Wheaton Sector Plan

Preliminary
Recommendations
Montgomery County Planning Board 12-03-09
Wheaton
Wheaton
Scope of Work September 2008

Status Report June 2009

Preliminary Recommendations December 2009

1952

Process
Wheaton

Today
Community
Wheaton
Wheaton Wheaton’s mall renovated by new owner:
Westfield Group

Since 1990
Wheaton Housing
95% absorption rate

723 housing units between 2004-2008 Some one to two-story retail stores
133 multifamily units renovated by Montgomery
Housing Partnership
Demographics
Wheaton
Wheaton’s population is comparatively
older than that of the County
Children are uncommon in the
community (only 10% of the population is under
18 years of age)

Wheaton is more diverse than the County

as a whole (52% of population is minority)
Wheaton
Substantial block of Generation X & Y
(ages 18 to 44) – typically single,
living with housemates, or young families
without children

The number of households in Wheaton is

forecasted to increase by 69%

Nearly all of the anticipated population

and household growth will be in
new multifamily housing
Wheaton

Zoning must accommodate Wheaton’s

future housing needs
Wheaton

Market Analysis
Wheaton
Strengths

transit capacity
ethnic food
music culture
shopping mall
Wheaton
Weaknesses lack of established Class A office market

a predominance of small property owners with

minimal resources for
redevelopment

more attractive development options

elsewhere in the region

Westfield Mall not integrated into the Core

needs improved physical

environment to be competitive
Wheaton
property owners lack incentives to redevelop
low vacancy rates
competitive retail rents
emotional ties to family businesses

Weakness
Wheaton
lack of existing office market makes it difficult to capture new class A facilities

Office
Wheaton
Weakness
more attractive development options in the region
Wheaton
Wheaton’s strengths
contribute to attracting new residential development

Over the very long term Wheaton could support

approximately 7,100 new housing units under the high scenario
A strong local residential community supports retail

Residential
Wheaton
High rise housing and office will be difficult to construct due to
achievable rents/
pricing/financing
Wheaton
Transportation Modeling
Scenarios
Existing 10,200 Employees 2,300
Households
COG 2030 11,000 Employees 5,600 + 800 Employees
+ 3,200 Households
Forecast Households
Low Scenario 13,200 Employees 6,600 + 3,000 Employees
+ 4,300 Households
Households
High 26,300 Employees 9,400 + 16,100 Employees
+ 4,600 Households
Scenario Households

Low Scenario: Estimated amount of development

Wheaton might capture over the next 15-20 years

High Scenario: Aggressive estimate if most of the

properties were assembled and redeveloped to their
maximum development potential
Wheaton
Results of Transportation Modeling
Assuming a 30% non-auto
mode share the existing
transportation infrastructure is sufficient
to accommodate the high scenario

The intersection of Georgia and Arcola

Avenue is already failing and
continues to do so in either scenario

The intersection of Georgia and

Plyers Mill Road fails under the
high scenario
Wheaton
Tomorrow
Vision
Transit-Oriented

Mixed-Use
low scale development
some mid and high rise

Compact

Ethnic flavor

residential and retail

community
with significant retail, entertainment,
and services
Wheaton
Wheaton
Development Opportunities

WMATA

Privately Owned Assembled

Properties

County Owned Properties

M-NCPPC Property

Westfield Group

Revitalization
Wheaton
Need for public intervention to spur greater commercial revitalization

County’s Request for

Qualification Properties
(11+ acres)

Revitalization
Wheaton
limited availability of easily developable sites

Publicly Owned

Privately Owned
County’s Request for
Qualification Properties
(11+ acres)

Revitalization
Wheaton
Development Activity
1. Avalon Bay
320 residential units
1.
2. Safeway Site
4. 57,000 sf Safeway
500 residential units
2.

3. First Baptist Church

M of Wheaton
225 residential units

4. Triangle Park
3.
Shopping Center
M Metro
Recommendations
Zoning
Wheaton
Confirm most existing residential Confirm the existing CBD Zones
zones
Wheaton
Wheaton Overlay Zone
Remove the existing Retail
Preservation Overlay Zone

Office development never occurred

Site plan review for standard method

projects became a point of controversy

Viewed as a complicated zoning

regulation and a disincentive to
redevelop

Create other mechanisms to

protect small business
Wheaton
Wheaton Overlay Zone

2006
Overlay zone amended in 2006

Allows optional method development

Exempts buildings less than 20,000 square feet from site plan review

Allowed increased building height

Requires set aside floor area for small businesses

There has been no development using the optional method

since these changes were made
Wheaton
Mechanisms to preserve and support
mom-and-pop businesses
Amend the CBD zones to require street level retail if specified in a master or
sector plan
Allow small properties to transfer density to CBD redevelopment sites,
which could help small properties capture value while retaining their
current buildings
Wheaton
Rezone non-CBD properties to mixed-use
Wheaton Westfield Mall
Wheaton
Option A
Retain the C-2 commercial zone on the Westfield property

Advantages
• Simplest and cheapest to expand existing uses

Disadvantages

• Reflects the existing use, not Plan vision for mixed-use

• No residential

• Site plan review generally not required for regional shopping center

• No required amenities
Wheaton
Option B
Rezone the mall site from C-2 to mixed-use

Rezone the entire site to

CR or CBD
Wheaton
Option B
Mixed-use on the Westfield property

Advantages

•Regulatory controls (Standard and Optional Method of Development)

• Site Plan Review
• Project Plan Review
• Pubic Use Space
• Amenities, including environmental benefits
• The most control over urban design
Wheaton
Option B

Disadvantages

• Perceived complication with Westfield's business operations and expansion

• Increased cost of review process
• Longer approval process
• Multiple CR Zones may prove complicated for Westfield
Wheaton
Option C
Rezone the mall site frontage from commercial to mixed-use

Rezone a portion of the

Westfield property from
C-2 to mixed-use (CR or CBD)

Retain the C-2 commercial

zone on the remainder of
the Westfield property
Wheaton
Option C
Mixed-use frontage along Veirs Mill Road

Advantages
• Regulatory controls (Standard and Optional Method of Development)
on portion most likely to develop
• Site Plan Review
• Project Plan Review
• Pubic Use Space
• Amenities, including environmental benefits
• The most control over urban design
Wheaton
Option C

Disadvantages

• Perceived complication with Westfield's Business operations and expansion

• Increased cost of review process

• Longer approval process

Wheaton Building Height

Grandview Avenue
Blueridge Avenue

Prichard Road Maximum building height 200’

Maximum building height 143’

Transition from 143’ to 45’

Transition from 90’ to 45’

Maximum building height 45’
Public Realm
Wheaton Public Realm
Transform Georgia Avenue, University Boulevard, and
Veirs Mill Road into boulevards

Georgia Avenue
Metro Safeway

parking median parking

University Boulevard

parking median parking

Viers Mill Road

parking median parking

Wheaton Public Realm
Establish a network of enhanced pedestrian priority streets
wider sidewalks + outdoor eating + more trees and landscaping + lighting + street furniture
Wheaton Public Realm
Create an open space system

most prominent open space and

civic focal point on parking lot 13

Neighborhood green on parking

14
lot 14

Urban square on parking lot 17

17

Refurbish or relocate park

13
and Veteran's Memorial

Other public use space associated

with new development
Future Parking Lot 17
 Walkable
CBD Grid
M

Connections to Adjacent
Communities

Connectivity
Wheaton Connectivity
Improve connectivity within the
planning area to Metro, adjacent
communities, and nearby regional
parks and trails
Wheaton Connectivity
Complete the street network to
improve connectivity
Provide through-block
pedestrian
connections
Wheaton Connectivity
Provide for bus rapid transit subject to the County’s study

M
Wheaton
Environment
Environmental improvement will be
made incrementally
through redevelopment
water quality stormwater management

air quality energy generation

carbon storage

energy use reduction

urban heat island

Community
Facilities
 Wheaton Community Facilities
3+ acre sites for consideration – elementary school
Crossway
1
Community Center-
7.049 A
3
2 Lindsay Ford -
3.373 A
4. WMATA - 3.83 A
3
4
1. 4 WTOP - 12.31 A
1
2 Wheaton Forest
5
Local Park - 9.3 A

6 Toys R Us- 4.078 A

7 Westfield - 4 A, 72 A
77. 5.
5
Public Properties
Private Properties
6
CBD Properties
Wheaton Community Facilities
Staff’s Elementary School Recommendation

Westfield - 4 acres within

a 72-acre site

7.

Private Properties
CBD Properties
Action

approval to prepare the Draft Wheaton

Sector Plan

Draft Plan to the Planning Board in January, 2010