Rockville exists even without LOS rules. Photo by thisisbossi.

Montgomery Council Chair Nancy Floreen (at-large) argued passionately at a hearing Tuesday for relaxing the “adequate public facilities” rules that are standing in the way of walkable development at White Flint that has widespread community support.

I wrote about the absurity of clinging to a traffic model that says communities cannot function without wider roads, when our cities such as DC are living examples to the contrary. Floreen pointed out another such example: Rockville.

“Is the City of Rockville in balance?” Floreen said. “It doesn’t use this test and it’s a neighbor of Whtie Flint. Why let 9 Council members define this? … We’re using the wrong standards.”

Barnaby Zall said that 30 seconds is what stands in the way of the County approving White Flint. The County Executive wants to prioritize the speed of traffic through White Flint above creating a great place there, and County Council staff were unable to make the plan work with the existing, broken metrics.

In this particular case, many people in the community support the plan. And for many Councilmembers, including Floreen, that makes a big difference.

Floreen said (as transcribed by FLOG:

I love the White Flint Plan. Because the community defined what it wanted and said the community character is what matters most. I have come to say that’s how you should find out what matters.

I will lie down in the middle of Rockville Pike if you make the intersection at Strathmore any bigger. People can’t walk across Strathmore because of the speeds drivers think they’re entitled to. …

We’re letting the wrong standards drive us. I can’t explain the difference between 30 seconds and 40. People who live within WF want to see some real improvements.

Based on comments, Councilmember Marc Elrich (at-large) seemed most hesitant to change the rules, while Councilmember Roger Berliner (District 1, which include the area) and Duchy Trachtenberg (at-large) support approving the White Flint plan.