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@Dan H.: "On the note of Chevy Chase Lake, when they were explaining the land & location criteria for why the yard was selected for this location, it was pointed out that Chevy Chase Lake also met all those criteria. For some strange reason, no one took the idea of putting the yard in Chevy Chase across the street from the gold course seriously."

I was at the meeting, and don't recall that anyone from MTA stated that Chevy Chase Lake met all the criteria - i think that assessment came from someone in the audience.

In any case, there are two features of these parcels that are very different.

At Lyttonsville, the MTA is prosing to use an approx. 2200 foot long strip of land between Grubb Road and Stewart Avenue that is adjacent to the Purple Line main track for the sidings and maintenance facility. At Chevy Chase Lake, there is only an approx. 900 foot long parcel of land adjacent to the proposed Purple Line main track, on the north side between Conn. Ave. and the east side of the existing supermarket parking lot, that is underdeveloped (and even that assumes taking the supermarket, lumber yard, and most of the small businesses along the east side of Connecticut Ave. as "underdeveloped"). All of the other land in the area is already in use for appartment buildings, office high-rise, or townhomes. I doubt that MTA can fit a similar amount of storage track and maintanance building into that 900 foot long parcel as it can in the 2200 foot long parcel at Lyttonsville.

At Lyttonsville, the sidings and maintenance facility have no adjacent resedential uses on the north side. The WSSC yard and remaining industial uses will provide a buffer on most of the south side. Contrast that with Chevy Chase Lake, were existing residences would be adjacent to the facility on all sides, with very little buffer.

I'm not in the habit of taking sides with Chevy Chase, but one only has to look at aerial views of the two areas to see why the idea of placing the maintenance facility at Chevy Chase Lake is not being taken seriously.

B.T.W., the MTA has scheduled the Chevy Chase Lake station area neighborhood work group meeting for 5 Oct., 7 p.m., at B-CC High School. You can see plans and aerial views for Chevy Chase Lake at that meeting, and if you still think a maintenance yard at Chevy Chase Like is a serious idea then you can try to explain why to MTA and the Chevy Chase neighbors at that meeting.

by Wayne Phyillaier on Sep 23, 2011 9:12 pm • link • report