LAND USE PLAN

The Land Use Plan reinforces the low-density residential character of the area north of
Muncaster Mill Road in the Residential Wedge. Maintaining the “fabric” of the existing
neighborhoods as the remaining large properties develop is an important objective. At the same
time, the Land Use Plan acknowledges the importance of maintaining the quality and character
of the area’s environmental resources and preserving sensitive areas. The Land Use Plan also
establishes concepts for the neighborhood center located at the intersection of Redland and
Muncaster Mill Roads, and for the industrial areas adjacent to the city of Rockville and in the
vicinity of the Montgomery County Airpark.

While the long-term health of the Upper Rock Creek watershed has been an ongoing goal,
determining the best means of doing so has proven elusive. The 1961 Plan’s emphasis on flood
protection was aimed at already-established communities in the lower County. The 1968 Plan
stressed cluster development as the most appropriate way to channel development to land best
suited to it, while keeping land with environmental constraints as open space. By 1985, when
the last comprehensive plan was completed, clustering on community sewer systems was thought
to lead to significant stormwater management problems, in addition to the substantial damage to
stream valleys resulting from construction of sewer lines. The 1985 Plan recommended standard
development on large lots with septic systems, concluding that existing environmental
guidelines, ongoing parkland acquisition and water quality regulations would protect sensitive
areas as land developed in that manner.

In the intervening years, advances in environmental protection and regulation have alleviated
many of the concerns posed by the 1985 Plan. Environmental guidelines protect stream buffers,
floodplains and wetlands. Sediment and erosion control techniques have been enhanced.
Stormwater management procedures are greatly improved, in addition to being more sensitively
applied in high quality watersheds.

The challenge of balancing land use recommendations and provision of community sewer
service remains. This Plan recognizes that construction of sewer lines in stream valleys damages
wetlands and other sensitive areas. Extending sewer lines can also increase the likelihood of
development reaching maximums allowed by zoning. In evaluating land use alternatives, the
Plan considers the impact of sewer service extensions on stream buffers and wetlands and
carefully considers the development yields of alternatives that require community sewer service
and those that rely on septic systems.

Advances in regulatory methods, coupled with adjustments to allowable densities, make cluster
development a more effective way to enhance open space and may also protect sensitive
resources than large-lot development using septic systems. This Land Use Plan proposes cluster
development where blocks of contiguous forest and wetlands should be maintained to protect
headwaters located outside of regulated stream valley buffers and maintain the health of wetland
complexes. To enhance overall water quality protection, the Plan designates the Upper Rock

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 11 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
Creek watershed north of Muncaster Mill Road within the Planning Area as a Special Protection
Area and recommends that a mandatory imperviousness limit of 8 percent be applied through an
environmental overlay zone for Upper Rock Creek. The Land Use Plan aims to direct
development away from sensitive areas, maintain low densities and build on the heritage of open
space in this part of the watershed.

OPEN SPACE HERITAGE

Goal: Maintain and enhance the open space system in the Upper Rock Creek watershed to
enhance stream quality and sensitive natural resources.

Objective: Use public acquisition, dedication, or private easements to add open space as part of
the ongoing development of land in the watershed.

Overall Recommendation

• Augment the stream valley park system by adding expanded stream buffers and
contiguous forests, by continuing to preserve views and conservation areas already in
parkland, such as the Agricultural History Farm Park and by locating stormwater
management systems away from buffers and sensitive resources.

This Plan recommends a combination of public acquisition, dedication, and creation of

easements to expand open space as the remaining large properties develop.

RESIDENTIAL WEDGE AREAS

Goal: Keep the Upper Rock Creek watershed as a low-density housing resource compatible with
the existing community.

Objective: Recommend land uses for remaining undeveloped properties that are consistent with
Residential Wedge character, with environmental objectives and strategies, and with policies
guiding provision of affordable housing.
Overall Recommendations

• Encourage new development that preserves natural resources.

• Designate the Upper Rock Creek watershed north of Muncaster Mill Road within the
Planning Area a Special Protection Area and apply an environmental overly zone to
sewered properties with a mandatory imperviousness limit of 8 percent.

• Integrate affordable housing into new communities with careful attention to design
standards and other recommendations set out in this Plan.

• Encourage community design that is compatible with adjacent development, protects

views from local roads, offers harmonious road design and maintains open space.

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 12 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
 • Enhance the character of new communities by increasing natural open space where
appropriate.

• Preserve additional open space and maintain views along local roads by locating large or
conservation lots along them and by protecting views of meadows and woodlands.

The Plan protects the low-density residential character of the watershed by recommending low-
density zones. Where it recommends cluster development, the Plan proposes maximum densities
of about one dwelling unit for every three acres, in keeping with existing residential densities,
and recommends the Rural Neighborhood Cluster (RNC) Zone. It uses RNC development
standards to encourage preservation of open space along existing roads and, as new communities
develop, encourage design that preserves open space or uses comparable lot sizes where new
neighborhoods meet existing communities. The Plan also encourages preservation of views
along existing roads and creation of open space between roads and new communities with design
guidelines.

NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS AND INDUSTRIAL AREAS

Goal: Continue to allow commercial and industrial land uses in the Upper Rock Creek
watershed in appropriate locations and at manageable densities.

Objective: Maintain commercial and light industrial districts at their existing scales and
intensities and provide appropriate transitions from non-residential to residential uses.

Overall Recommendations

• Expand the opportunity for affordable housing adjacent to the Redlands commercial
center.

• Retain the existing industrial zoning in the Planning Area.

• Retain the existing commercial zoning in the Planning Area.

This Plan makes a recommendation for the Redlands commercial center that allows for
additional housing adjacent to the center. The Plan establishes land use and zoning
recommendations for the commercial center itself as well as for existing industrial districts in the
Planning Area.

CONNECTING COMMUNITIES
Goal: Enhance the ability of local residents to reach community facilities and important
destinations safely by bicycle or on foot.

Objective: Establish a transportation system that includes roads, open section streets, bikeways,
trails, and pedestrian pathways.

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 13 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
Overall Recommendations

• Improve pedestrian access to local parks and schools and to the larger regional park system,
connect communities with nearby commercial areas and improve access to Metro.

• Develop a bikeway system that complements the trail system in the stream valley parks,
offers separate routes for cyclists and provides direct on-road access to Shady Grove Metro.

The Plan offers a system for connecting Upper Rock Creek’s communities to community
facilities such as parks and schools, and to other important destinations. The system uses bicycle
paths and trails to connect major parks in the Planning Area to each other and to residential
neighborhoods. The system also will enable residents to reach regional trail and bicycle
networks and will enhance bicycle and pedestrian access to the Metro station at Shady Grove.

RESIDENTIAL WEDGE AREAS

This section of the Plan provides land use recommendations for the major undeveloped
properties in the residential wedge. These recommendations are based in part on a comparative
evaluation of cluster development using community sewer service and large-lot development
using septic systems. The RE-2 Zone requires two-acre lots and the RE-1 Zone requires 40,000
square-foot lots. Allowable densities in the RNC Zone are set in individual master plans.

Comparing the number of dwelling units that could be built on a given property using septic
systems with the number that could be built using community sewer service is difficult.

Without percolation tests, which determine the number of individual septic systems that a
property can support, no precise figure for the unit yield using septic systems can be derived.
Yields using septic systems do not reach the maximums allowed in the applicable zone, although
those maximums remain the goal of developing landowners. Yields using community sewer
service approach allowable zoning maximums.

Review of recent subdivision activity in the Planning Area indicates that the average number of
units per acre in septic subdivisions is approximately equal to one dwelling unit for every two
acres. Where this Plan recommends cluster development, it recommends maximum densities of
about one dwelling unit for every 2.5 acres, rather than the one-acre zone now in place. While
cluster development on a given property could allow more units than septic development, the
RNC Zone requires that density under the optional method of development be set in the Master
Plan (between one unit per acre and one unit per five acres). This Plan uses the RNC Zone to
limit zoning densities (with an upper limit of one unit per three acres - or one unit per 2.5 acres
with MPDUs) to an amount comparable with prevailing densities in the Planning Area.

Recommendations in this Plan for cluster development with community sewer service increase
the amount of land in an undeveloped and natural state. These recommendations reflect the
desirability of requiring a clear public benefit—undeveloped open space—in return for
conferring a private benefit—community sewer service—on property owners. Park acquisition
areas, which are shown on the figures illustrating individual properties in this section, include
environmentally sensitive areas, such as contiguous forest, wetland and stream buffers, and areas
that are suitable for environmental restoration.
Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 14 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
Dungan Property
This property, about 132 acres, is located on the north side of Muncaster Mill Road near its
intersection with Avery Road. The Casey property lies immediately to the north and west; Camp
Olympic, the Muncaster Mill View community and parkland are to the east. Important natural
resources are located throughout the property. Forest on the northern part of the property helps
protect the North Branch biodiversity area on the adjacent parkland. Portions of this area also
serve as recharge areas for groundwater that contributes to high stream quality in this part of the
North Branch. The southern portion of the property includes forest and several small streams,
springs, and wetlands that provide groundwater flows to North Branch, contributing to stream
quality and the health of the biodiversity area.

The Dungan property is listed in the Legacy Open Space Functional Master Plan (as the North
Branch Buffer Area). Reserved right-of-way for a major highway (the Intercounty Connector)
bisects the property.

This Plan recognizes that any development of this property would result in permanent forest
fragmentation and may reduce groundwater flow to the stream. It also recognizes that timely
public acquisition may not be possible. The most desirable outcome for this property is for its
development to be combined with the adjoining Casey property (recommendations for which are
in the next section of the Land Use Plan). Such an arrangement would permit all the houses to
be constructed on the Casey property and would allow this property to be returned as open space,
a public benefit. This Plan recommends the RNC Zone for the Dungan property and sets a scale
of recommended densities for optional method development of the property. It does not
recommend community sewer service (necessary for optional method development) unless the
property is developed jointly with the Casey property and the joint development avoids sewer
lines connecting to the North Branch. This property is included in the recommended Special
Protection Area for Upper Rock Creek.

The recommended densities range from one dwelling unit for every five acres to one dwelling
unit for every three acres. These densities are in keeping with low density residential character.
Environmental, regulatory or design considerations may reduce achievable densities on this
property. If Moderately Priced Dwelling Units are required in the RNC Zone by a future change
in law, they should be provided in accordance with Chapter 25A of the County Code as follows:

• 0.2 dwelling units per acre or less—No MPDUs would be required if the property
develops under the RNC Zone standard method of development without community
sewer service;

• 0.33 dwelling units per acre or less—12.5 percent MPDUs required if the property
develops under the RNC Zone optional method of development with community sewer
service;

• 0.33 to 0.4 dwelling units per acre—MPDUs required under the RNC Zone optional
method of development with community sewer service using a sliding scale from 12.5
percent MPDUs required at 0.33 dwelling units per acre to 15 percent MPDUs required at
0.4 dwelling units per acre.
Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 15 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
If MPDUs are not required in the RNC Zone, the maximum density of development for the
Dungan property is 0.33 dwelling units per acre, under the conditions outlined below.

Retention of this property as undeveloped open space would meet the recommendations of the
Legacy Open Space Plan and help protect an important natural resource in the North Branch
stream valley without public expenditure. This Plan recommends that the Dungan property
remain in its entirety as undeveloped open space.

Recommendations

• Reclassify the entire property from the RE-1 and RE-2 zones to the RNC Zone.

• Include the entire property in the proposed new environmental overlay zone for Upper
Rock Creek with an impervious surface cap of 8 percent.

• Allow the following range of densities if the specified conditions are met:
o 0.2 units to the acre if the property is developed separately using septic systems;
o 0.33 units to the acre with community sewer service (or up to 0.4 units to the acre
with MPDUs) if all development occurs on the Casey property, and this property
remains open space in perpetuity.

• Reduce environmental impacts and imperviousness during development by employing

innovative design and engineering techniques (see Environmental Resources Plan for
details).

Casey Property
This 336-acre property is located in the northeast quadrant of the intersection of Bowie Mill and
Muncaster Mill Roads. The property bounds Magruder High School on three sides and
Sequoyah Elementary School on two sides. It is largely rolling fields. Two unnamed tributaries
to North Branch originate on the property and flow east. Forest covers much of the stream valley
in the more northerly of the two tributaries. The southerly tributary originates in a large area of
wetlands on the property. The western part of the property drains to the mainstem of Rock
Creek. The J.H. Cashell Farm, which is on the Functional Master Plan for Historic Preservation,
is located on this property. Right-of-way for the Intercounty Connector crosses the property as
well.

Appropriate density of development on this property—and the infrastructure to support that

density—is a critical element of this Plan. The 1985 Plan recommended that sewer service be
prohibited north of Muncaster Mill Road--an area that includes this property--except in narrowly
drawn circumstances. This sewer service policy reduced the need for stormwater management
systems, avoided construction of new sewer lines in stream valleys and maintained low densities.
A subsequent decision to build an elementary school adjacent to the Casey property brought
community sewer service north from Muncaster Mill Road along Bowie Mill Road to serve the
school. A line had earlier been built in Muncaster Mill Road to serve Magruder High School.

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 16 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
Once sewer lines outside the stream valleys served both schools near this property, development
interests began to pursue changes in sewer service status to extend service to this property, in
part because historic lot yields using septic systems in the upper part of the watershed have been
between one-half and two-thirds of the maximum allowed under its zoning.

Development on the Casey property should implement resource protection strategies that
maintain stream quality. These strategies include preserving land in an undeveloped and natural
state, limiting imperviousness, directing development away from the sensitive North Branch,
discouraging sewer line construction in sensitive areas, and locating stormwater management
facilities on open space outside of parkland. For these reasons, this property is included in the
recommended Special Protection Area for Upper Rock Creek.

Clustering homes on part of this property and preserving a contiguous area of undeveloped open
space can achieve these objectives if densities remain low and existing sewer lines are used.
Sensitive areas in tributary valleys would become part of the contiguous open space associated
with the property. Additional, less sensitive areas adjacent to existing parkland could be added
to the park and begin the gradual process of natural regeneration. Such areas also provide
opportunities for forest and wetland restoration. Development should be directed to higher parts
of the property and away from the environmentally sensitive North Branch.

As noted in the section on the Dungan property, combined development of the Casey and
Dungan properties is the best way to develop the properties in ways that meet the goals of
protecting environmental resources and maintaining rural character. This Plan recommends the
RNC Zone for this property and sets a scale of recommended densities for optional method
development. It recommends that the Dungan property be retained in its entirety as open space.

Acquiring the important natural resources on the Dungan property offers public benefits but
would incur moderate environmental costs on the Casey property associated with the increased
density that would result from combined development. Every effort should be made, however,
to accommodate added density from the Dungan property on the Casey property in accordance
with the specified guidelines and without significant impact to the open space and sensitive
environmental areas described above or to the low density character of the surrounding area.

The recommended densities range from one dwelling unit for every five acres to one dwelling
unit for every three acres. Development standards for the RNC Zone will allow sensitive areas
in significant amounts to be preserved as rural open space, and site plan review will allow the
guidelines outlined below to be implemented as the property develops. Environmental,
regulatory or design considerations may reduce achievable densities on this property. If
Moderately Priced Dwelling Units are required in the RNC Zone by a future change in law, they
should be provided in accordance with Chapter 25A of the County Code as follows:

• 0.2 dwelling units per acre or less—No MPDUs would be required if the property develops
under the RNC Zone standard method of development without community sewer service;

• 0.33 dwelling units per acre or less—12.5 percent MPDUs required if the property
develops under the RNC Zone optional method of development with community sewer
service;
Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 17 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
 • 0.33 to 0.4 dwelling units per acre—MPDUs required under the RNC Zone optional
method of development with community sewer service using a sliding scale from 12.5
percent MPDUs required at 0.33 dwelling units per acre to 15 percent MPDUs required at
0.4 dwelling units per acre.

If MPDUs are not required in the RNC Zone, the maximum density of development for the
Casey property is 0.33 dwelling units per acre under the conditions outlined below.

The portion of the property north and west of Magruder High School is suitable for cluster
development using community sewer service. No new sewer lines should be constructed from
this area to North Branch. The portion south and east of the high school is recommended for
cluster development and community sewer service only if the Casey and Dungan property
owners agree to combine development of the properties, with all houses built on the Casey
property, and only if a sewer connection is constructed that will connect sewer lines in the
southern portion of the property to the existing lines in Bowie Mill Road or in Muncaster Mill
Road. This recommendation, which confers the private benefit of community sewer service on
the property owner, requires provision of a public benefit—open space—in return.

Public open space should include access through the eastern portion of the property for the
proposed North Branch trail corridor. As it passes through the property, the trail corridor should
be located within areas dedicated to parkland and outside of stream and wetland buffers. In
addition, this Plan encourages an environmental setting for the historic J.H. Cashell Farm that
retains as many of the outbuildings as possible and preserves the trees and other natural features
that help define its historic value. Acquisition may be appropriate through the Legacy Open
Space program to establish an acceptable setting.

Recommendations

• Reclassify the entire property from the RE-1 and RE-2 zones to the RNC Zone.

• Include the entire property in the proposed new environmental overlay zone for Upper
Rock Creek.

• Allow the following range of densities if the specified conditions are met:
o 0.2 units to the acre if the property is developed using septic systems;
o 0.33 units to the acre with community sewer service (or up to 0.4 units to the acre
with MPDUs) if all development occurs on the Casey property, the Dungan
property remains open space in perpetuity and if open space as shown on the
accompanying map is provided as part of development.

• Adhere to these guidelines during development of this property:

o Cluster development in two areas--between the schools and away from the valley
of the northern unnamed tributary, and, in the southern part of the property,
between Magruder High School and the ICC right-of-way;

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 18 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
 o Reduce environmental impacts and imperviousness during development by
employing innovative design and engineering techniques (see Environmental
Resources Plan for details) by locating stormwater management facilities outside
of parkland, by creating forest buffers prior to parkland dedication and by
removing artificial drainage systems to allow natural regeneration;
o Enhance compatibility by maintaining areas adjacent to existing communities as
rural open space or developing those areas with lots of similar size to those in the
adjoining neighborhood;
o Provide substantial variations in lot sizes, as required by the RNC Zone
development standards; cluster neighborhoods should offer the broadest possible
range of lot sizes;
o Size and locate lots to ensure compatibility with existing development and
preservation of rural view;
o Encourage diversity in house size and style;
o Protect rural viewsheds;
o Preserve existing views from Bowie Mill and Muncaster Mill roads by locating
large lots, conservation lots or open space with a significant and varied landscape
along the roads;
o Concentrate rural open space in the eastern part of the property that drains to the
North Branch, dedicate appropriate portions of this area to parkland and include
in this contiguous open space a “loop” trail that connects to the proposed North
Branch trail corridor in this area;
o Incorporate open space into the clustered community to enhance the undeveloped
nature of contiguous open space while providing residents with nearby recreation;
o Require dedication to parkland of areas needed for access to trails in the North
Branch Stream Valley Park and for expansion of Bowie Mill Local Park.

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 19 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
PROPOSED LAND USE/ZONING – CASEY AND DUNGAN PROPERTIES

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 20 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
Freeman Property
This property, about 332 acres in size, is in the headwaters of North Branch. It is reached from
Bowie Mill Road through the Norbeck Grove community and also has frontage on MD 108, the
Olney-Laytonsville Road. Like the Dungan property, the Freeman property includes significant
natural resources that are worthy of protection and essential to the protection of the headwaters.
(See the Environmental Resources Plan for more detail.) Forest is located adjacent to existing
parkland on the west side of the property and east of the power lines adjacent to parkland.
Wetlands, floodplains, and other sensitive headwater areas are located on the northern portion of
the property. Norbeck Grove, directly south of the property, is a Transfer of Development
Rights (TDR) receiving area with a density of two units per acre that is served by community
sewers. It is partially in the Olney Planning Area.

The location of this property in the headwaters of North Branch and its extensive inventory of
sensitive environmental resources heighten the importance of determining appropriate densities
for the property. It is included in the recommended Special Protection Area for Upper Rock
Creek. This Plan recommends cluster development for this property because development using
individual septic systems would result in extensive forest fragmentation, significant impacts on
plant and wildlife habitat, and a decrease in water quality. It recommends the RNC Zone for this
property and sets a scale of recommended densities for optional method development. The
recommended densities range from one dwelling unit for every five acres to one dwelling unit
for every three acres. This recommendation confers the private benefit of community sewer
service in return for the public benefit of open space. Development standards for the RNC Zone
will allow sensitive areas in significant amounts to be preserved as rural open space, and site
plan review will allow the guidelines outlined below to be implemented as the property develops.
The recommended densities range from one dwelling unit for every five acres to one dwelling
unit for every three acres. Environmental, regulatory or design considerations may reduce
achievable densities on this property. If Moderately Priced Dwelling Units are required in the
RNC Zone by a future change in law, they should be provided in accordance with Chapter 25A
of the County Code as follows:

• 0.2 dwelling units per acre or less—No MPDUs would be required if the property
develops under the RNC Zone standard method of development without community
sewer service;

• 0.33 dwelling units per acre or less—12.5 percent MPDUs required if the property
develops under the RNC Zone optional method of development with community sewer
service;

• 0.33 to 0.4 dwelling units per acre—MPDUs required under the RNC Zone optional
method of development with community sewer service using a sliding scale from 12.5
percent MPDUs required at 0.33 dwelling units per acre to 15 percent MPDUs required at
0.4 dwelling units per acre.

If MPDUs are not required in the RNC Zone, the maximum density of development for the
Freeman property is 0.33 dwelling units per acre under the conditions outlined below.

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 21 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
Recommendations

• Reclassify the entire property from the RE-1 Zone to the RNC Zone.

• Include the entire property in the proposed new environmental overlay zone for Upper
Rock Creek.

• Allow the following range of densities if the specified conditions are met:
o 0.2 units to the acre if the property is developed using septic systems;
o 0.33 units to the acre with community sewer service (or up to 0.4 units to the acre
with MPDUs) if open space as shown on the accompanying map is provided as
part of development.

• Adhere to these guidelines during development of this property:

o Concentrate cluster development in unforested upland areas; existing forest
adjacent to parkland is most appropriately kept intact, undeveloped and in its
natural state as rural open space;
o Reduce environmental impacts and imperviousness during development by
employing innovative design and engineering techniques (see Environmental
Resources Plan for details) by locating stormwater management facilities outside
of parkland, by creating forest buffers prior to parkland dedication and by
removing artificial drainage systems to allow natural regeneration;
o Enhance compatibility in the western portion of this property by maintaining
areas near existing communities as rural open space or developing those areas
with lots of similar size to those in the adjoining neighborhood;
o Provide substantial variations in lot sizes, as required by the RNC Zone
development standards; cluster neighborhoods should offer the broadest possible
range of lot sizes;
o Size and locate lots to ensure compatibility with existing development and
preservation of rural views;
o Encourage diversity in house size and style;
o Protect rural viewsheds;
o Preserve existing views from MD 108 and low density residential character by
locating large lots, conservation lots or open space with a significant and varied
landscape along the road;
o Incorporate open space into the clustered community to enhance the undeveloped
nature of contiguous open space while providing residents with nearby recreation;
o Connect new sewer lines to the existing line south of the property in an
environmentally sensitive manner and avoid stream buffer disturbance with all
new sewer line construction;
o Preserve wetlands and other sensitive areas in headwaters tributaries on this
property through park dedication.

• Retain the foundation of Chichester House, which was destroyed by arson. Details may
be found in the section on historic preservation.

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 22 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
PROPOSED LAND USE/ZONING – FREEMAN PROPERTY

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 23 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
Hendry and Fraley Properties
These adjacent properties total about 350 acres. The Hendry farm is located on Muncaster Road,
just north of the Rock Creek crossing. The main portion of the Fraley Farm is located on Bowie
Mill Road; there is a separate property adjacent to North Branch Stream Valley Park and east of
the main farm that also is owned by the Fraley family. The Hendry Farm is in the RE-2 Zone.
These properties are working farms and are largely pasturelands. Three tributaries to the
mainstem of Rock Creek originate on the Hendry property; a tributary to North Branch flows
through the eastern Fraley property. Both properties are located in the recommended Special
Protection Area for Upper Rock Creek.

As they are currently configured, neither the Hendry nor the Fraley properties contain substantial
amounts of sensitive natural resources. (Portions of the stream valley park in this area were
acquired from the Hendry family, and additional acreage was proposed to be added to the park
by the 1985 Plan.) Both properties are also substantial distances from existing sewer lines.

Providing community sewer service to either property using traditional types of gravity sewer
lines would require construction through existing stream valleys in parkland that do contain
significant forest and wetlands. While a central wastewater pumping station could provide sewer
service outside the stream buffer, it would not significantly increase yield. Septic development is
therefore most appropriate for both properties and community sewer service is not recommended
for either. No zoning changes are proposed for these properties and the intent of this Plan is that
they undergo large lot development using septic systems. Properties in the RE-1 and RE-2 zones
that develop using septic systems, including the Hendry and Fraley properties, are not subject to
the impervious limits that will be included in the recommended environmental overlay zone for
Upper Rock Creek.

Recommendations

• Retain the existing RE-2 Zone for Hendry property.

• Retain the existing RE-1 Zone on the western portion of the Fraley property and the
existing RE-2 Zone on the eastern portion. Cluster development is not appropriate on
land in the RE-1 Zone.

• Include both properties in the proposed new environmental overlay zone for Upper Rock
Creek.

• Adjust proposed park boundaries from the 1985 Plan on the Hendry property to focus
acquisitions on forested tributary valleys.

• Conservation easements to preserve remaining wetlands and other sensitive areas are
appropriate.

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 24 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
PROPOSED LAND USE/ZONING – HENDRY AND FRALEY PROPERTIES

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 25 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
Woodlawn Property
This 79-acre property is located along Needwood Road, about 600 feet south of its intersection
with Muncaster Mill Road. To the west lies the head of Lake Needwood; to the south is Rock
Creek Regional Park; to the east and north are residential communities. The property is
primarily meadow; there is some forest in the easternmost part of the property and more along
the western boundary with the park.

Proposed rights-of-way for both the Intercounty Connector and Mid-County Highway Extended
are located on this property. The proposed intersection of the two roads is located in the eastern
part of the property. Some of this right-of-way is currently in reservation for the two roads. As a
result, the amount of land that can be developed is significantly less than 79 acres. The eastern
half of the property, where the proposed roads come together, may present substantial hurdles to
residential development. Because the property is relatively close to an existing sewer line,
compatible institutional uses could be considered on this property. The primary intent of this
Plan, however, is that this property be developed for residences. It is suitable for cluster
development. In return for this private benefit, development of this property should include
provision of added open space.

Cluster development on this property will allow lots to be concentrated west of Needwood Road,
where the distance between the two proposed roads is greatest. Common open space can provide
protection from the roads. Little or no residential development should occur east of Needwood
Road. Open space dedicated to parkland in this area can be used, among other things, to create a
safe connection between the Lake Needwood recreation areas and the proposed trail in the ICC
right-of-way, which furthers a recommendation of the Countywide Park Trails Plan.

Recommendations

• Reclassify the property, except parcel 202, from the RE-2 Zone to the RNC Zone;

• Allow the following range of densities if the specified conditions are met:
o 0.2 units to the acre if the property is developed using septic systems;
o 0.33 units to the acre with community sewer service if open space as shown on
the accompanying map is provided as part of development.

• Consistent with proposed clarifications to the RNC zone, density should be calculated on
gross tract area (excluding any land purchased by the government) and open space should
be calculated on the net tract area;

• Retain parcel 202 in the RE-2 Zone;

• Create a trail connection between Lake Needwood and the proposed trail in the ICC
right-of-way on open space dedicated during development of this property;

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 26 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
 • Reduce environmental impacts and imperviousness during development by employing
innovative design and engineering techniques (see Environmental Resources Plan for
details) by locating stormwater management facilities outside of parkland, by creating
forest buffers prior to parkland dedication and by removing artificial drainage systems to
allow natural regeneration;

• Include noise mitigation for noise sensitive uses where appropriate.

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 27 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
PROPOSED LAND USE/ZONING – WOODLAWN PROPERTY

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 28 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS AND INDUSTRIAL AREAS
This section of the Land Use Plan provides recommendations for the neighborhood centers and
industrial areas.

Catherine Fraley Property

The Catherine Fraley property totals about 6.1 acres, adjacent to the neighborhood commercial
center at the intersection of Redland and Muncaster Mill Roads. The property includes a parcel
in the RT-12.5 Zone and a parcel in the R-90 Zone.

The 1968 Master Plan for the Rock Creek Planning Area recommended the RT and R-90 zones
for the areas surrounding the commercial center, in order to create a transition from commercial
to lower density residential uses. Townhouses have been built in three of the four areas so
designated; the fourth is currently a mix of residential and service activities. A church now
occupies most of the land recommended in 1968.

Extending townhouses to all of the Fraley property is appropriate in light of the existing pattern of
development in the area. Allowing townhouse development in the remaining undeveloped area is
consistent with the recommendation of the 1968 Plan and will complete recommended development
of the area adjacent to the Redland commercial center. A unified townhouse development on the
Fraley property will serve as an appropriate transition to lower residential densities in this area. The
RT-12.5 Zone is a floating zone; with the written consent of the property owner, the RT-12.5 Zone
should be applied to this property through the Sectional Map Amendment process. A more detailed
explanation of floating zones may be found in the Implementation Chapter.

This area, which is adjacent to a small commercial center, is particularly suitable for additional
affordable housing. To maximize provision of Moderately Priced Dwelling Units, this Plan
strongly encourages assembly of all land in and proposed for townhouse zones, a total of about 7.5
acres and recommends that the R-90 portion of the property be reclassified to the RT-12.5 Zone.
This property is also located in the area designated for an environmental overlay zone and
impervious surface cap. As an additional incentive to provide affordable housing at this particular
location, this Plan recommends that it be exempt from the impervious cap, if a subdivision plan is
submitted that shows Moderately Priced Dwelling Units or an affordable housing project that
contains a number of affordable units greater than or equivalent to the MPDU requirements as part
of the development and the application complies with all other applicable SPA requirements.

Recommendation

• Reclassify a portion of the Catherine Fraley property from the R-90 Zone to the RT-10
Zone and the remainder from the RT-12.5 Zone to the RT-10 Zone. The precise number
of units appropriate for the entire 6.1-acre property would be determined as part of a
required site plan review.

• Encourage assembly of the Catherine Fraley property and the remaining redevelopable
properties now in townhouse zones, as a means of maximizing the ability of this area to add
affordable housing.

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 29 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
PROPOSED LAND USE/ZONING – CATHERINE FRALEY PROPERTY

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 30 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
WINX Property
This 10-acre property is surrounded on three sides by the City of Rockville. On the fourth,
across Westmore Avenue, is Washington Gas Light Company’s storage facility. The site is
wooded and is currently used to house radio transmission towers.

The WINX property can only be reached through Rockville’s Lincoln Park community, one of
the County’s oldest African-American communities. It is bounded on three sides by the City of
Rockville, and, importantly, is located in Rockville’s water and sewer service district and outside
the established limits of the Washington Suburban Sanitary District. Therefore, any relatively
intensive residential or non-residential use requires the property to be annexed, because existing
city policy allows for the provision of water or sewer service only to properties within the city’s
corporate limits. WSSC’s water and sewerage systems cannot reasonably serve this site.

The City has included this parcel within its Urban Growth Limits, which encompass areas the
City considers within its policy and land use planning “sphere of influence.” It meets criteria
established in 1970 for setting these limits. It is in an area that can be efficiently served by City
water and sewer service and it is logically part of the Lincoln Park neighborhood. The City’s
1993 Master Plan reiterated recommendations from a 1984 Neighborhood Plan for Lincoln Park
for residential development of the property in the city’s R-60 Zone.

The property’s sewer and water service status limits its usefulness for light industrial uses to
low-intensity uses, such as outdoor storage or off-street parking, that do not require sanitary
sewer service. The radio transmission towers now on this property may remain in place for the
life of this Master Plan, and the owners of the property have not expressed interest in annexation,
which they must initiate. The ability to use the property for light industrial uses that do not
require infrastructure should therefore not be foreclosed.

This Plan recognizes that the 10-acre WINX property has issues of access and compatibility that
diminish its usefulness for light industrial activities. For the long term, this Plan recommends
residential development for this property, which will allow for its annexation and reclassification
to a residential zone by the City of Rockville. The City maintains a Moderately Priced Dwelling
Unit program similar to the County’s and development of this property would include such units.
The property also is suitable for an elderly housing project. Such a project, designed in a way
that insures compatibility with the Lincoln Park community, could make a significant
contribution to affordable or elderly housing.

Recommendations

• Retain the property in the I-1 Zone, to allow low intensity light industrial uses that do not
require community water and sewer service.

• Support strongly residential development of this property over the long term and support
recommendations in appropriate City of Rockville master plans for residential
development, including elderly housing, if annexation occurs.

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 31 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
PROPOSED LAND USE/ZONING – WINX PROPERTY

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 32 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
Commercial Areas

There are two widely scattered commercial districts in the Master Plan Area. One, near the
intersection of Muncaster Road and MD 108, totals about three acres and offers a variety of
small businesses, including retail, service and delicatessen operations. This area is served by
septic systems, and no community sewer service is planned. The second and largest is centered
on the intersection of Muncaster Mill, Muncaster and Redland Roads. This 12-acre area in the
C-1 Zone offers a variety of food service, convenience, auto service, retail and other service
outlets. The Derwood Post Office is in this area as well. A third small commercial area, at
Woodfield and Muncaster Mill Roads, is just beyond the boundaries of this Master Plan Area.
Residents use shopping centers in Olney and Gaithersburg for most neighborhood shopping
needs.

Recommendations
• Retain the zoning classification of all land in the C-1 and C-4 zones.

• Retain the neighborhood commercial character of these commercial areas.

Industrial Areas
Two concentrations of industrial land uses in the Upper Rock Creek Master Plan Area provide
activities ranging from auto repair and beverage bottling to scrap metal recycling and asphalt
mixing. Light industrial businesses may be found east of the Montgomery County Airpark along
Woodfield Road. Heavy industrial activities are concentrated in an area around the intersection
of Gude Drive and Southlawn Lane, near the City of Rockville. Along Crabbs Branch Way,
there are freestanding office buildings and smaller “townhouse” offices.

The proximity of the Gude Drive-Southlawn Lane area to the City of Rockville has in recent
years prompted annexation requests from owners of property zoned for heavy industry, who
wanted to take advantage of the city’s Service Industrial Zone, which allows a wider array of
light industrial and service uses than the County’s heavy industrial (I-2) zone. These requests
raised concerns about the impact of reductions in the overall inventory of heavy industrial land
on the County’s ability to provide these important but sometimes unattractive land uses.

Some portions of the Gude Drive-Southlawn Lane area are generally light industrial in character,
even though parts of the area are classified in the I-2 Zone. Other areas in the I-2 Zone retain a
heavy industrial character. The majority of land zoned for heavy industry in the County is
devoted to mineral extraction or utility operations that are unlikely to change over time, leaving
the Gude-Southlawn area as the only place in the County with zoning, ownership, and use
patterns suitable for a variety of heavy industrial activities. This Plan proposes a policy that
supports annexation requests west of Gude Drive and along Southlawn Lane, because the area
was predominantly light industrial in character. Areas east of Gude Drive should retain their
heavy industrial character.

Recommendation

• Retain the zoning classification of all land in the I-1, I-2 and I-4 zones, except as
specified in the next section.
Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 33 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
H&S Leasing Property
This three-acre property is near the intersection of Gude Drive and Southlawn Lane, near the
City of Rockville. The property is now in the I-2 Zone, and has been occupied for almost three
decades by Smith Lithograph Corporation, a printing company. When the plant was established,
printing was a permitted use in the I-2 Zone. Text amendments in the 1970s, however,
eliminated some generally light industrial uses from the I-2 Zone, which became more narrowly
focused on heavy industrial uses that require significant volumes of heavy truck traffic. Printing
activities were subsequently permitted in the I-1 and other light industrial zones, but not in the I-
2 Zone. Smith Lithograph Corporation became a non-conforming use in the I-2 Zone. The
property owners wish to end that status.

The H&S Leasing property is in the Gude Drive-Southlawn Lane Special Study Area. That
policy study states that northern quadrants of the intersection of Gude Drive and Southlawn
Lane, where Smith Lithograph’s property is located, are “suitable for light industrial or other
commercial uses because of the size and current uses of the properties.” The relatively small
size of the property and the likely difficulties of assembling land in this area, combined with the
fact that redevelopment in the I-2 Zone is likely to be incompatible with surrounding uses, all
lead to the conclusion that the property should be rezoned to a light industrial zone.

Recommendation

• Reclassify the H&S Leasing property from the I-2 Zone to the I-1 Zone.

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 34 Approved and Adopted – April 2004