Draft Vision

DRAFT VISION STATEMENT The Glenmont of the future will be a walkable, diverse and green community, and a familyfriendly local destination. The Glenmont Shopping Center will be the focus of communityoriented activities and services, providing a distinctive identity for Glenmont. New transitoriented, mixed-use development, concentrated in and around the shopping center and the Metro station, will offer expanded housing choices for people of all ages and incomes, while existing single-family neighborhoods will be preserved and enhanced. Improved pedestrian and bicycle facilities will provide safe and convenient connections to homes, work, shops, transit, schools and parks.

lenmont COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

final report

17

Draft Vision

The Draft Vision updates the 1997 Sector Plan according to the direction provided by the Glenmont community during the visioning workshops. elements of the vision include: A mixed-use town center, located on the site of the Glenmont Shopping Center, with an internal grid of streets and a concentration of services that cater to the needs of the community. Additional nodes of mixed-use development, intermingled with residential redevelopment that provide a variety of housing choices. Redeveloped residential communities that offer a greater variety of housing choices. New street connections and road configurations to provide more routes between destinations and major roadways. Safe, attractive and accessible pedestrian and bicycle connections through a continuous sidewalk network, designated bicycle routes, improved streetscapes and pedestrian crossings, and a network of trails, paths and greenways. A green and connected network of open spaces, including a central community gathering space in the Town Center and a variety of neighborhood parks that offer opportunities for both programmed and casual interactions, as well as recreational activities. Preservation of existing single-family residential neighborhoods and protection of these areas Key

through sensitive transitions in the scale of new development. The key components of the draft vision are described in more detail in the pages that follow.

18

lenmont COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

final report

Draft Vision

ER

BUILDINGS WMATA PARKING GARAGE PLANNED FIRE STATION RELOCATION SITE STREETS WATER TOWER EXISTING METRO ENTRANCE POTENTIAL METRO ENTRANCE ENHANCED EXISTING PEDESTRIAN CROSSING POINT
EPPING ROAD

A C

ST R

EE

LA YH IL L

FL

*
G EO

RO A D

CA M

1/4-MILE RADIUS 1/2-MILE

TE

AB

ELLI

G
Draft Vision
SECTOR BOUNDARY

VICTOR COURT
W OD ANE EWOO LANE EWOOD LA

MAR IG

OAK DRIV WILTON OAKS

O LD
NE LA

LUT LUTES DRIVE

IDEAL DRIVE

HOLLOW LN

lenmont

HA TH

AY W

VE RI D

NE DISNE LANE DISNEY LANE

BR IG

GS RO AD

E S SNOWDROP LANE

RO AD

BRIGGS ROAD

SADDLEBROOK DRIVE

EL

LE

OA D

A D RIV E

COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

T LA BLUE

O AC

NE

MIDDLEVALE LANE IDDLEVALE

RY R

O A

POTENTIAL NEW PEDESTRIAN CROSSING POINT PLANNED AND SUGGESTED NEW ROAD CONNECTIONS PROPOSED PUBLIC OPEN SPACE CONNECTIONS PROPOSED PUBLIC OPEN SPACES PROPOSED CIVIC GATHERING PLACE PROPOSED BUFFER EXISTING PUBLIC FACILITIES EXISTING PUBLIC OPEN SPACE STREETSCAPE ENHANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES MIXED-USE OPPORTUNITY AREAS MIXED-USE OPPORTUNITY AREAS WITH LIMITED RETAIL PROFESSIONAL OFFICE/MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL MIXED-USE OPPORTUNITY AREAS RESIDENTIAL REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY AREAS

M METRO
R G IA AV EN

GL

EN

AL

LE

LA

GST ON ST RE ET

* *

EN

LD

NA VE

BI
NU E
AD RO

M LL

AN

LA

N D DE RD GA TE GA A AD RO
NE

ID

DENLEY PLACE

O A

E
O ND RA H LP

HE UR I

H H

AD RO

URBA

NA D

RIVE

FL

AC K

ROAD RAPIN TER

ST R

EE

SHE

RAT ON

STR E

ET

*
MASON S TRE E

LIVI N

A W

CE LA

E AV

UE

GL EN MO NT

MU

NS

ON

TON

STR E

STR E

ET

LIN DE LL

ET
AD RO

WE

ST RE ET

ISM

AN

RO AD

O DS JU

ST A

NEW

RL

IN

PH

ROA

RI

RAN

DOL

CI RC LE

BROOKSIDE GARDENS

April 2, 2012

100 0 500

1/2 Mile

ANDVIEW E D GR RIVE

lenmont COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

final report

19

Draft Vision
glenmont shopping center
The most significant and desired change in Glenmont is the complete transformation of the existing Glenmont Shopping Center site into Glenmont Town Center, a mixed-use and pedestrian-oriented hub that maximizes the sites proximity to the Glenmont Metro station and establishes a new image and identity for Glenmont. As envisioned, the Town Center includes a diversity of retail, commercial and residential uses and is designed such that it has the flexibility to accommodate the evolving needs of the community. Land uses within the Town Center could include a variety of space types, such as offices, apartments and condominiums, restaurants, boutiques, coffee shops, a gym, a grocery store and/or a hotel (market permitting), as well as several of the existing retail anchors and a daycare facility. Mid-rise buildings both mixed-use structures with ground-floor retail and single-use commercial or residential structures should engage the interior streets of the Town Center, as well as the pedestrian-oriented streetscapes along Georgia Avenue and Randolph Road. Town Center development could be served by interior parking garages and intermittent surface parking lots that are concealed behind buildings. Integrated into the Glenmont Town Center would be a highly valued civic gathering place, or town square. This versatile space could incorporate an outdoor plaza serving as a venue for weekend Farmers Markets, outdoor movies in the summer, festivals and concerts, and other family-friendly activities. As envisioned, the plaza would transition into a linear green space that could incorporate elements such as a community playground, a water element and public art. With its proximity to public transit and with an internal grid of streets, the Town Center would encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation, such as walking, biking and public transit. A new entrance to the Glenmont Metro station, located at the southwestern corner of the site, would greatly enhance both the accessibility and visibility of the development to Metro commuters while increasing its attractiveness as a development site. Visitors, workers and residents could easily and safely navigate the interior streets of the Glenmont Town Center and access surrounding neighborhoods and destinations without an automobile.

20

lenmont COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

final report

Draft Vision

public plaza as a venue for a farmers market

public plaza as a venue for community events

civic gathering place with active open space

pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use town center with a civic gathering plact

lenmont COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

final report

21

Draft Vision
mixed-use development
Additional mixed-use development on surrounding properties would contribute to Glenmonts vitality. Smaller in scale and with limited retail and commercial uses, they would complement, rather than compete with, the Town Center by providing a range of housing choices and community-serving retail and commercial uses. Across Randolph Road from the Town Center, a redeveloped Glenmont Forest could include multifamily residential with community-serving retail uses such as dry cleaners, a coffee shop or a small caf, facing the generous sidewalks along Randolph Road. Residential units would occupy the upper floors of the mixed-use buildings as well as the remainder of the property, further away from Randolph Road. Across Layhill Road from the Town Center and fronting onto Layhill Road and Georgia and Glenallan Avenues, pockets of mixed-use development could enliven the streets surrounding the Metro station. Ground-floor retail uses could provide services for both the residents of the Glenmont Metrocenter development and Metro riders coming to and from the station, while office and residential uses could occupy the upper floors. Buildings could face generous sidewalks, which should be buffered from Layhill Road and Glenallan and Georgia Avenues by wide landscaped areas and street trees. The area west of Layhill Road would also become a visual
22

focal point for Glenmont thanks to the water tower, the exterior of which could be creatively repainted or otherwise redesigned, making it a visual symbol of Glenmont and a landmark that contributes to the communitys overall image and identity. Along the north side of Glenallan Avenue, at its intersections with Layhill Road and Randolph Road, two more mixed-use nodes could house a variety of community-oriented professional services on the ground floors with residential uses located above and adjacent to them. Tenants might include businesses such as medical offices or accounting services, enabling Glenmont residents to access such services close to home and providing additional employment, while the residential component would provide additional housing options for the Glenmont community.

lenmont COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

final report

Draft Vision

commercial mixed-use development with ground floor retail

water tower as a landmark

water tower expresses community identity

residential mixed-use development with ground floor retail

ground floor retail

lenmont COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

final report

23

Draft Vision
residential redevelopment
The Draft Vision calls for redevelopment of existing multifamily residential properties to provide a greater variety of housing choices. As currently proposed, Glenmont Metrocenter development would include a combination of with multifamily maximum apartments heights and condominiums, ranging

streets and circulation

As envisioned in the Draft Vision, the network of streets and sidewalks in Glenmont would enable residents and visitors to get around the areaand access transit connectionssafely and comfortably, without relying soley on an automobile. Pedestrian and bicycle connections in and around the Town Center would be improved through a combination of new street connections, improved pedestrian crossings, are and streetscape as improvements. In addition, both Georgia Avenue and Randolph Road envisioned pedestrian-oriented transit boulevards that would accommodate future bus rapid transit service, in addition to vehicular traffic. new street connections The Draft Vision adds numerous new streets, providing more direct connections between destinations and increasing the overall number of possible routes through the center of Glenmont. The most significant of these new connections would be two new east-west streets, one through the existing Glenmont Shopping Center site and another through the Glenmont Metrocenter development, as well as a reconfigured circulation pattern where Layhill Road intersects with Georgia Avenue. The east-west connection through the existing Glenmont Shopping Center site would provide the initial points of entry into the Town Center from Georgia Avenue and Randolph Road, while serving as

from 50 to 85 feet (or 7 stories maximum), and single-family, attached townhouses. This residential community would be served by an internal network of streets providing connections to the neighborhood mixed-use center on Glenallan Avenue. In addition, residential redevelopment on the sites of the existing Winexburg Manor and Glenmont Forest communities, in the long term, could include both townhouses and taller multifamily apartment and condominium buildings. These residential uses would provide a transition in scale, massing and development intensity, such that building heights would diminish as development approaches the outlying, singlefamily residential areas.

24

lenmont COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

final report

Draft Vision

BRT without a dedicated lane and curbside transit stations

townhomes

multifamily residential above retail

multifamily residential transitioning to townhomes

BRT with a dedicated lane and central median transit stations

lenmont COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

final report

25

Draft Vision

a key internal vehicular and pedestrian route through the site and as a primary commercial street within the Town Center. Similarly, the new street connection through the Glenmont Metrocenter development would provide access from Layhill Road to Georgia Avenue, effectively bypassing traffic along Glenallan Avenue. The Draft Vision also includes the bifurcation of Layhill Road to create separate northbound and southbound connections to and from Georgia Avenue, as recommended in the 1997 Sector Plan. The bifurcation would occur north of the existing shopping center entrance and south of Glenallan Avenue, with the northbound leg following a portion of the existing Layhill Road right-of-way and a new southbound alignment traveling just west of the existing water tower and east of the existing Metro access road, terminating at Georgia Avenue. The reconfigured road patterns would achieve multiple benefits: improved pedestrian connections across Layhill Road; reduced traffic at the Georgia Avenue intersection; and improved access to the adjacent Town Center and mixed-use development and Metro station west of Layhill Road.

pedestrian and bicycle connectivity Key components of the comprehensive circulation network envisioned in the Draft Vision include a continuous network of sidewalks, an expanded system of bicycle routes, and new and enhanced at-grade pedestrian crossings, as shown in the accompanying Pedestrian and Bicycle Connectivity map. As a result, the entire Glenmont area would be accessible on foot, while designated bicycle routes along major roadways and within residential neighborhoods would provide another way to travel safely and conveniently through the area. To provide safe pedestrian connections across major roadways, numerous improved pedestrian crossings, both new and enhanced, are envisioned at key intersections along Randolph and Layhill Roads and Georgia and Glenallan Avenues. Potential crossing treatments could include painted or textured crosswalks, curb extensions and, where feasible, timed pedestrian crossing signals, but the exact nature of the crossings would depend on factors such as the volume of traffic traversing the intersections and the frequency of signals along each roadway. These pedestrian and bicycle facilities are

supplemented by a system of trails, paths and planned hiker/biker trails that would serve as additional pedestrian and bicycle routes and as open space connections.
26

lenmont COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

final report

Draft Vision

ER

PROPERTY PARCELS WMATA PARKING GARAGE PLANNED FIRE STATION RELOCATION SITE STREETS

PROPOSED CIVIC GATHERING PLACE HIKER/BIKER TRAIL SIDEWALK

EPPING ROAD

RO A D

CA M

1/4-MILE RADIUS 1/2-MILE RADIUS

TE

AB

ELLI

G
SECTOR BOUNDARY BIKEWAY

VICTOR COURT
W OD ANE EWOO LANE EWOOD LA

MAR IG

TON OAK DRIV WILTON OAKS

O LD

LUTES DRIVE

E AN LA

IDEAL DRIVE

HOLLOW LN

lenmont

HA TH

AY W

VE RI D

E NE DISNE LANE DISNEY LANE

BR IG

GS RO AD

E S SNOWDROP LANE

RO AD

BRIGGS ROAD

SADDLEBRO SADDLEBROOK DRIVE

EL

LE

OA D

RY R

Draft Vision: Pedestrian & Bicycle Connectivity Vision

A D RIV E

COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

T LA

O AC

NE

MIDDLEVALE LANE IDDLEVALE

BLUE

N N EN RD GA

A C

ST R

LA YH IL L

FL

E AT GA

EE

T
AN LA

NE

AD A RO

POTENTIAL NEW TRAILS/PATHS EXISTING PUBLIC OPEN SPACE

O A

G
LD

EO

GL

EN

LE

EN

AL

LA

L BI
NA VE NU E
AD RO

LM

IA

ID

AV

DENLEY PLACE

EN

O A

E
DO AN LP H

D
R

HE UR IC
H H

AD RO

URBA

NA D

RIVE

FL
ROAD

AC K

SHE

RAT ON

STO N

STR E

STR E

ET

RAPIN TER

ST R

EE

ET

ING

*
MASON S TRE E
VE

LIV

A W

CE LA

E AV

UE

MU

NS

TON

ON

STR E

STR E

ET

ST A

NEW

RL

IN

PH

ROA

RI

RAN

DOL

GL EN MO NT CI RC LE

ET
ON DS JU

LIN DE LL

AD RO

BROOKSIDE GARDENS

WE

ST RE ET

ISM

AN

RO AD

April 2, 2012

100 0 500

1/2 Mile

ANDVIEW GR DRI

lenmont COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

final report

27

Draft Vision

streetscape enhancements Streetscape improvements could greatly enhance the appearance of Glenmonts roadways and the pedestrian and bicycle experience along them, while the streetscape treatments along new streets could further contribute to a safe, comfortable and attractive public realm. Along Georgia Avenue, Layhill and Randolph Roads, and along Glenallan
successful bicycle and pedestrian facilities

Avenue, streetscape enhancements would include wide sidewalks, which should be separated from the adjacent roadways by generous, landscaped buffers and lined with street trees and pedestrian-oriented street lighting. The enhanced streetscapes could also incorporate plantings and other elements to capture and treat stormwater before it enters the public sewer system, as well as a variety of street furniture, such as benches and bike racks.

visible pedestrian crosswalk

dedicated, on-road bicycle lane

on-street parking and bicycle facilities

28

lenmont COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

final report

Draft Vision

streetscape with wide, buffered sidewalks

streetscape with stormwater management features

streetscape with enhanced landscaping

streetscape with pedestrian-scaled ground floor retail and street furniture

lenmont COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

final report

29

Draft Vision
public open spaces, trails & paths
public open spaces The Draft Vision highlights a network of public open spaces, trails and paths throughout the Sector Plan Area, which would be integral to the character of Glenmont. The Draft Vision has a number of new public open spaces, the most important of which is the civic gathering place in the Glenmont Town Center and the linear park that connects to it. This park/plaza combination would provide a place for the Glenmont community to gather for events and casual interaction, while the adjoining linear park would provide access to the north end of the Town Center and surrounding residential communities, before terminating south of the Glen Waye Gardens Condominium property. Other significant new open spaces include: A publicly-owned and maintained park facility on the existing property at the southwestern corner of the Randolph Road - Georgia Avenue intersection. This open space could provide residents with recreational facilities such as a multifunctional ball field, a community center and/or a community garden. A new open space, located close the Metro station at the entrance to the Glenmont Metrocenter, providing a new open space amenity for both residents of Glenmont Metrocenter and the larger Glenmont community. Conversion of the existing wide medians along Denley and Judson Roads as neighborhood parks or playgrounds, establishing new community gathering spaces within the existing singlefamily neighborhoods. Finally, the Draft Vision preserves all existing parks, including Saddlebrook Park, Glenfield Park and the Glenmont Greenway, and integrates these facilities into the larger open space network and new development recommended as part of the vision. trails and paths New trails and paths not only would provide additional routes for pedestrians and bicyclists to navigate the area, but also would link new and existing open spaces to establish a cohesive open space network. New trails and paths in the Draft Vision include: A path on WMATA property, between Glenallan Avenue and Georgia Avenue, linking Glenallan Avenue with the Metro station and Georgia Avenue while also providing access to the public open space at the entrance to Glenmont Metrocenter. A new greenway providing a more direct connection to Brookside Gardens from Randolph Road, opposite the Town Center. A new trail connecting Saddlebrook Park with mixed-use development along Glenallan Avenue,

30

lenmont COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

final report

Draft Vision

through the redeveloped Winexburg Manor residential community. Hiker-biker trails, as identified in existing County plans. These trails would include one hiker-biker trail linking Flack Street to Georgia Avenue, through the WMATA garage and future fire station properties, and another connecting Glenfield and Saddlebrook Parks on both sides of Layhill Road.

civic gathering place with a water feature

public greenway within a linear park

civic gathering place with outdoor dining

lenmont COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

final report

31

Draft Vision

An artistic representation of the Draft Vision, looking north from the intersection of Randolph Road and Georgia Avenue, toward the Glenmont Town Center

il yh La

oa lR

yh La ill a Ro d
oad Randolph R

Geor gia A venu e

32

lenmont COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP

final report