May 2009

kensington sector plan

Public Hearing Draft

Montgomery County Planning Department

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

MontgomeryPlanning.org
 May 2009

Public Hearing Draft

Kensington and Vicinity Sector Plan
An Amendment to the 1978 Sector Plan for the Town of Kensington and Vicinity

Prepared by the Montgomery County Planning Department

8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver spring, MD 20910

www.montgomeryplanning.org
Public Hearing Draft
Kensington and Vicinity Sector Plan
An Amendment to the 1978 Approved and Adopted Sector Plan for the Town of
Kensington and Vicinity, Montgomery County, Maryland

ABSTRACT

This plan for the Town of Kensington and Vicinity contains the text and supporting maps for a
comprehensive amendment to the 1978 Sector Plan for the Town of Kensington and Vicinity
and the General Plan (On Wedges and Corridors) for the Physical Development of the
Maryland-Washington Regional District in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, as
amended.

This Plan makes recommendations for land use, zoning, urban design, transportation,
environment, and community facilities.

SOURCE OF COPIES

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3760
Also available at www.montgomeryplanning.org

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is a bi-county agency created by
the General Assembly of Maryland in 1927. The Commission’s geographic authority extends to
the great majority of Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties; the Maryland-Washington
Regional District (M-NCPPC planning jurisdiction) comprises 1,001 square miles, while the
Metropolitan District (parks) comprises 919 square miles, in the two counties.

The Commission is charged with preparing, adopting, and amending or extending The General
Plan (On Wedges and Corridors) for the Physical development of the Maryland-Washington
Regional District in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. The Commission operates in
each county through Planning Boards appointed by the county government. The Boards are
responsible for all local plans, zoning amendments, subdivision regulations, and administration
of parks.

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission encourages the involvement and
participation of individuals with disabilities, and its facilities are accessible. For assistance with
special needs (e.g., large print materials, listening devices, sign language interpretation, etc.),
please contact the Community Outreach and Media Relations Division, 301-495-4600 or TDD
301-495-1331.

ii
 May 2009

Public Hearing Draft

Kensington and Vicinity Sector Plan
An Amendment to the 1978 Sector Plan for the Town of Kensington and Vicinity

Prepared by the Montgomery County Planning Department

8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver spring, MD 20910

www.montgomeryplanning.org

iii
ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS

County Council

Phil Andrews, President

Roger Berliner, Vice-President
Marc Elrich
Valerie Ervin
Nancy Floreen
Michael Knapp
George L. Leventhal
Duchy Trachtenberg

County Executive

Isiah Leggett

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

Samuel J. Parker, Jr., Chairman

Royce Hanson, Vice Chairman

Commissioners

Montgomery County Planning Board Prince George's County Planning

Royce Hanson, Chairman Board
John M. Robinson, Vice Chair Samuel J. Parker, Jr., Chairman
Joe Alfandre Sylvester J. Vaughns, Vice Chair
Jean B. Cryor Sarah A. Cavitt
Amy Presley Jesse Clark
Colonel John H. Squire

iv
Contents
Vision
Recommendations

Assets and Challenges

Design
Connectivity
Diversity
Environment

Area Wide Recommendations

Connectivity
Environment
Stormwater Management
Carbon Reduction
Design
Urban Design

Historic Preservation
1Parks

Open Space System

Diversity
Potential Redevelopment Areas
Town Center
Connectivity
Burka Property
Huggins Property
Crafts/Services District
Connectivity
Environment
West Howard Avenue
Silver Creek
Konterra Limited Partnership Property
Connecticut Avenue/University Boulevard Area
Stubbs Property
Metropolitan Avenue Area
Connectivity
Environment
3700 Plyers Mill Road LLC Property
Other Areas
Ken-Gar
Housing Opportunities Commission Property

Implementation
Public Schools
Public Safety
Capital Improvements

v
vi
Vision
To promote a mixed-use Town Center with pedestrian-friendly connections to the vibrant
neighborhoods that define Kensington.

Kensington’s Town Center will be a lively and active place with streets that are welcoming and
comfortable for residents, workers, and visitors. It will be reachable by walking and bicycle from
Kensington’s neighborhoods, which can reduce vehicle miles travelled, conserve energy, and
reduce carbon emissions. The Town Center will also broaden housing choices for an array of ages
and incomes.

The Plan protects Kensington’s stable residential neighborhoods by maintaining their residential
zones and preserves the Town’s historic character by recommending additional areas and sites to
be evaluated for addition to the Master Plan for Historic Preservation.

The Plan’s broad goal is to reinvigorate

the Town Center while preserving
Kensington’s scale and historic
character.

Recommendations

Connectivity
 Acknowledging the “commuter” status of Connecticut Avenue while creating new pathways for
townspeople to move “car free” throughout the Town, enjoying a healthier, more sustainable
community;

Diversity
 Creating an active Town Center with new residential uses;
 Promoting the community’s heritage through its buildings, spaces and people;

Design
 Redefining public spaces for people and creating activity along sidewalks through smart design
of buildings and the spaces around them;
 Defining new public spaces that will exemplify the unique scale and character of Kensington;

Environment
 Promoting sustainable infill and reuse, with a goal of creating a neighborhood with the lowest
feasible carbon footprint;
 Implementing effective environmental practices that will inspire future generations to become
stewards of the environment.

1
 Assets and Challenges
Design

Kensington offers a full range of neighborhood service and retail opportunities. Two important
neighborhood shopping destinations—Safeway and the Kensington Shopping Center—sit opposite
each other at Connecticut and Knowles Avenues. A third, smaller neighborhood center lies near the
junction of Connecticut Avenue and University Boulevard. To the east of Connecticut Avenue, along
Kensington Parkway and Montgomery Avenue, there are banks, drycleaners and other businesses. On
Howard Avenue west of Connecticut, there are auto repair businesses as well as plumbers,
landscapers and craft workers.

Kensington is located between the Wheaton and White Flint Metro stations. The Town is about two
miles from the Wheaton Metro Station and about three miles from White Flint Metro Station.

Kensington’s commercial center depends on the automobile. It offers surface parking away from
streets and some areas have no sidewalks, so that shoppers often drive from shop to shop along the
same street. The scale of the auto centered commercial center is in conflict with the more intimate
scale of the historic neighborhoods.

2
Connectivity

Kensington is located at a critical

bottleneck in the area’s road
network. An informal, but
important east-west road system
crosses Connecticut Avenue, a
vital north-south artery, in the
center of town. The east-west
network includes University
Boulevard, Plyers Mill Road,
Metropolitan, Knowles and
Strathmore Avenues. The east-
west crossing requires travelers
to use Connecticut Avenue
between Plyers Mill Road and
Knowles Avenue to complete
their east- or westbound journey.
For this short segment, east-west
travelers and north-south
travelers must use the same
roadway.

Street grids in Kensington’s neighborhoods generally provide good pedestrian access and
circulation. Many, but not all streets have sidewalks, and there are paths and trails connecting the
neighborhoods to parkland east and west of Kensington.

Connecticut Avenue and the CSX rail right-of-way pose significant barriers to pedestrian and
bicyclist movement through the Plan area. There are only three pedestrian connections across the
tracks separating the north and south sections of the Town—Summit Avenue, Connecticut Avenue,
and the at-grade track crossing at Kensington Station. The first two are barely adequate; the track
crossing is inconvenient and inhospitable. The nearest crossings outside the Plan area are Beach
Drive and the Rock Creek Trail, almost a half-mile to the west of Summit Avenue, and Stoneybrook
Drive, about two-thirds of a mile to the east.

3
Diversity

Kensington provides housing

Historic District
for a full range of ages and
incomes, from small
apartments near Antique
Row to stately single-family
houses in the historic district
to housing targeted to older
residents.

The Kensington Historic

District, designated in 1986,
is one of the largest districts
in the County with about 180
buildings. A Kensington
Historic District is also listed
in the National Register of
Historic Places (1980). The
Historic Preservation
Commission reviews
proposed exterior changes
for structures in the district
and has developed guidelines
for new construction within
the existing district.

There
. are 834 single-family houses in the Plan area, 78 percent of the total number of units. Twenty-
two percent, 235 units, are multifamily.

A key Plan objective is to introduce housing into Kensington’s Town Center, which will increase the
inventory of multifamily housing in the Plan area and increase the range of housing choices for
County residents

Kensington is also home to a number of antiques

and furnishings businesses that attract shoppers
from all of metropolitan Washington. On Howard
Avenue east of Connecticut Avenue is historic
Antique Row. Other antique retailers have located
among the warehouses and services on West
Howard.

4
 Environment

The Plan area straddles two subwatersheds of

Rock Creek: Kensington Heights and Lower
Main Ken-Gar. Beginning in Wheaton, the
Kensington Heights watershed flows into a
stream the town residents call Silver Creek.
The Lower Main Ken-Gar subwatershed
partially drains into two drainage swales and a
small tributary that flows west into the
mainstem of Rock Creek

The 2003 Countywide Stream Protection Strategy determined that Silver Creek has poor water
quality and stream conditions. The natural stream bed was previously converted to a concrete
channel or piped underground in order to transport stormwater swiftly. During large storm
events the culvert at Oberon Street exceeds its capacity, flooding properties in the
neighborhood.

Kensington’s residential communities have an impervious cover of 30 percent, while the commercial
core has 80 percent impervious cover. This high impervious cover contributes to poor water quality.
In addition, Kensington was developed prior to stormwater management requirements that would
otherwise curb stream degradation, diminished water quality, and periodic flooding.

Approximately 24 percent of the Plan area is covered with tree canopy. The majority of canopy is
from street trees and landscaping on private lots with the exception of about three acres of forested
parkland. Residential neighborhoods contribute approximately 21 percent of the canopy in the Plan
area. Two percent of the canopy area is within commercial and industrial areas. Lack of tree cover,
in combination with the intensive impervious levels, contributes to the poor water quality found in
the streams within the Plan area, increased ambient air temperatures, higher energy consumption
and diminished visual appeal.

County law requires all master plans to

include greenhouse gas emissions
evaluations. A carbon analysis for 20
Emissions (MTCO2e)
Kensington factored in existing and s
n
projected embodied energy, transportation o
il
energy, and building energy. The results li
show that carbon dioxide output will nearly M Emissions
triple unless fossil fuel consumption is
0 (MTCO2e)
reduced. 2005 2030

5
 Area Wide Recommendations

Diversity

The challenge in Kensington is to build on the

community’s assets—its rich history, cohesive
neighborhoods, and human scale—to create an
active and vibrant Town Center that is connected to
those neighborhoods. Mixing commercial, office,
and residential uses can achieve this vision.

More housing in the Town Center will mean livelier

and more active streets that are attractive for
residents, shoppers and visitors. It will increase the Protect existing residential and historic
diversity of housing choices as well. The Plan areas of Kensington. Maintain the R-60
proposes modest increases in density in the Zone for the residential properties
exclusively commercial center of Kensington to outside the Plan’s area identified
encourage mixing of uses while continuing to allow redevelopment areas.
the range of retail and commercial uses now
available.

This Plan proposes a new Commercial Residential (CR) use district for the Town Center. (A fuller
description may be found in the Implementation Section.) The new district will allow commercial
and residential uses to be mixed at varying densities that will be determined by individual property
developers. This Plan will make three recommendations for properties and areas under study: total
FAR; non-residential and residential FAR and; building height.

6
7
8
Connectivity

The Plan’s recommendations for better connections for Kensington will give pedestrians a
priority, especially in the Town Center. Physical and operational improvements can easily
accommodate current traffic flows while giving residents the ability to move safely and efficiently
through Kensington. The Plan’s makes these recommendations:

 Reduce the target speed of Connecticut Avenue in Kensington to 30 miles per hour to
enhance pedestrian comfort and safety;

 Encourage pedestrian-centered urban design by using narrower urban road sections from
the County’s context-sensitive design standards;

 Refrain from widening roadway intersections to accommodate through-vehicle traffic;

 Confirm the Countywide Bikeways Functional Master Plan for signed, shared roadways on
routes in the Plan area;

 Upgrade lighting along major highways, arterials, business district streets and connections
to residential areas to provide adequate lighting for pedestrians and bicyclists;

 Provide extensive markings for pedestrian crosswalks, clearly identifying the “pedestrian
zone;”

 Provide storage lockers and racks at appropriate locations, specifically within the Town
Center and near the train station;

 Lead pedestrians to the important places in Kensington with clear signs.

9
Environment

This Plan proposes to protect and enhance the environment by:

 reducing the amount of hard surfaces that prevents the absorption of rainwater;
 reducing the amount of carbon emissions, both in buildings and vehicles;
 encouraging the practice of sustainable building.

Implementing these objectives can not only enhance Kensington’s green factor, but can provide
leadership to other communities.

Stormwater Management
 Evaluate a stormwater fee program in the Town or consider joining the County’s program to
fund water quality improvements throughout the Plan area;
 Incorporate open section roadway swales rather than conventional curbs where allowed by
design standards. Where curbs are deemed necessary to protect the roadway edge, allow
perforated curbs that direct runoff to flow into swales for stormwater treatment;
 Permit permeable paving for roads, road shoulders, parking lots, and parking lanes;
 Encourage sidewalk design and construction that disconnects runoff from conventional storm
drain systems;
 Reduce the amount of hard surfaces areas to maximize infiltration of stormwater and reduce
runoff;
 Encourage Kensington residents and property owners to participate in local and State
programs for on-site stormwater treatments such as rain gardens, cisterns, and green roofs;
 Collaborate with the Montgomery County Department of Environment Protection and
Department of Permitting Services and the Town of Kensington on a comprehensive study that
identifies ways to eliminate flooding at the culvert under Oberon Street;
 Conduct a feasibility study for removing the concrete stream channel in Silver Creek, replacing
it with a natural streambed substrate and buffer;
 Initiate Town, County or State pilot projects in the areas listed to provide innovative, aesthetic,
and planted low impact development (LID) stormwater treatments;(bioretention) within the
road right-of-way to meet new County design standards to accommodate a percentage of
stormwater runoff within the right-of-way. The objectives are to reduce the volume and
improve the water quality of runoff to Silver and Rock Creeks, provide tree canopy cover in the
road medians, enhance the streetscape, provide safe and attractive respite areas, and improve
community livability.
 Metropolitan Avenue between Plyers Mill Road and Lexington Avenue
 Howard Avenue between Summit Avenue and Rock Creek Park
 Plyers Mill Road between Metropolitan and Lexington Avenues
 Kensington Parkway near intersection of Metropolitan and Lexington Avenues
 Intersection of University Boulevard and Connecticut Avenue

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 Although many of the recommendations can be applied effectively during the redevelopment
process, there are many federal, State, and local models, incentives, and programs that
encourage a more sustainable lifestyle through neighborhood participation in decreasing carbon
emissions, promoting energy generation and conservation, reducing and treating stormwater.

Carbon Reduction
 Create incentives for building to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold
standards including the installation of on site energy production through geothermal and solar
panels and encourage design advantages such as solar orientation;
 Educate property owners on the advantages of high efficiency HVAC systems in reducing
carbon emissions;
 Encourage community and homeowner involvement in reducing energy consumption through
the promotion of existing federal, State, and local programs for energy audits, retrofits,
upgrades, insulation, and alternative energy applications;
 Encourage residents to use local products and services to reduce their carbon footprint;
 Expand the use of alternative f transportation modes such as public transit, carpooling, car-
sharing, bicycling, and walking to reduce carbon emissions;
 Incentivize green roofs and encourage the use of reflective (albedo) paving and roofing
materials to reduce local heat island effects and building temperatures;
 Encourage collaborative efforts among public and private landowners to remove invasive
species and plant native herbaceous, shrub, and canopy trees along the Silver Creek Stream
valley;
 In Kensington Park, owned by the Town of Kensington, consider using a kiosk or other public
information to educate citizens on sustainable design features;
 Encourage collaborative efforts among public and private landowners to allow community
gardens in a variety of neighborhoods;
 Establish green corridors to connect parks, stream valleys, and trails with neighborhoods and
destinations such as public facilities, civic places, shopping districts and institutions;
 Increase tree canopy cover along streets and within medians, within existing neighborhoods,
commercial areas, and on parkland;
 Encourage the installation of vegetative layering through tree preservation and planting, green
roofs, vegetated walls, and planted bioinfiltration during redevelopment;
 Encourage use of captured stormwater for watering landscapes and promoting groundwater
recharge;
Encourage the reuse of existing structures for property undergoing redevelopment by:
 re-using building elements/assemblies and other components
 appling deconstruction practices
 reducing construction waste.

11
Design

Scale is a fundmental tenet of urban design and defines how people think about the spaces
they move through and how people perceive the built environment. The neighborhoods of
Kensington and its Antique Row illustrate the Town’s scale. Scale is a function of many
factors:

 street width
 height
 mass or size of a structure
 setbacks
 separation distances.

This Plan’s design principles, defined through zoning and urban design guidelines, can help
shape and blend Kensington into a walkable and livable community.

Urban Design
Streets should be safe pedestrian-oriented environments that create an animated
community life along the sidewalks to encourage high levels of pedestrian activity.

 Orient buildings to the sidewalk with display windows and entrances;

 Encourage pedestrian-level ornamentation, signage, and architectural details;
 Minimize curb cuts to reduce conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles;
 Provide pedestrian scale lighting that illuminates the sidewalk;
 Provide street trees and furniture to improve aesthetics and functionality for
pedestrians;

12
 Provide street lighting to improve safety
and security along Major Highways,
Arterials and Business District streets.
Areas of high pedestrian activity or
primary pedestrian routes should have
pedestrian-scale lighting to illuminate the
sidewalk;
 Minimize conflicts with motorists, transit
buses, and pedestrians through low target
speeds for vehicles, access management
and reduced curb cuts;
 Provide adequate parking for proposed
land uses while using strategies to reduce
demand, consolidate supply, and use
space efficiently. Minimize the visual
impact of parked cars and encourage on
street parking;
 Provide a pedestrian path along the
southern boundary of the Montgomery
County Housing Opportunities
Commission headquarters on Summit
Avenue to improve pedestrian
connectivity.

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 Historic Preservation
 Adopt pedestrian oriented design guidelines for Connecticut Avenue including crosswalks,
median strip and street trees to mitigate the adverse traffic impacts of Connecticut Avenue,
which bisects the historic district.
 For infill and redevelopment of properties located directly opposite historic district resources,
including Warner Street and Armory Avenue, consider compatibility of scale, massing, and
setback.
 Re-evaluate the boundaries of the Kensington Historic District and amend as appropriate,
paying particular attention to reconciling discrepancies between National Register and local
designations, including properties on Detrick Avenue.
 Assess the historic district boundary north of the railroad tracks and expand as appropriate.
 Several historic district properties have preservation easements that protect the open space
that characterizes this garden suburb; support donation of additional preservation easements
for privately owned open space.

The following potential historic resources merit evaluation for designation on the Master Plan for
Historic Preservation:
 North Kensington: This residential district is north of Plyers Mill Road and west of St. Paul
Street. The area has a rich variety of Victorian and period revival houses dating primarily from
the 1890s-1940s.
 Kensington Estates: West of Summit Avenue, this residential neighborhood includes small
scale houses built largely in the post World War II era.
 Ken-Gar: Bounded by Plyers Mill Road and Rock Creek Park, Ken-Gar is a historically African-
American community and includes community buildings and residences dating from the early
1900s.
Potential individual sites to be evaluated:

 Kensington Cabin, 10000 Kensington Parkway: This log cabin was constructed 1933-34
using funding from a New Deal program and from M-NCPPC. The rustic structure is
representative of early recreation buildings in the first stream valley parks, including Rock
Creek, Sligo Creek, and Cabin John.
 Kensington Fire Station, 10620 Connecticut Avenue: Built in 1947, this Colonial Revival
structure houses the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department, organized in 1922. When
constructed the building was the largest fire station in Maryland. It exemplifies the growth
of the Kensington community in the post World War II era.
 Ken-Gar Rosenwald School, 4111 Plyers Mill Road: One of only eight surviving Rosenwald
Schools in the County, the Ken-Gar School was built in 1927-28. The Julius Rosenwald Fund
sponsored construction of elementary schools for African-American children in the south.
The building exemplifies the challenges in the black community to obtain a good education
in the era of segregation. The building was later converted for use as a community center.

14
 Parks

Kensington is well-served by parks within its

boundaries, including seven Town Parks and four
Montgomery County Parks. This Plan
recommends preserving the existing County parks
in the Sector Plan: Kensington Cabin Local Park,
Warner Circle Special Park, Edith Throckmorton
Neighborhood Park, and Kensington Parkway
Stream Valley Park.

 Rehabilitate the Warner Circle historic buildings for public use and the historic landscaped
grounds on the Warner Circle property for use as an important public open space within
the Kensington Historic District;
 Rehabilitate Kensington Cabin to recognize its historic significance;
 Examine the existing Edith Throckmorton Neighborhood Park for future renovation.

Open Space System

 Preserve existing designated open space in the Sector Plan area.

 Enhance connectivity with pedestrian priority streets, bikeways and trails.
 With the redevelopment of properties in the Town Center, create additional open space
for social interaction.

Although the Plan does not recommend acquiring land for additional open space, it identifies
sites for additional open space to be created during redevelopment:

 An open space should be provided with the redevelopment of the concrete plant.
 Redevelopment of the Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commission
property along Summit Avenue should include informal play and exercise space.
 Unused green space behind the library parking on Knowles Avenue should be
considered for use as public space and stormwater treatment.

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Potential Redevelopment Areas

This Plan makes recommendations for four distinct areas that make up the Kensington
community—the Town Center, the Crafts/Services area, Metropolitan Avenue, and the
Connecticut/University commercial area. Recommendations for individual properties outside
these areas follow as well.

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Town Center

Kensington’s business district is now exclusively

commercial, with properties in the Neighbohood
Commercial (C-1), General Commercial (C-2), Commercial
Transition (C-T), Commercial Office (C-O) and Commercial
Office --Moderate (O-M) zones. The auto-oriented retail
centers largely consist of one- and two-story structures,
with adjacent surface parking. There are scattered four-
to-six story office buildings with adjacent surface parking
in the business area as well. Floor area ratios (FARs) are
relatively low, with most buildings having FARs in the
vicinity of 0.5.

The Town Center is envisioned as a walkable attractive place with local convenience retail,
housing, dining and entertainment, offices, and neighborhood services in a compact development
pattern of five- to six-story buildings along Connecticut Avenue. Properties that do not mix uses
would have street activating retail and services in one- or two-story buildings. Buildings along
Town Center streets should be set back 15 to 25 feet from the curb to provide adequate space for
sidewalks separated from traffic by a green panel or trees.

This Plan recommends taller buildings in the “core” of the Town Center --Connecticut Avenue,
Knowles Avenue and Plyers Mill Road. Buildings at the edges of the Town Center are
recommended for less height, to ensure gradual transitions of building to the adjoining residential
neighborhoods.

A new CR use district, currently under development, will enable mixing of uses at a range of
allowable floor area ratios. This Plan recommends FARs of 2.0 for the Burka and Huggins
properties, discussed below, and FARs of 1.5 for other properties in the Town Center.

Concept: Enhance Connecticut Avenue and

University Boulevard to provide better safety
and function for all modes of transportation.
The development of these boulevards should
recognize that streets are a component of the
open space system.

17
 The Plan makes these recommendations:

 Separate pedestrians from moving traffic with buffers, as shown in the urban road cross
section from the County’s context-sensitive design standards;
 Provide landscape improvements including street trees and green medians that enhance the
appearance and contribute to stormwater management;
 Develop medians without conventional curbs to allow water to flow into bioswales for
treatment (see environment recommendations);
 Provide pedestrian refuges in medians at intersections to shorten crosswalk distances;
 Pursue further study of the intersection of Connecticut Avenue, University Boulevard and the
proposed Summit Avenue extension to ensure comfortable crossing for pedestrians;
 Provide an informal gathering space with high visibility along the corridor.

.
Concept: Develop Howard Avenue as a continuous pedestrian street that generates an active street
life achieved through the mix and intensity of land uses, as well as high quality site and
architectural design.

 Introduce sidewalks and other pedestrian amenities west of Connecticut Avenue to provide a
safe, comfortable experience for non-vehicular users;
 Develop the blocks along Howard Avenue between Warfield Street and Connecticut Avenue
with mixed uses at higher densities and encourage residential uses on upper floors;
 Provide safe and comfortable crossing for pedestrians at the intersection of Connecticut
Avenue and Howard Avenue. Support signal warrant study for SHA and/or circulation study;
 Promote public amenities near the train station;
 Evaluate potential for shared uses, including parking, should SHA’s West Howard Avenue
property redevelop.

18
19
 Connectivity

 Designate Howard Avenue, Concord Street, Dupont Avenue, Plyers Mill Road west of
Connecticut Avenue as Business District streets with 70-foot rights-of-way;
 Designate Howard Avenue east of Connecticut Avenue, Summit Avenue from Howard
Avenue to Knowles Avenue and Kensington Parkway from Howard Avenue to Frederick
Avenue as Business District Streets with 70-foot rights-of -way;
 Pursue with CSX a potential pedestrian underpass at the train station. A 12-foot-wide
underpass located to the east of the existing at-grade crossing, in line with Wheatley
Street, is appropriate.

Individual Properties
Burka Property

The approximately three-acre Burka property, currently zoned C-2,

has significant redevelopment potential. Development on this site
should provide street-level shops along Connecticut, Knowles and
Howard Avenues, with residential and/or office above. A significant
public open space at the corner of Connecticut and Knowles avenues
would be an appropriate complement to the existing open space at
the southeast corner of that intersection. Additional public use space
in the form of widened sidewalks that can accommodate café seating
is appropriate on Knowles and Howard Avenues. A public private
partnership development to create a public parking component on
this site should be explored at the time of redevelopment.

A hypothetical mixed-use development on this property, with 20

percent commercial space and 80 percent residential space, would
total 55,000 square feet of commercial space and 200 units.
Huggins Property

The one-acre Huggins property, currently zoned C-2, may also

support mixed-use development. Any development should include
street-level shops on Connecticut Avenue and Plyers Mill Road.
Parking facilities for this property should be to the rear, with access
from Plyers Mill Road. Joint development of this property and the
adjoining properties for a single mixed-use development would be
desirable.

A hypothetical mixed-use development on this property, with 20

percent commercial space and 80 percent residential space, would
total 18,500 square feet of commercial space and 67 units.

20
 Crafts/Services District

The Crafts/Services area includes the West Howard

Antiques District and service industrial activities on
the south side of Metropolitan Avenue. Many
businesses in this area provide essential services to
the area residents. Others, notably the antique
shops, have a regional customer base.

The existing zones do not wholly reflect the mix of light industrial, service retail and specialty
retail activities in this district. The West Howard Avenue area is now in the Light Industrial (I-
1) Zone, while the portion of the district on Metropolitan Avenue is in the C-2 Zone. Many
buildings have a single floor of work space, although some may be the equivalent of two
stories tall.

This Plan proposes to preserve this district. Aesthetic and environmental improvements will
enhance the area’s look and function without compromising its eclectic nature. Should a new
use district similar to the CR district be developed, this area would be suitable. The portion of
this district on the south side of Metropolitan Avenue is recommended for the CR use district,
with FARs of 1.5.

The district’s property pattern, which includes deep lots that support businesses along West
Howard Avenue as well as to the rear of the lots, requires deeper setbacks—35 feet
maximum from curb to building front—that will allow parking where needed. This Plan also
recommends required front windows or transparent loading doors and direct entrances from
the street to increase pedestrian activity on the street.

The State Highway Administration

property on West Howard Avenue
is suitable for additional public
parking.

21
Connectivity
 Extend Summit Avenue as a Business District Street with a 60-foot right-of-way and two
travel lanes from Plyers Mill Road to Connecticut Avenue, via Farragut Avenue.
 Classify Metropolitan Avenue as a Business District Street with a 70-foot right-of-way from
Kensington Parkway to Plyers Mill Road and two travel lanes. Allow on-street parking on
Metropolitan Avenue.

Environment

Use the Green Factor included in the proposed CR use district to offer a variety of landscaping
options to provide tree planting, infiltration, energy efficiency, water conservation, stormwater
treatment, and layered landscaping.

West Howard Avenue

West Howard Avenue is burdened by nearly 76 percent impervious cover and it entirely lacks
stormwater management. Uncontrolled stormwater cascades down the street slope from the top
of West Howard Avenue to parkland at the base of the avenue. At the discharge point, runoff
undercuts the forested slope and severely erodes the asphalt and stream buffer.

 Provide stormwater management through innovative low impact development (LID) quality
and quantity control measures to encourage groundwater recharge. Techniques include a
combination of one or more of the following: infiltration trenches, bioretention, bioswales,
permeable pavement, and extended retention.

 Provide where possible onsite quantity control of roof runoff by installing French drains,
cisterns, vaults, planting wells, and/or green roofs. Explore opportunities for local, State,
and federal assistance for the installation of green roofs.

 Protect forest on parkland at the base of West Howard Avenue through impervious
reduction techniques and pollution control measures. A stormwater management treatment
facility on parkland is not recommended.

 Include tree planting in LID treatment areas where feasible.

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Silver Creek
 Collaborate with the County’s Departments of
Environmental Protection and Permitting Services and
the Town of Kensington to undertake a comprehensive
study that will identify ways to eliminate flooding at
the culvert under Oberon Street.

 Conduct a feasibility study for the removal of the

concrete stream channel replacing it with a natural
streambed substrate and buffer.

Konterra Limited Partnership Property

This former concrete plant should be redeveloped

with a pedestrian and bicycle crossing of the railroad
to increase connectivity between the two parts of
the town. An open space should be provided at this
location adjacent to, or with clear views of the
historic train station. Concrete plant redevelopment
should provide a direct and convenient pedestrian
and bicyclist connection between Howard Avenue
and Metropolitan Avenue. Redevelopment should
include additional public and commuter parking.
This Plan recommends mixed uses in the new CR
district, with an FAR of 1.5.

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 Connecticut Avenue/University Boulevard Area

This neighborhood commercial area is located in a triangle

bounded by Connecticut Avenue, University Boulevard and
Lawrence Street. It is in the C-1 and C-2 zones, and is largely
made up of auto-oriented retail centers, with adjacent surface
parking. Buildings are largely single story, although there are
small office buildings with several floors of space. Floor area
ratios are in the vicinity of 0.5 to 1.0.

This Plan proposes mixed uses in the new CR district for this
area, with FARs of 1.5 in the triangle bounded by Connecticut
Avenue, University Boulevard and Perry Street. Areas along
Lawrence Avenue are suitable for FARs of 1.0, to provide a
transition to the residential neighborhoods to the north.

Stubbs Property

This approximately 1.2-acre property, now a

neighborhood shopping center, is currently zoned C-
1. This property is in single ownership and is suitable
for mixed uses. Its location at the gateway to
Kensington makes it suitable for additional height.

A hypothetical mixed-use development on this

property, with 20 percent commercial space and 80
percent residential space, would total 18,500 square
feet of commercial space and 67 units.

Metropolitan Avenue Area

The north side of Metropolitan Avenue mixes neighborhood

retail and office uses, along with service uses that have been
included in the Crafts/Services District. The area is largely in the
C-2 Zone, although uses include some light industrial activities.
Much of the area consists of single story buildings, although
topography in some areas allows some buildings to mix one- and
two-story portions. Floor area ratios in this area are in the 0.5
range, although the self-storage facility at 3700 Plyers Mill Road
is at the maximum 1.5 FAR.

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This Plan recommends the CR use district for the north side of Metropolitan Avenue. The 3700 Plyers
Mill Road LLC property, discussed below, is suitable for 2.0 FAR, although building heights will have to
be varied to ensure a harmonious transition to residential neighborhoods north of Plyers Mill Road.
The remainder of this area is recommended for the CR use district, with an FAR of 1.5.

The urban design concept for both sides of Metropolitan Avenue is a mixed residential and
commercial thoroughfare with a distinct pedestrian orientation. While residential uses may
predominate, some retail activity on the north side of the street is appropriate.

Connectivity
Extend Lexington Street to Metropolitan Avenue, with a 60-foot right-of-way and a single,
northbound travel lane; encourage MDSHA to investigate routing westbound traffic to Plyers Mill
Road on the new street, to eliminate a northbound left movement at the Plyers Mill Road and
Metropolitan Avenue intersection.

Environment
Use the Green Factor included in the proposed commercial residential zone to offer a variety of
landscaping options to provide tree planting, infiltration, energy efficiency, water conservation,
stormwater treatment, and layered landscaping.

3700 Plyers Mill Road LLC Property

This 3.6-acre property, at the intersection of Metropolitan Avenue
and Plyers Mill Road in the C-2 Zone, is close to the MARC station
and offers a significant opportunity for a largely residential
development, should its owners decide to redevelop. Single-family
attached units are appropriate along Plyers Mill Road, where they
would face an existing one-family neighborhood. Multi-family units
could be placed in the site’s interior, with some retail uses along
Metropolitan Avenue, where they would face retail and
crafts/services uses across the street, and along the Plan’s
proposed extension of Lexington Avenue. An open space should be
provided at the intersection of Metropolitan Avenue and Plyers Mill
Road.

A hypothetical mixed-use development on this property, with 20

percent commercial space and 80 percent residential space, would
total 47,000 square feet of commercial space and 170 units.

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 Other Areas

Ken-Gar

Ken-Gar is a historically African-American community

of about one hundred homes lying north of the CSX
right-of-way and west of Connecticut Avenue. The
1978 Plan included Ken-Gar to incorporate a
community renewal plan created by neighborhood
residents and Montgomery County government. The
1978 Plan made land use and zoning
recommendations that furthered the goals of the
renewal plan.

Today, Ken-Gar is a stable residential community. This Plan confirms the existing land uses and
zoning. It recommends that the neighborhood be evaluated for inclusion on the Master Plan for
Historic Preservation and that its community center, a Rosenwald school built in the late 1920s, be
evaluated as an individual resource.

Housing Opportunities Commission Property

The Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC)

maintains its administrative offices in a former
elementary school on Detrick Avenue. The property lies
between the Town Center and the largely historic
residential blocks west of Connecticut Avenue and is in
the R-60 Zone. Should HOC decide to move its
administrative activities, this property is suitable for
other public uses, including recreation, if the County
determines that there are additional recreational needs
in this part of Montgomery County. Open space on the
property is suitable for informal recreation and for such
community-building activities as community gardens.
The property should remain in a residential zone, which
will allow recreational uses or, if there are no
recreational needs in this area, allow residential
development that is compatible with the existing
residential community to the south.

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Implementation

Recommendations for the Town Center, Metropolitan Avenue and University/Connecticut

districts will be implemented through use of the Commercial-Residential (CR) District, a new
zoning tool that will encourage mixed-use development and will promote increased diversity of
housing choice, environmentally sound buildings, active streets that connect communities and
innovative design. The Crafts/Services District is suitable for the CR District or for an as-yet
undeveloped district for mixed residential and light industrial uses.

The CR district establishes zones based on a total allowed floor area ratio (FAR), maximum non-
residential FR, maximum residential FAR, and maximum building height.

The district is designed to:

 Implement the goals and objectives of applicable master and sector plans;
 Provide opportunities for the redevelopment of strip malls and surface parking lots with
a sustainable mix of uses;
 Reduce dependence on the automobile by providing a mix of uses, including a range of
housing opportunities, mobility options, services, and amenities;
 Provide for a range of context-sensitive densities to achieve an appropriate balance of
jobs to housing;
 Provide certainty with regard to maximum density and building height in each zone
while allowing flexibility in site design and mix of uses; and
 Define the facilities and amenities required by private development to support the
allowed optional method densities and heights.

An optional method of development provides for bundles of public amenities that can be
provided to earn the maximum allowable density. Projects in the four redevelopment areas
proposed in this Plan can achieve additional density because of their proximity to the MARC
station. Additional bonus density can be achieved by preserving local businesses, providing a
range of housing types, providing additional streetscape, and incorporating community facilities
into mixed-use developments.

Moderately Priced Dwelling Units (MPDUs) are required in all County residential development
with more than 20 units.

The CR District, like the TMX and CBD Zones, requires public use space for all development,
calculated at 10 percent of the site. Public use spaces may be privately owned but must be
accessible to the public. The public use space should be located on site. This Plan assumes that
much of the open space system will be obtained through the public use space requirement.

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In addition to public use space, the CR District requires optional method projects to provide
public facilities and amenities on-site, or contribute an equivalent to an off-site amenity
project. In Kensington, creating open space, providing active recreation space, and
reconstructing the existing public streets to accommodate pedestrians and street trees are
important public facilities and amenities that benefit the entire Plan area.

The Plan is accompanied by a separate set of Urban Design Guidelines that provides detailed
information on street classifications, types and functions, building form, orientation and
massing, and open space.

Public Schools

The Sector Plan Area is located in the Walter Johnson High School Cluster. Kensington-
Parkwood Elementary School, located just outside the Sector Plan area, and North Bethesda
Middle School, serve area residents. Development proposed for this plan is not expected to
result in the need for additional schools.

Public Safety

The existing and proposed development in the Plan area would be adequately served by the
existing facilities. No additional facilities would be needed to accommodate the development
proposed in the Plan.

Capital Improvements

Capital Improvement Projects are necessary to implement the Plan’s recommendations for new
road connections and for major improvements to stormwater management systems.
Innovative cooperative pilot projects for low impact stormwater management will require
public funding as well. Should the Town create a parking district, additional taxes will need to
be levied.

The Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs is currently exploring
streetscape, building façade and stormwater management improvements for West Howard
Avenue, in the Crafts/Services area. Capital Improvement Projects may be created to put the
Department’s recommendations and initiatives into place.

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 Existing Zones Proposed Zones

Desired Retail Streets and Proposed Bikeways

Open Spaces

29
Highway Classifications

30
Master Plan of Highways Roadway Classification Table

MPOH Road Name/Route Number Limits ROW Travel Target MC Std.

1
Number Lanes Speed
Major Highways
M-7 Connecticut Avenue Plan Boundary to Plan 120’ 6D 30 2008.01
(MD 185) Boundary
M-19 University Boulevard Connecticut Avenue (MD 185) 120’ 6D 30 2008.01
West (MD 193) to Plan Boundary
Arterials
A-62 Plyers Mill Road Plan Boundary to Metropolitan 80’ 2 25 As Built
Ave
A-62 Plyers Mill Road (MD Connecticut Ave to 100’ 2 25 2004.05
192) Metropolitan Ave
A-66 Knowles Avenue (MD Summit Ave to Connecticut 80’ 2 30 2004.01
547) Ave (MD 185)
A-67 Summit Avenue Cedar Lane to Knowles Ave 80’ 2 25 2004.02
Business District Streets
B-1 Plyers Mill Road Summit Ave to Connecticut 70’ 2 25 2005.02
Ave (MD 185)
B-2 Summit Avenue Knowles Ave to Plyers Mill 70’ 2 25 2005.02
Road
B-3 Summit Avenue Plyers Mill to Farragut Avenue 60’ 2 25 2005.01
(Connecticut Ave (MD 185)
B-4 Metropolitan Avenue Plyers Mill Rd to Capitol View 70’ 2 30 2005.02
(MD 192) Ave
2
B-5 Lexington Street Metropolitan Ave to Plyers Mill 60’ 1 25 2005.01
Extension Road
B-6 Howard Avenue Connecticut Ave (MD 185) to 70’ 2 25 2005.02
Knowles Ave
B-7 Howard Avenue Kensington Parkway to 60’ 2 25 2005.01
Connecticut Ave (MD 185)
B-8 Concord Street Plyers Mill Road to University 70’ 2 25 2005.02
Blvd
B-9 Dupont Avenue Connecticut Ave to Nash Place 70’ 2 25 2005.02
B-10 Kensington Parkway Howard Avenue to Frederick 60’ 2 25 2005.01
Avenue
Primary Residential Roads
P-1 Newport Mill Road University Blvd to Parker Ave 70’ 2 30 2003.10
P-2 Kensington Parkway Frederick Avenue to Kent 60’ 2 25 2005.01
Street
P-6 Kensington Parkway Plan Boundary to Kent Street 70’ 2 30 2003.11
P-6 Saint Paul Street Metropolitan Ave to Plyers Mill 70’ 2 25 As
3
Rd Built

1
These are the number of planned through travel lanes for each segment, not including lanes for turning,
parking, acceleration, deceleration, or other purposes auxiliary to through travel.
2
The Lexington Avenue Extension is proposed for one way operation, northbound operation to reduce
the travel lanes on Metropolitan Avenue west of this new road.
3
The Saint Paul Street ROW is designated as a Historic District (see HR description).

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Under Article 66B, Section 1.01 of the Maryland Annotated Code, a commission must
implement certain visions through a comprehensive master plan. This Plan, which amends
the Approved and Adopted General Plan, supports the visions of Article 66B, including:

 Universal stewardship of the land, water, and air resulting in sustainable communities
and protection of the environment
 Extensive public participation
 Concentrated growth in existing population and business centers and strategically
selected new centers
 Compact, mixed–use, walkable design
 Infrastructure to accommodate population and business expansion in an orderly,
efficient, and environmentally sustainable manner
 A multimodal transportation system facilitates the safe, convenient, affordable, and
efficient movement of people, goods, and services within and between population and
business centers
 A range of housing densities, types, and sizes provides residential options for citizens of
all ages and Incomes
 Economic development and natural resource–based businesses that promote
employment and opportunities for all within the capacity of the State’s natural resources,
public services, and public facilities
 Environmental protection of land and water resources
 Resource conservation including waterways, forests, agricultural areas, open space,
natural systems, and scenic areas
 Stewardship
 Strategies, policies, programs, and funding for growth and development, resource
conservation, infrastructure, and transportation are integrated across the local, regional,
state, and interstate levels.

32
A plan provides comprehensive recommendations for the use of public and private land.
Each plan reflects a vision of the future that responds to the unique character of the
local community within the context of a countywide perspective. Together with relevant
policies, plans should be referred to by public officials and private individuals when
making land use decisions.

The Plan Process

The PUBLIC HEARING DRAFT PLAN is the formal proposal to amend an adopted
master plan or sector plan. Its recommendations are not necessarily those of the
Planning Board; it is prepared for the purpose of receiving public testimony. The
Planning Board holds a public hearing and receives testimony, after which it holds
public worksessions to review the testimony and revise the Public Hearing Draft Plan as
appropriate. When the Planning Board’s changes are made, the document becomes the
Planning Board Draft Plan.

The PLANNING BOARD DRAFT PLAN is the Board’s recommended Plan and reflects
their revisions to the Public Hearing Draft Plan. The Regional District Act requires the
Planning Board to transmit a sector plan to the County Council with copies to the
County Executive who must, within sixty days, prepare and transmit a fiscal impact
analysis of the Planning Board Draft Plan to the County Council. The County Executive
may also forward to the County Council other comments and recommendations.

After receiving the Executive’s fiscal impact analysis and comments, the County Council
holds a public hearing to receive public testimony. After the hearing record is closed, the
Council’s Planning, Housing, and Economic Development (PHED) Committee holds
public worksessions to review the testimony and makes recommendations to the
County Council. The Council holds its own worksessions, then adopts a resolution
approving the Planning Board Draft Plan, as revised.

After Council approval the plan is forwarded to the Maryland-National Capital Park and
Planning Commission for adoption. Once adopted by the Commission, the plan officially
amends the master plans, functional plans, and sector plans cited in the Commission’s
adoption resolution.

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 Kensington and Vicinity Sector Plan
An Amendment to the 1978 Approved and Adopted Sector Plan for the Town of
Kensington and Vicinity, Montgomery County, Maryland
May 2009

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3760
www.montgomeryplanning.org/community/housing

34