should be Century Boulevard, and up to 143 feet (12 Reconstruct it as a four-lane divided street with
managed by the proposed urban maintenance stories) along MD 118. Reduce the sense a linear greenway on the eastern side of the
district. of building bulk and mass along Century existing right-of-way between MD 118 and Father
Hurley Boulevard. This greenway connects the
• Create a new public park west of Middlebrook Boulevard by limiting building heights to a
Town Center with regional park facilities via the
Road adjacent to the Upcounty Regional pedestrian scale at street level with building
trail access to Black Hill Regional Park.
Services Center. It should be programmed stepbacks for upper floors.
• Locate the Town Center’s transit station within
with family-oriented activities and serve as a • Building design should create vistas along
the Bellmead Property near the Transit Plaza.
gathering space. Century Boulevard and at intersections with Provide up to 200 parking spaces internal to the
This park is needed to activate the extension Crystal Rock Drive, Aircraft Drive, and Century property. Submit transit station plans as part
of Century Boulevard to attract families to the Boulevard. of site development proposals to integrate the
civic and retail uses intended for the Upcounty • Provide streetscape improvements in facilities.
Regional Services Center and properties accordance with the streetscape plan for all • Extend Locbury Drive from Middlebrook Road to
west of Middlebrook Road. Options to secure new, redeveloped, or public properties. Include Wisteria Drive to improve access and circulation.
this new park include exchanging 1.2 acres improvements to the intersections of Century • Provide no further expansion of MD 118
of M-NCPPC’s Germantown Square Urban Boulevard with Crystal Rock Drive and Aircraft intersections in the Town Center unless needed
Park at MD 118 and Middlebrook Road for Drive to promote pedestrian use and safety. for pedestrian safety or improved bus and bicycle
approximately one acre of land currently access and safety to ensure a pedestrian friendly
Transportation
occupied by M&T Bank at the Town Commons street.
Shopping Center, or by redevelopment of the • Study Aircraft Drive and Crystal Rock Drive
Town Commons Shopping Center. If the land during the design stage of the Town Center CCT
station as a one way pair to improve access
exchange is unsuccessful, redevelopment of
and circulation for the transit station. Restrict
the Town Commons Shopping Center must
additional widening along MD 118 unless needed
provide the public park in a manner that is
for pedestrian safety, improved bus access, or
visible and accessible from Century Boulevard.
bicycle access and safety.
• Incorporate open space along the east side • Extend Century Boulevard with a 70-foot right-
of Crystal Rock Drive to create a linear open of-way with on-street parking through the
space with a heart smart trail extending Germantown Commons and Sugarloaf Shopping
from MD 118 to the trail access to Black Hill Centers to Wisteria Drive to improve circulation
Regional Park. within the Town Center.

40 Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

 germantown districts

THE WEST END Waters Road Triangle (TC-23) properties Johnson Drive to create a compatible setting
with a maximum of 420,000 square feet for the historic property.
This Plan recommends transformation of the West of employment and retail and 400 dwelling • Redevelop properties south of MD 118
End neighborhood from parking lots into green units with TDRs. Density should be distributed between the MARC station and Wisteria Drive
buildings, varied public spaces, and streets made to permit up to 200,000 square feet of (TC-26) with mixed uses up to 0.5 FAR. Orient
active by residents, workers, and commuters. The commercial uses and 300 units on the commercial uses to MD 118 and single-family
Martens property and up to 220,000 square attached residential uses along Walter Johnson
feet of commercial uses and 100 units on the Drive.
Waters Road Triangle properties.
• Redevelop the Medical Office Park (TC-28) as
• Orient residential and retail uses to the mixed-use with a residential emphasis, up to
intersection of Waterford Hills Boulevard and 18 units per acre.
Waters Road. Locate parking and commercial
• If the post office (TC-29) relocates, redevelop
uses along the CSX railroad and on the high
the site for residential uses at 18 units per
ground along MD 118.
acre.
South of MD 118 Urban Form
The historic train station now used for MARC passenger • Redevelop the County-owned MARC station • Create street-oriented development within the
service.
parking lot with street level retail facing Waters Road Triangle (TC-23) and Martens
110-acre West End neighborhood should develop MD 118 and a parking structure for MARC (TC-22) properties and along Waters Road with
with a range of housing and commercial uses riders set into the slope of the property. The a main street character of on-street parking,
and significant pedestrian traffic generated by the parking structure’s siting and design should wide sidewalks, and ground floor retail activity.
MARC station. It will be less dense than the Town be compatible with the nearby historic district.
• Orient commercial development to be visible
Center Core Neighborhood and have more varied Maintain the surface parking and bus station
and accessible along MD 118 and Wisteria
housing types with historic district references. on the southeastern end of the property.
Drive.
Land Use • Maintain and improve the station area’s
• Increase maximum building heights along MD
existing public use space that bridges the CSX
• Encourage a mix of land uses including 118 from 40 feet (three stories) at the County’s
tracks.
residential, commercial, and retail extending commuter parking lot to 100 feet (eight stories)
from the MARC station to Wisteria Drive. • Improve the existing stormwater management at Middlebrook Road adjacent to the Core
pond as a feature, providing trail access and Neighborhood of the Town Center.
• Encourage suitable adaptive uses for the
opportunities for wildlife viewing.
Pumphrey-Mateney House (TC-25). • Terminate the western vista of Century
• Create two additional single-family detached Boulevard on the Martens property with a
North of MD 118
lots on County-owned property east of the building that marks the view.
• Redevelop the Martens (TC-22) and the Pumphrey-Mateney House fronting Walter

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 41

 germantown districts

• Enhance the existing, regional stormwater Transportation

management facility near the post office with • Extend Century Boulevard from Wisteria Drive
native plantings and develop a nature-oriented to Waters Road to improve access to the
trail for passive recreation connected to MARC station. Provide a street connection to
adjoining sidewalks. Provide seating areas for Waterford Hills Boulevard to create a street
viewing wildlife. network and improve access to the Core
• Front new single-family attached and Neighborhood.
multifamily residential development along • Abandon the existing cul-de-sac end of Waters
Walter Johnson Drive creating a corridor of Road. Design a new intersection of Bowman
residential uses from the MARC Station to Mill Drive with MD 118 to promote pedestrian
Wisteria Drive. Use architectural detailing safety and access to the MARC station.
and materials that are compatible with the
• Provide an attractive pedestrian connection
Pumphrey-Mateney House.
through the Waters Road Triangle properties
• Create compatible new development within making direct access to Waters Road as part
the MARC station area, Historic District, and of the proposed transit station area pedestrian
Pumphrey-Mateney House by appropriate scale network.
and massing.
• Install sidewalks along Walter Johnson Drive
• Develop the historic setting of the Madeline to Middlebrook Road to connect the Core
V. Waters House as publicly accessible open Neighborhood to the MARC station.
space with interpretive material describing the
• Delete the public street connection shown
importance of the site and the Waters family.
on the 1989 Plan from Walter Johnson Drive
Preserve existing and replant new trees to
to Bowman Mill Drive. Provide a private
recreate the original allee.
connection instead.
• Enhance the old alignment of MD 118,
• Provide a signed shared on-road bikeway on
currently developed as urban open space and
Waterford Hills Boulevard to Waters Road and
a pedestrian bridge to the MARC station, as an
along Bowman Mill Road to the MARC station.
amenity for new residents with more seating,
public art, and landscaping.

• Provide streetscape improvements in

accordance with the streetscape plan.

42 Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

 germantown districts

Gateway District Land Use

KEY MAP

THE GATEWAY DISTRICT

This Plan does not recommend changes in land

uses in the 382-acre Gateway District from
today’s commercial and industrial uses. The auto
dealerships along I-270 are unlikely to redevelop.
The federal Department of Energy, the largest
property in the district, has no plans for relocation
or expansion.

The property most likely to redevelop is Rolling

Hills, a multifamily garden apartment community
adjacent to Wisteria Drive and Great Seneca
Highway (GA-5). Rolling Hills apartments will
redevelop as a high density multifamily residential
neighborhood with high rise apartments and
structured parking clustered around green swaths
protecting streams.

Rolling Hills will contain a mix of unit sizes and

housing types as well as a limited amount of
on-site service retail to create an energetic
community. New residents will be able to walk
directly to the MARC station, past a water feature
currently used for stormwater management.
Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 43
 germantown districts

Land Use the properties. Transportation

• Retain industrial and commercial uses along • Provide streetscape improvements in • Eliminate the proposed CCT station along
the north side of Middlebrook Road, south of accordance with the streetscape plan. The Middlebrook Road where properties are
Great Seneca Highway. streetscape plan should include gateway unlikely to redevelop, thereby improving travel
• Orient future employment uses along I-270 and improvements along Middlebrook Road and times to the Town Center.
encourage signature office development. replanting the hillside adjacent to residential • Study future CCT alignments that will better
communities along the south side of serve the east side of Germantown.
• New housing at 25 dwelling units per
Middlebrook Road.
acre should be developed on the Rolling • Consolidate driveways to minimize curb cuts
Hills property close to the MARC station. • Orient high-rise residential buildings on the and turning movements.
Environmental buffers within the site should be Rolling Hills property with lower site elevations
• Create a continuous bikeway along the north
protected. to avoid incompatible relationships with the
side of Middlebrook Road.
nearby historic district while still placing density
• Rebuild Seneca Valley High School (GA-4) on- • Provide safe pedestrian crossings at Wisteria
close to the MARC station. Provide a range
site with innovative academic, recreational, Drive and Great Seneca Highway and at Crystal
of unit types including single-family attached
and environmental features that invite Rock Drive and Middlebrook Road.
units. Placing high density buildings toward the
community interaction
center of the property allows for lower density • Rebuild Wisteria Drive as a four-lane divided
Urban Form buildings at the perimeter. Provide off-site roadway with landscaping and a pedestrian
refuge in the median.
• Through redevelopment, create a building line pedestrian access to the station and upgrade
along the north side of Middlebrook Road with the adjacent stormwater management pond as
connected service driveways in the rear of a feature.

Industrial uses including automobile sales facilities along Department of Energy campus adjacent to I-270
Middlebrook Road and adjacent to I-270

44 Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

 germantown districts

Cloverleaf District Land Use

THE CLOVERLEAF DISTRICT

Cloverleaf is a 130-acre mixed-use, transit-

oriented neighborhood that offers a range of
workplace, recreation, housing, entertainment,
hotel, and retail uses served by the Corridor Cities
Transitway. This Plan recommends redevelopment
into a mixed-use area and the use of new
technology for more sustainable development
including improved urban stormwater
management practices such as permeable
pavement to reduce imperviousness.

Cloverleaf is connected by road and transit to

the Town Center and will be connected across
I-270 to the Seneca Meadows District by transit
and pedestrian facilities. From I-270, the
Cloverleaf District will appear as a compact transit
neighborhood with 125-foot buildings (up to 10
stories) visible from the highway and 143-foot
high buildings (12 stories) clustered at the transit
station.
Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 45
 germantown districts

Land Use the open space setbacks along I-270 that Transportation
create an attractive setting for signature office • Create a network of new local streets with 250-
• Concentrate mixed-use development at the
development. 350 feet long, walkable blocks lengths. Allow
transit station at an average density of 1.0
FAR, stepping down toward existing residential Urban Form on-street parking and design the streets with
communities along Crystal Rock Drive. pedestrian-scale elements such as neck downs
• Create a continuous building line along Century
at intersections.
• Create a center, clustering density at the Boulevard activated with restaurants and retail
transit station. If multiple ownership patterns with occasional setbacks or eddies to provide • Provide a CCT bridge and pedestrian
occur, encourage high density at the transit plazas and gathering places activated with connection over I-270 connecting to the
station through density transfer between restaurants and retail. median of Seneca Meadows Parkway.
adjoining properties. • Establish a street-oriented development • Provide a 130-foot wide right-of-way for
• Allow a ratio of land uses that are 50 to pattern throughout the neighborhood with Century Boulevard to accommodate the CCT
60 percent commercial uses and 40 to 50 parking areas internally within the blocks. within a 50-foot median and two travel lanes
percent residential uses to create a mixed-use on either side of the transitway.
• Maintain the 100-foot building setback along
neighborhood. I-270.
• Orient employment uses and a hotel along • Allow building height of 143 feet (12 stories) at
I-270 designed to take advantage of visibility the transit station to focus the neighborhood
from I-270. center, with heights decreasing toward Crystal
• Concentrate street level retail near the transit Rock Drive. Permit building height of 125 feet
station. Provide a small grocery store for the (eight stories) along I-270, consistent with
convenience of nearby residents. predominant heights in this northwestern end
• Provide a half-acre green common at the heart of the I-270 Corridor.
of the neighborhood along Century Boulevard • Create buildings along Century Boulevard and
for visibility and access. This green is to be Cloverleaf Drive with pedestrian scale bases
privately developed and maintained for public and building stepbacks for upper floors.
use. • Use native plant materials to landscape the
• Provide a series of urban open spaces and stormwater management areas along Crystal
wide sidewalks along Century Boulevard and Rock Drive and to reforest the area from
Cloverleaf Drive near the transit station, with Aircraft Drive to Father Hurley Boulevard.
a plaza directly beside the transit station with • Provide streetscape in accordance with the
seating, lighting, shelter, and other amenities. streetscape plan.
• Require extensive landscape plantings in

46 Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

 germantown districts

North End District Land Use

THE NORTH END DISTRICT

This 280-acre district extends across both sides of

I-270 bounded on the north by Black Hill Regional
Park and the North Germantown Greenway. It
will showcase views and access to both natural
areas. The west side of I-270 will evolve from a
small residential community amid undeveloped
land to an employment location highlighted by
additional residential, retail, and hospitality uses.
Tall buildings focused on the Manekin CCT station
will mark sites visible from I-270.

East of I-270, redevelopment will be within

walking distance of the Dorsey Mill CCT station.
The Milestone Business Park will be expanded
with new residential and retail uses. Six-story
office buildings
will surround an
urban courtyard
within walking
distance of
existing and future
residential units
Multi-story office building in the
near Observation
Milestone North Business Park.
Drive.
Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 47
 germantown districts

Land Use employment, technology, street level retail,

restaurants, and new housing. Orient up to 225
West of I-270
new multifamily housing units to the existing
• Create a center that clusters density at the
residential areas. Residential uses are not to
Manekin CCT station. If multiple ownership
exceed 20 percent of total development on this
patterns occur, encourage higher density at the
site.
transit station through density transfers within
adjoining properties. • Development of the Milestone North property
(NE-6) in Stage 2 may proceed to 1.0 FAR if
• In Stage 1, develop the Symmetry/Totah
the Town Center transit station properties have
property (NE-1) at an average density of 0.75
achieved an average density of 1.5 FAR.
FAR and a mix of uses with a minimum of 60 Boat dock and recreation facility at Black Hill
Regional Park
percent employment and a maximum of 40 Urban Form
percent residential. Permit a limited amount • Line the east side of Century Boulevard • Provide an urban plaza directly adjacent to the
of street level retail near transit and along across from the existing Cloverleaf North transit station with seating, lighting, shelter,
Century Boulevard. Design employment uses residential community with 72-foot (six stories) and other amenities.
and a hotel to take advantage of the site’s tall buildings. Reduce the sense of building • Provide streetscape improvements in
visibility from I-270. bulk and mass along Century Boulevard and accordance with the streetscape plan.
• Development of the Symmetry/Totah property Cloverleaf Drive by limiting building heights
Environment
in Stage 2 may proceed up to 1.0 FAR if the to three to four stories at street level with
Town Center transit station properties have stepbacks to upper floors. • Preserve forest adjacent to Black Hill Regional
achieved an average density of up to 1.5 FAR. Park on the north side of Century Boulevard
• Permit building heights of 143 feet (12 stories)
as it curves into Crystal Rock Drive and use
and maintain the 100-foot setback along I-270.
• Orient signature office buildings and all available means to incorporate it into
Create buildings with a three- to four-story base
employment uses along I-270 on the Lerner the existing park, or place in a conservation
and setback upper floors.
property (NE-2). Allow up to 1.5 million square easement.
feet of employment uses, a hotel, and up to • Develop the east side of Century Boulevard
• Expand stream restoration and water quality
110,000 square feet of retail space. Allow a with wide sidewalks that can accommodate
protection efforts on the Milestone Tributary
1,425 residential population as defined in the sidewalk cafes and seating areas.
to maintain the water quality and wetland
Town Sector Zone with a mix of highrise and • Terminate vistas with the forested Germantown
functions of this tributary to Seneca Lake, an
low-rise residential units. greenbelt as Century Boulevard turns into
important drinking water supply.
East of I-270 Crystal Rock Drive.

• In Stage 1, develop the Milestone North • Provide a 0.75-acre common in the residential
property at an average density of 0.75 FAR portion of the Lerner property to be privately
with a mix of research and development, developed and maintained for public use.

48 Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

 germantown districts

Transportation • Incorporate direct access to the Dorsey Mill along Century Boulevard.
station to and from north I-270. This access • Introduce a network of new streets with short
• Provide a dedicated street crossing over I-270,
can be provided by either direct access blocks, such as 250 to 350 feet in length.
an extension of Dorsey Mill Road connecting ramps at the Dorsey Mill Road interchange
the east and west sides of I-270 with four • Extend Crystal Rock Drive to Dorsey Mill Road
or a revision to the Father Hurley Boulevard
travel lanes and the CCT. as a four-lane business street.
interchange. The new access will create multi-
• Provide a transit station in the Century modal options between future managed lanes • Maintain Kinster Drive as a two-lane divided
Boulevard median near Dorsey Mill Road. and bus services on I-270 and CCT transit minor arterial roadway with on-street parking.
Park-and-ride facilities should be supplied on service along Century Boulevard. This access Should future demand increase, the road could
both the west and east sides of I-270 near the should also reduce congestion at the junction be redesigned to a four-lane divided roadway
Manekin and Dorsey Mill stations with at least of Father Hurley Boulevard with Crystal Rock with off peak parking within the existing right-
250 public spaces at each station incorporated Drive, reduce commercial traffic use of Kinster of-way.
into private development projects. Drive, and provide better access to businesses

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 49

 germantown districts

Seneca Meadows/Milestone District Land Use

THE SENECA MEADOWS/MILESTONE DISTRICT

The Seneca Meadows District illustrates the

office and industrial development that is possible
within current I-3 zoning. Development has been
in the form of one, two, and three story buildings
with surface parking. A significant portion of
the district has been retained in green space,
conservation areas, and stream buffers. A future
CCT station along Seneca Meadows Parkway will
be the focal point of activity in the 390-acre area.
In the interim, a mixed-use retail and office center
will provide services to existing businesses and
workers in the office park. A new urban recreation
center located in a multi-use building will offer
educational and recreational activities for workers
and residents.

50 Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

 germantown districts

Land Use recreation center and an urban park near the Transportation
• Concentrate mixed-use development at the transit station. • Create a network of new streets with short
transit station with an average density of • Building heights of up to 143 feet (12 stories) block lengths in the mixed-use neighborhood
1.0 FAR on the Seneca Meadows property are appropriate at the transit station to create around the transit center.
north of the Crystal Rock Tributary (SM-1). a focus for the mixed-use neighborhood.
• Provide a bridge over I-270 accommodating
To ensure the area retains an employment Building heights will be reduced toward
the CCT and a pedestrian connection to the
profile, develop with a minimum of 70 percent adjacent residential neighborhoods to the
employment uses that include limited street median of Seneca Meadows Parkway.
south and north. Establish a three- to four-story
level retail and a maximum of 30 percent building base with stepbacks for upper floors. • Expand the street network (B-25) with a bridge
residential uses. Street level retail must over MD 27/Ridge Road that accommodates
• Locate limited retail uses along streets. Big box
conform to the Plan’s urban design guidance. the CCT, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
retailers, if proposed, should have active store
• Provide industrial, office, and technology fronts with multiple entrances and smaller • Provide a local, signed, shared on-road bikeway
uses south of the Crystal Rock Tributary with retail uses facing the street. along Seneca Meadows Parkway.
signature office development along I-270.
• Permit building heights up to 100 feet (eight • In the absence of the CCT, expand bus service
• Support the Milestone Regional Shopping stories) and maintain the 100-foot setback along Observation Drive to link the Milestone
Center (SM-3) and Neelsville Village Center along both sides of I-270 to ensure that density North center and Montgomery College with
(SM-4) as the Germantown-Clarksburg and focus of taller buildings occurs at the
Clarksburg to the north.
destination retail center. Redevelopment is transit station.
unlikely given the fragmented ownership.
• New development along MD 355 should
If ownership consolidates, a coordinated
establish a building line, fronting the roadway
redevelopment option may be proposed
with parking located behind buildings.
that meets the existing RMX zone density
standards of 0.5 FAR. With redevelopment, add • Provide an urban park and recreation center
residential uses and urban open space in a adequate to serve the employees and
compact urban form with structured parking. residents of the Seneca Meadows District.
Either dedicate additional land for the
• Design stormwater management, in
recreation center or integrate the center into
coordination with the Montgomery County
the ground floors of a mixed-use building.
Department of Permitting Services and
the Montgomery County Department of • Provide an urban plaza with seating, lighting,
Environmental Protection, to protect the shelter, and other amenities adjacent to the
Germantown Bog. transit station.
Urban Form • Provide streetscape improvements in
• Locate a 25,000 square foot community accordance with the streetscape plan.

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 51

 germantown districts

Montogomery College District Land Use

THE MONTGOMERY COLLEGE DISTRICT

The education and technology uses in the

334-acre Montgomery College District are an
important community resource. The expanded
campus will be an active center serving 20,000
students. It should develop in a compact pattern
that inspires inviting gathering spaces, walking,
and biking. A compact pattern will reserve land
for the College’s future expansion and protect the
site’s natural features—a large stand of upland
forest and two tributaries to Gunners Branch. The
campus development plan fosters links between
business and education in the I-270 Technology
Corridor.

52 Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

 germantown districts

Land Use • Incorporate structured parking into buildings

• Expand Montgomery College’s academic facilities and pave surface parking areas with permeable
to 1.9 million square feet and provide up to one materials.
million square feet for a technology park linking • Buildings must have a minimum of three stories
the business and academic communities. Private with floorplates no greater than 25,000 square
sector facilities on the campus will be subject to feet for non-residential uses. Medical facilities
site plan review. such as hospitals are exempt from this guideline.
• Preserve 50 acres of high priority forest along • Permit building height up to 100 feet (eight
I-270 and other high priority forest within the site. stories) and maintain the 100-foot setback along
• Develop technology, medical, and office uses I-270 to ensure a dense and cohesive campus.
with signature architecture that takes advantage Transportation
of visibility from I-270. Use structured parking
• The College’s planned expansion and
to reduce impervious surface area and improve
technology park requires additional access and
water quality in the Gunners Branch watershed.
transportation capacity. Extend Observation
• Relocate the Cider Barrel historic site to another Drive as a four-lane 80-foot right-of-way arterial
location in the Sector Plan area. Additional roadway with a shared use path through the
guidance appears in Appendix 12. Montgomery College property connecting MD 118
Urban Form with Middlebrook Road. The road will be located
on the east side of the campus with future Academic buildings at the Germantown compus of
• Design the campus expansion and orient Montgomery College
connections to MD 355.
buildings to create a compact educational village
• Extend Goldenrod Lane outside of the protected
that promotes interaction between buildings,
forest area to connect Observation Drive and
synergy between public and private uses, reduces
introduce a network of new streets with short
the amount of disturbed land, and creates an
blocks, 250 to 350 feet long, to create a
appealing and safe environment.
pedestrian-friendly place with wide sidewalks.
• Provide a network of streets with extensive • Extend Cider Press Place to connect MD 355 with
pedestrian connections that create a walkable the extension of Observation Drive.
campus and technology park.
• Provide an open space buffer along the existing
residential community to the east.
• Use building placement and site design to create High quality forest in the Montgomery College District
smaller usable outdoor spaces characteristic of
urban areas.
Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 53
 germantown districts

Fox Chapel District Land Use

THE FOX CHAPEL DISTRICT

The 115-acre Fox Chapel District will become

the commercial hub at the intersection of MD
355 and Middlebrook Road with a bus transit
center providing the transit link to other parts
of Germantown. Retail, housing, and recreation
opportunities will flow between MD 355 and
Scenery Drive including an improved Plumgar
Recreation Center (FC-7) and greater density
at the Seneca Crossing community (FC-6). This
vision can best be accomplished by cooperation
among property owners and a coordinated
development plan.

Gateway and streetscape treatment along

MD 355 will improve pedestrian safety and
the pedestrian experience along Montgomery
County’s main street. At-grade, one-way couplets
could replace grade-separated at the MD
355 and Middlebrook Road intersection. This
option should be studied by state and County
transportation departments.

54 Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

 germantown districts

Land Use • Establish a consistent building setback existing homes. No new driveways or parking
• The Fox Chapel Shopping Center (FC-1) should from MD 355, provide an eight-foot wide areas should be permitted in front yards.
be redeveloped as a mixed-use village center of sidewalk along commercial development, and Transportation
commercial and residential uses. If properties implement the streetscape plan.
• Connect the Middlebrook Mobile Home Park
are assembled, allow development up to 0.3 • Orient multifamily units toward MD 355 and site to MD 355 with a connected street system
FAR for commercial uses and 22 dwelling units the site’s interior to achieve a compatible through commercially zoned properties held
per acre for the Fox Chapel Shopping Center transition to R-200 residential property to the by same owner. Preserve the trees along
and the Middlebook Mobile Home Park (FC-5). east. Preserve existing woodland on the east the eastern end of the site for a compatible
• If properties are not assembled, commercial side of the Middlebrook Mobile Home Park site transition with existing R-200 residences.
density should not exceed 0.3 FAR and five to buffer the adjacent residential community
• Connect Blunt Road with Middlebrook Road.
dwelling units per acre for the Middlebrook and provide a pedestrian connection to the Fox
Chapel Shopping Center. • Improve MD 355 with streetscape
Mobile Home Park (FC-5).
improvements in accordance with the
• Retain the residential character of the MD 355 • Accessory apartments developed along MD
streetscape plan.
gateway into Germantown by allowing existing 355 should locate all parking behind the
R-200 properties (FC-8) to have by-right
accessory housing units.

Urban Form
• If properties along the east side of MD 355 are
assembled, create a new set of development
blocks that parallel MD 355 and are lined with
buildings. Provide urban open space defined
by streets or buildings and place parking within
the interior of the block.
• If non-assembled properties develop, redevelop
commercial sites along MD 355 with street-
oriented commercial development, wrapping
corner properties, and placing parking and
service areas in the rear of the property,
screened from adjacent residential areas.
Encourage rear connections along alleys.

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 55

 implementation

T he future envisioned
in this Plan requires
decisions and actions
master or sector plans for Transit Station
Development Areas.”
facilities off-site. The list of potential projects
to be covered by the Amenity Fund appears in
Appendix 20 and incorporated by reference in this
The TMX-2 zone allows for standard and optional
by government, property Plan.
methods of development. Both methods require
owners, and residents to
site plan approval. Optional method projects must The complete text of the TMX-2 Zone appears in
transform the type and
be consistent with the general design principles in Appendix 23.
character of development
this Plan and the design guidelines to be adopted
occurring in Germantown. Direct governmental
by the Planning Board.
actions include comprehensive rezoning through
Proposed Transit Station Development Area
a Sectional Map Amendment and indirect This zone also
actions such as protection of forested areas and establishes a Building
construction of capital improvements. Some Lot Termination (BLT)
facilities will be produced by the private sector program for new
through the development review process. The and redeveloped
recommended type, amount, and location of commercial projects.
development must take place at the appropriate The BLT program
time and in the proper sequence. will be used to
terminate buildable
ZONING
lots in the County’s
This Plan recommends an array of mixed-use Agricultural Reserve,
zoning categories to shape development. Existing as recommended
zones such as RMX-2, RMX-2C, and I-3 with an by the 2007 Ad Hoc
option for mixed uses, as well as the Town Sector Agricultural Policy
Zone contain development standards appropriate Working Group.
for transit served and pedestrian-scaled areas.
The TMX-2 Zone
The Transit Mixed Use Zone (TMX-2) will be used allows the creation of
to implement the land use recommendations, a contributory fund so
development standards, the Building Lot that optional method
Termination program, and approval procedures projects may provide
for transit-oriented development envisioned by all or part of a project’s
this Plan. The zone’s purpose is to “implement public use space and
the recommendations of approved and adopted public amenities and

56 Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009