Comments from the East County Science Center Master Plan

Open House June 30, 2010

Over seventy-five residents, business

The following provides a summary of their

GENERAL
Expand the sector plan boundary to
include the West Hillandale area and
Burnt Mills (bounded by MD 650, I-495,
US29 and Long Branch Park).

Add entire west side of New Hampshire

Include Prince George’s County’s portion in the Master Plan. Why stop at County border when
MNCPPC is a bi-county agency.

Look at the entire White Oak and Fairland Master Plans concurrently instead of breaking out a
specific area for the science center.

Get new people involved in the planning process, especially young people, minorities, and
immigrants. We need to hear from other groups.

Include National Labor College site in Master Plan.

Consider County line issues/differences, like Elton Road.

Need for a public/land owners dialogue.

INFRASTRUCTURE
Like BRT in concept but questioned its feasibility, as well as the potential of this mode of travel to
significantly impact traffic congestion.

A monorail system was suggested as better and more cost-effective than BRT.

More information was requested on any plans to rehabilitate/upgrade the Old Columbia Pike
bridge over Paint Branch.

Interest in reviving a plan (developed by SHA) to extend Elton Road across MD 650 in order to
connect with westbound I-495 (via a “slip ramp”).
Comments from the East County Science Center Master Plan
Open House June 30, 2010

Opposition to extending Elton Road across 650 as this would encourage more unwanted “cut
through” traffic in the neighborhood (folks commuting from Prince George’s Co.).

Provide more sidewalks in the area. Currently, pedestrians share the streets with on-coming
traffic.

Upgrade the pedestrian crossing on MD 650 just north of the Beltway. Some pedestrians are
fearful of using the crosswalk located near Elton Road because of traffic using the “hot right” exit
from the Beltway to travel north onto MD 650. Instead of using the crosswalk, they opt for mid-
block crossings instead.

Need for a bikeway in the Northwest Branch Park that would run parallel to the stream and
provide access across the stream into the Four Corners neighborhood.

Concern with the volume of traffic from the US 29/Cherry Hill area and US 29/ICC traffic mix.

Coordinate with BRT study. Assess the US 29 Corridor as well as the Wedge.

Look at street sections on Georgia Avenue and Conn Ave through DC; US 29 as a prototype for
BRT.

Provide interchange at Industrial Pkwy and US 29.

Construct bike path along Northwest Branch hiking trail.

Add speed bumps or other traffic control on Burnt Mills Avenue between Lockwood and
Gatewood.

Include sidewalks and bike paths in the Plan.

Provide a bike path thru FDA to connect to existing path along plan boundary in PG County.

Request for no speed bumps but include more bike paths connecting FDA site.

Plan a bike path through NW Branch from West Hillandale (cross NW Branch) to Four Corners.

Request for a T-Mobile cell tower in community center.

Extend Industrial Parkway to new road on Percontee Property.

Need traffic light at Broadbirch and Plum Orchard now.

Make a bike path connection from ICC down along Paint Branch through the FDA property and
connect to existing path in PG County.

Plan White Oak as town center and transit center (rapid transit, street grid, and mix of uses).
Comments from the East County Science Center Master Plan
Open House June 30, 2010

Need to connect Industrial Pkwy with I-95.

Need continued monorail above US 29 to Howard County and above Rte 1 from UMD to BWI and
Baltimore

Need better road intersections to handle hybrid and electric only vehicle.

Want to be able to get on a bus and go downtown. Current bus resources are not good.

No more traffic.

Current shuttle busses are for FDA only. Neighborhood is not served well with transit.

To maximize commercial and residential uses, transportation will define limits.

Creative transportation solutions will be needed.

FOOD
No desire for more large food chains or restaurants.

Want an Asian grocery store like H-mart or Kam Sam (Rockville) within 2-3 miles of FDA with a
deli.

Want more sit down restaurants and higher end shopping like in Rockville and Bethesda.

CULTURE
Provide for upscale art galleries.

Want a small-scale gym (no WSC or Gold’s)

Create a town center.

Plan a small outdoor area for live entertainment: for bands, meetings, or open play area for
children.

HEALTH
Provide for daycare and elderly housing.

Include a separate dog park.

ENVIRONMENT
Incorporate green building, renewable energy usage for all the new buildings, and passive
heating and cooling. All new facilities should be LEED Platinum.

Work to improve water quality in the affected watersheds and sub-watersheds.

Like to see the commitments for the Anacostia Watershed and Chesapeake Bay (e.g., no net
increase in impervious percentage)

Try to retain the forest canopy and protect the Paint Branch

ECONOMY
Maintain and protect a variety of small existing businesses. Allow for their growth and
modernization.

Eliminate US 29/Cherry Hill Overlay Zone. Businesses area constrained by overlay zone (they
can’t expand).

Facilitate high density, mixed use development within a 5 min walk from mass transit hubs

Need to redevelop White Oak/Sears shopping center.

Consider changing the zoning to C-1 retail business zoning at NE corner of Old Columbia Pike and
Fairland Road (west of ICC).

Allow high density mixed use at the existing large shopping centers (White Oak and Hillandale).
These locations are already located on the area’s largest roadways. Do not want traffic to go
thru the residential area.

FDA employees left Rockville, a thriving area with many resources. Employees feel like there is
nothing in east County.

White Oak businesses are not benefiting from FDA employee addition.

Hope new development will increase home value.

Allow for higher density, mixed use to create the types of new/existing jobs in east County.