Greater Greater Washington

Could RTV transform Montgomery's transit?

Thu, 24 May 2012 15:13:00 EDT

Montgomery's plans for a "Rapid Transit Vehicle" (RTV) bus system could dramatically transform transit in the county, and could even become a model for the rest of the region and country. But to achieve this, planners will have to avoid shortcuts to get the maximum bang possible from buses.

Photo by HerrVebah on Flickr.

As David Alpert has detailed, the county's Transit Task Force called for a "world class" system. Even with such a strong sentiment, there's no guarantee that RTV can avoid "BRT creep".

Choices like giving them dedicated lanes in both directions or only one, investing in the best vehicles possible, reducing parking requirements around stations to encourage more walkable development, and the locations of routes will all govern whether the system truly transforms Montgomery County, as leaders and the task force participants hope.

BRT creep and RTV's success

The Task Force's report emphasizes the most important requirement for success: separated, dedicated transit lanes throughout the system.

Buses would ideally have dedicated lanes in both directions, but this only appears feasible for part of the system. Most of the RTV lines will have a dedicated lane going in the direction of rush hour traffic (south or west in the morning, north or east in the evening). Vehicles running in the opposite direction will have to operate mixed with other traffic.

It is unclear whether such buses running in mixed traffic will receive any signal priority or other preference.

Earlier plans had called reconfiguring the medians of many arterial roads for RTV. While the final report still calls for this on some routes, space and right-of-way issues make it difficult elsewhere. On most other routes, a lane in the off-peak direction will likely be taken away from cars and allocated exclusively to RTV.

For instance, on a 6-lane road with 3 lanes each way, one lane will be devoted to RTV and 3 to cars, all running with rush hour traffic. The remaining 2 lanes would run counter to the rush hour traffic.

While these compromises are not ideal, they are far superior to the existing situation where buses are completely mixed with cars.

Another danger is that other parts of the RTV system could be degraded in order to save money or get the system operational more quickly. Montgomery County already has a pretty good bus system. If the extra features of RTV are diluted too much, then the entire effort will simply duplicate what already exists, and will be a waste. For the system to perform as promised, it cannot be watered down.

Transit advocates should keep apprised of all aspects of RTV planning as it develops, to make sure it retains the benefits of a true BRT system as much as possible.

Although large parts of the business, government, planning, environmental, and transit communities have come together around the RTV idea, Montgomery County does not have a great record with putting transit first. If citizens are promised a "gold standard" system that is comparable to light rail and something less is delivered, it will make future transit projects less likely.

Managing parking and traffic

Another factor that might impact RTV services is its effect on traffic and parking. While RTV is intended to reduce traffic, its success might draw more cars from outside the county, since relatively empty roads often fill up with drivers hoping to take advantage of uncongested lanes. Could a successful RTV system actually induce some traffic in a kind of rebound effect?

One way to avoid this is to limit the number of parking spaces near transit stations. Although the Task Force's report did not address this issue, Dale Tibbitts, Chief of Staff for Marc Elrich (the County Council member who pioneered the RTV system), has clarified that a separate public parking committee will address this issue.

Elrich hopes to lower the amount of parking required for office buildings on transit lines. This will boost ridership on the RTV, save office owners on the costs of providing parking, and reduce the need to use valuable land for parking garages.

Route planning

The choice of routes will also affect RTV's success. The report proposes maximum protection for Montgomery's agricultural reserve, and includes strong east-west links that were absent in earlier versions of the proposal.

These east-west links would encourage balanced growth, allow for stronger infill development in east county, and possibly spur links to Prince George's County. However, some might be more useful than others.

Instituting an RTV line along the wide and underutilized Intercounty Connector (ICC) would be easy, but it would go through relatively low-density areas and would be one of the least useful connections in the network. It probably makes sense for this line to be included in the plan, but does it belong in Phase 1, as proposed?

By contrast, the Randolph Road and Viers Mill east-west connections would immediately see tremendous usage, so it is very appropriate to include those lines in Phase 1. The University Boulevard route would also be more useful than the ICC, although it is scheduled for Phase 2.

It might also make sense to combine the University Boulevard and Veirs Mill lines into a single route, since they form a single cohesive corridor from Langley Park to Rockville.

Meanwhile, The Wisconsin South and Georgia South routes should also be prioritized and potentially extended into the District.

On the other hand, the Midcounty Highway extension section does not make sense; it would require a new highway in a part of the county already dense with roads. With I-270, Great Seneca Highway, Frederick Road, Clopper Road, and Snouffer School Road already providing a grid of north-south connections between Gaithersburg and Germantown, Midcounty Highway should not be a priority.

Affordability

While core urban areas are best served by streetcars and light rail, the realities of funding mean we cannot afford to build rail everywhere, especially in more suburban areas. The latest cost estimates for the light rail Purple Line are $120 million per mile, compared to $54 million per mile for the BRT Corridor Cities Transitway, and $10-$20 million per mile for the proposed RTV network.

With Maryland still paying for the ICC and unable to pass a new gas tax, the RTV may be the only viable option.

Effects on Montgomery County and the region

Although BRT is less ideal than a rail system, the RTV network does have the potential to transform Montgomery County and the DC region. It will bring unprecedented transit access to all of the major mixed-use areas of the county. For the first time it will become easier to travel around many parts of Montgomery via transit than via car. That would be a profound change.

But as impressive as the RTV concept may be, there's more to do. The system should be integrated with the entire region, especially Prince George's County. The same things that make RTV a practical choice for Montgomery are also true for all the suburban areas around the Beltway, and even for some corridors in DC. With many local jurisdictions considering BRT or streetcar networks, it would be a shame for them all to end up with different branding and fare structures.

The first phases of the RTV system are projected to start in 2016, with the entire system built within a 9-year time frame. That's extremely rapid. The report emphasizes the need to get the whole system working together quickly, since a major benefit of a network like this is that the lines all complement one another.

If built as proposed, with dedicated busways, in a short timespan, the RTV idea can be a real winner for Montgomery County. If it's expanded to neighboring jurisdictions it can also be a real winner for the region. But if that's to happen, the pratfalls of BRT creep and putting automobile capacity first must be avoided. Montgomery can do it, but it won't be easy.

1 comment

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What's the status of our major transit projects? (Jun 29, 2011)

100-year old Anacostia abandominium houses crack addict

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:05:00 EDT

by John Muller

Don't be misled. The plywood that covers the front door and one of two front windows of 2010 14th Street SE, a 100-year old home in Historic Anacostia, belies the wide open rear entrance from which drug users come and go with impunity.

Front of 2010 14th Street SE. Photos by the author.

When George W. Thompson, who bought the house in 1969, died many years ago, his wife, Marie, was also dead. His will left the house to his daughter, who reportedly died soon thereafter. No one emerged to claim the house.

Until DC's Water and Sewer Authority filed a lien against Thompson in the fall of 2009, no one paid the house much mind except expect the husband of Thompson's deceased daughter, who according to multiple sources in the neighborhood has been squatting in the house for years.

"Yeah, a former associate of mine has been set up in there pretty tight for a number of years," said community activist William Alston-El, who through community work and life experiences is affiliated with Anacostia's underworld. "His wife died and that's when he started. He's on crack, he's pretty gone in the head, you know. Yeah, you could say it's a crack house abandominium, a lot of people have been up in there, you know what I mean?"

By 2011 the taxes grew to more than $3,000. At this time Redemptor Litium, LLC, with holdings throughout all city neighborhoods, purchased the lien.

"This is a typical law school exam question," says James M. Loots, the lawyer representing Redemptor Litium, LLC. "The tax sale is supposed to fix the problem of getting the property under control and back to contributing property taxes."

Loots says his client has filed a motion for judgment and followed every necessary step to receive an order of foreclosure from posting the mandatory orange notice on the front door, to searching for heirs in the probate docket, to advertising in the paper for all known and unknown heirs to come forth.

The case is on a judge's desk and awaits another status hearing scheduled for next month.

Unfriendly neighbor

Dewey Sampson lives next door to the crack house abandominium. A federal employee, Sampson bought his home a little less than two years ago. On move-in day, two men sitting out front of the house next door offered their help, as good neighbors. Sampson soon learned from a long-time resident two down over that the men didn't live there. Nobody does. They are known undesirables, squatters.

"Early last summer I saw the orange sticker posted on the door," Sampson said. "I was really excited. I thought something was going to happen, but I didn't think it would take this long."

After the posting, last fall Sampson called the police on two squatters, who after an evening of drinking and drugging were cursing at each other loud enough for Sampson to hear through his walls.

"The police came right away. When they took one of the guys away he kept yelling, 'This is my house! This is my house! I was like what is he talking about?" said Sampson.

After telling him what I'd heard from Alston-El, Sampson said it now made sense. What's still illogical to Sampson and his fiance is how the house could sit vacant for so many years.

"This is a paradigm example of what the tax sale process is designed to address—getting vacant or neglected properties back on the tax rolls and into productive use. Unfortunately, that process takes a very long time," said Loots.

The sooner the better for Sampson, who last week saw a face he'd never seen before leaving the back of the house. "I don't want to judge people, but she looked like she was on drugs." Adding insult to injury, Sampson just paid an exterminator as a result of termites coming over from the abandominium.

"Those guys coming and going primarily are a safety concern for my fianc�, me, and the entire neighborhood. What if they set the house on fire and it spreads?" Sampson said. "What do we do then?"

Inside the house

This past Sunday morning with iPhone in hand, I went around to back of the home. Although the city boarded up the front door and the adjacent window last fall, I saw no evidence that anyone has made an effort to secure the rear.

I opened the mesh-screened back porch easily. There were bars on the back porch window to stop intruders from climbing in, but the back door is wide open.

Rear of abandominium in Historic Anacostia.

Stepping inside the kitchen, the rancid smell of urine welcomed me. The counter was covered in stubs of used candles and empty cans of Goya beans. The floor was littered with all sorts of debris, including chunks of fallen plaster from the ceiling. Slices of light from the second floor peeked through through small gaps in the floorboards above.

In the living room, more clothes covered the floor, along with discarded syringes and a bent spoon used to fire up dope. Two windows fronted 14th Street, one boarded up, one deflecting the morning sun behind a thick curtain. Peeling back the curtain, I saw Engine Company Fifteen; down the street is Saint Phillip the Evangelist Episcopal Church; in the median sits the restored Old Market House Square, which had a ribbon cutting last fall.

In the tight hallway junk mail fertilizes the floor. Three framed pictures rest atop the radiator: a baby girl not yet pre-school aged, a young man flashing a smile in cap and gown, and repentant hands coming together in a moment of prayer. Lord knows the rebirth of Historic Anacostia's crumbling homes need communion through any and all lines of invocation. Underneath the three photos is an unread Washington Post from this past November.

I ascended the staircase, keeping my ears open for any sounds of rustling. At the head of the stairs is a small room, the door ajar. A bare mattress sat snug in the far corner, amid fallen sheetrock and plaster. Behind the door I saw dress shirts and suits. I walk back into the hall and past the bathroom with the upturned bathtub and toilet laying on its side.

In the far room, Clothes strewn everywhere, a king size bed headboard sans bed, a plastic lawn chair, a DirecTV remote with no television to control. Running up in the home on the lonesome, without the better company of friend, I feel I should get going.

Passing a closed green door, I heard the static of a raspy cough. Time to get ghost. I slipped down the stairs, knowing the man behind the green door will not pursue what he likely thinks is a fellow squatter just looking for a small poor man's piece of the rock, an abandominium.

Inside the kitchen of 2010 14th Street SE.

Over debris, clothes, beer cans, and drug paraphernalia I passed through the living room, crouched under a long board that's presumably been set up as a barrier between the kitchen and further entryway into the abandominium for a less able-bodied person. My first and last self-guided tour of an Anacostia abandominium.

I give Alston-El a call, telling him what I saw.

"What's the waiting list for housing in this city, 45,000? Me and you could find that many units and more in all these abandominiums," Alston-El says. A painter-by-trade, Alston-El repeats his lament, "They fix these places up and then there'd be jobs for everyone from the community who can work with their hands. It could create some small businesses. Yeah, but they don't want to do that, you see, because it would save the neighborhood. But, nope, too much like right."

8 comments

"Abandominiums" house Anacostia's resentment (Mar 21, 2012)
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How many railcars does it take to run Metro?

Thu, 24 May 2012 10:19:00 EDT

by Matt Johnson

Every day dozens of Metro trains crisscross the region. How many cars does normal weekday service require? And where do those cars run? We asked the agency, and they were happy to provide the numbers.

Metro currently needs 860 cars to run normal service during rush hours. These cars make up 129 peak period trains.

The percentage of cars assigned to each line. The light gray area represents the cars not needed each day (spares).

The Red Line requires the most cars. At peak, it uses 288 cars in 41 trains. The Orange Line is in second place, with 204 cars on 30 trains. And in third place is the Green Line, whose 140 cars make up 20 trains.

The Blue Line falls fourth, with 138 cars making up 23 trains. The shortest line, the Yellow, requires 60 cars in just 10 trains.

In addition to the 124 trains assigned to a line, Metro positions 5 "gap trains" around the system that can be used to fill in when a train is taken out of service. These 5 trains require 30 cars.

Train length

During rush hours, the Red, Orange, and Green Lines operate with some 8-car trains, with the rest 6-cars long. The Blue and Yellow Lines use all 6-car trains.

Of the Red Line's 41 trains used during rush hours, 21 (51%) are 8-car sets. On the Orange Line, 12 of the 30 trains (40%) are 8-cars long. The Green Line uses 10 8-car trains out of 20 total trains (50%).

Systemwide, Metro operates 43 8-car trains and 86 6-car trains during peak hours. That means that one-third of trains run with full-length consists.

Off-peak

Metro doesn't need as many trains or as many cars during off-peak periods.

The Red Line requires 21 trains and 126 cars. There are 12 trains and 72 cars on the Blue Line. While the Orange needs 66 cars in 11 trains. For the Green, it's 10 trains and 60 cars, and on the Yellow, it's 8 trains and 48 cars.

Rush Plus

On June 18, Metro will start new rail service patterns. In addition to the 5 colored lines, 2 new services will be starting. One will run between Vienna and Largo Town Center (to be colored orange). The other will run between Franconia-Springfield and Greenbelt (colored yellow).

The Franconia to Greenbelt service will not require any additional trains, since 3 trains per hour that currently run as Blue Line trains are being shifted to the Yellow Line bridge. But the new Vienna-Largo service will require Metro to add several trains during peak hours.

While WMATA did not respond to requests for how many new trains it will require for Rush Plus, the 58 minute Vienna-Largo run time and 20 minute headway could be done with 6 trains.

Metro also did not provide data about how many cars this will require. If all 6 of the new trains are 6-car trains, it will add 36 cars to Metro's peak vehicle requirement. If all 6 of the new trains are 8-car trains, it will mean adding 48 cars during rush hours.

That would increase the size of the peak vehicle requirement to between 896 and 908 cars.

Fleet size

Metro has 1,104 cars that are in its active fleet. But the agency can't schedule all of those cars on any given day.

Metro aims to have a spare ratio of 20%, to account for trains that are out of service for repair or preventative maintenance. In the 1980s, as system expansion outpaced new rolling stock acquisition, Metro allowed its spare ratio to drop and that led to a corresponding drop in reliability.

What this means is that if the system has a peak vehicle requirement of 896 cars, it needs to have an additional 179 cars (20% of 896) set aside as spares. If the system has a peak vehicle requirement of 908 cars, it needs to have an additional 182 cars as spares—a total of 1,090 cars. Metro's fleet today is 1,104 cars, so as long as no major repair issue forces them to take a lot of cars out of service for a long period, they should have enough.

24 comments

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Breakfast links: Common and uncommon

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:47:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Photo by .v1ctor. on Flickr.

Another indictment: Another Gray campaign aide has been indicted, this time for making a false statement. Someone even created a sadly amusing website saying how many days it's been since the last indictment. (WAMU)

Whose park is it?: In Bloomingdale is a park owned by a nonprofit. But 2 people claim to control the nonprofit. They are suing each other, in a case that exposes the fault lines in the neighborhood's recent demographic changes. (Post)

CaBi crime: A Capital Bikeshare bike became the getaway vehicle for an iPhone robbery. This may be the first time CaBi was used in a violent crime; crime has generally stayed away from CaBi, with few instances of graffiti or bike theft. (Post)

Today in development opposition: Hine shrank a small amount, got more boring, and got too much parking in response to neighborhood pressure. ... At McMillan, the ANC is being constructive, but most other associations are against development. (City Paper)

DC mayor Franks gets complaints: DC residents tried to leave constituent complaints such as the need for Metro funding and pothole repair for Trent Franks, an Arizona Republican who introduced a bill overriding DC's abortion laws. DC Vote decided that if he wants to be DC's mayor, he should provide constituent service. (Fox 5)

Don't bike on me?: The Tea Party is trying to kill Transportation Enhancements funding, which funds many bicycle and pedestrian projects, in the transportation bill's conference committee. Republicans also don't want to allow local transit agencies to spend capital money on operation in times of high unemployment. (Streetsblog)

Don't drive the lane: The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the new home for the Nets, only has 500 parking spots near the areana. The team is pleading with people to not drive there for games and instead take transit. (NY Mag)

Seniors suspended for cycling: Students at one Michigan high school school biked to school together on their last day of senior year, and were promptly suspended for causing a traffic delay. The principal also called the biking "a safety risk." Parents later rallied in support of the biking students. (MLive, Atlantic, Tim F.)

And...: ANCs approve 3 of 4 marijuana dispensaries. (DCist) ... Improvements are on the way to the Clarendon Metro plaza. (Patch) ... Arlington and Fairfax counties are seeking feedback on the Columbia Pike streetcar plan. (ARLnow)

Have a tip for the links? Submit it here.

18 comments

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Georgetown ANC debates additional CaBi stations tonight (Nov 29, 2010)

On WMATA Board, Bellamy can improve bus service

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:56:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Mayor Gray has nominated DDOT Director Terry Bellamy to be an alternate member of the WMATA Board. This could be a chance to finally advance the many stalled proposals for making DC's bus service better for riders and save money at the same time—if Bellamy is willing to make this critical issue a priority.

Photo by USDAgov on Flickr.

Bellamy will be filling the seat vacated when Tony Giancola switched from being a District representative to a federal one. The last time a DDOT director served on the board was Emeka Moneme, who resigned from both posts in 2008.

Today, I testified at the confirmation roundtable at the DC Council. Below is my testimony.

Madam Chairman and members of the Council,

Appointing DDOT Director Terry Bellamy to the WMATA Board of Directors represents a very significant opportunity. There are many such opportunities, such as to work with you to push WMATA to correct its stifling and longstanding stance of secrecy toward riders and simply to make sure needed repairs are on track, but specifically having the DDOT director on the board is a chance to bring DDOT and WMATA closer and foster greater coordination between these agencies.

Each controls an enormous share of the transportation infrastructure that our residents depend on every day, yet the two agencies often do not work in harmony as much as needed to move transportation forward.

By far the greatest opportunity to improve transportation for District residents lies in our bus service. DC spends over $190 million per year in public operating dollars on our bus service. That is about 3½ times the amount we spend on Metrorail, and is more than double DDOT's operating budget.

Bus delays from traffic swell this cost and cause pain to our residents. For example, I recently received this email from a reader who will soon be moving to the Wisconsin Avenue area:

My wife took a bus going from Federal Triangle over to Wisconsin Ave for an appointment but also near our future new home. She became stuck in traffic on I St and is now cursing the bus. What is the outlook for the H & I bus lanes?
With the volume of buses that use that route, it really should be a priority. Anything that can be done to help speed up the process? My wife was spoiled by few stop Metrorail commutes and the bus is a big adjustment for her.

This type of question is far from unusual. Residents rich and poor, black and white, in outer low-density areas and inner high-density ones all struggle with bus delay if they aren't fortunate enough to have both home and work close to a Metrorail station.

There is an enormous amount DC could be doing to reduce the costs of bus travel while improving speed and reliability for our bus riders:

Allow appropriate turning movements for buses to help them get through congestion
Create queue hopper lanes that help buses bypass traffic waiting at signals
Enforce illegal parking that prevents buses from making turns or bus stops
Locate bus stops in ways that allow buses and customers to use them more efficiently
Create bus lanes where practical
Implement traffic signal priority
Improve the accessibility of bus stops so that fewer riders are dependent upon, or beholden to, costly and unreliable MetroAccess service
Remove on-street parking where the benefits outweigh the costs.

There are dozens of recommendations in WMATA line studies and service evaluations that have not yet been implemented. Sometimes, these just do not come up in internal DDOT discussions. At other times, WMATA and DDOT's transit staff point to the recommendations, but the engineers and traffic operations folks balk at implementing the studies.

Fortunately, there is a simple solution. These divisions work for Director Bellamy. He can bring these issues from WMATA and ensure that DDOT prioritizes implementing them.

Here are a few examples:

WMATA was implementing bus priority on the 70s lines at the same time DDOT was planning the 7th Street streetscape. However, there was no coordination on signal technology needs.
The 90s line study proposed bus enhancements along U street, but DDOT paid no attention to these recommendations while they simultaneously designed streetscape enhancements on U Street. Meanwhile, efficiency recommendations for 8th Street go almost completely unnoticed.
A study about the potential for bus lanes on H and I Streets downtown was supposed to be complete in March, but still remains months from completion, with no clear path to implementation thereafter. Short segments H and I are where many of DC's most heavily used bus lines bogged down in commuter traffic wasting hours and ruining bus reliability.

WMATA isn't the only source of bus operating efficiency needs. The DC Circulator routes, for which DC bears 100% of the operating subsidy, is an ideal place for DDOT to prioritize operational enhancements.

I have spoken over several years with officials at both WMATA and DDOT. I repeatedly hear from WMATA that they are not finding the support at DDOT to implement their recommendations, and hear from folks at DDOT that they don't feel WMATA is ready to support DDOT or understands the constraints DDOT must labor under.

I am sure both groups of people are right. It is often difficult for two agencies to coordinate closely, especially when the agencies answer to different masters. I am sure many people at DDOT find it simply less work to tackle projects that don't require calling the Jackson Graham building, and those at WMATA have less trouble simply solving problems they can handle without going to New Jersey Avenue.

But this is necessary. Bus service is our best chance to save money and improve mobility for the residents of the District. We're not going to build any new Metrorail lines in the near future, and while streetcars will bring meaningful economic development, they will not be a speedy ride across town. But our bus service can and should be a desirable mode of travel for all.

There is no big megaproject to undertake that will fundamentally revamp bus service. Improving this mode of travel requires making many small and medium-sized fixes over many years that build up in the aggregate. The same applied to bicycle lanes, and tireless staff worked for years to gradually build up more and more lanes. DDOT needs to start now to put in one bus improvement at a time, then another, and another.

Right now, that is not yet happening, which costs DC millions of dollars and makes bus riders suffer, often at the expense of commuters from Maryland and Virginia who we often end up prioritizing despite clear policies at DDOT, and statements from this council, to the contrary.

The time is now. Montgomery County yesterday released their proposal for building 160 miles of a new bus Rapid Transit System, mostly on dedicated lanes. The Council, with your support Madam Chairman, just created a special fund for bus enhancements beginning in FY13, which could raise several million dollars per year if DDOT moves swiftly to implement performance parking in the downtown area.

With Director Bellamy on the WMATA Board, I am hopeful that this state of affairs can change. We will have a single person who can instruct his staff in DDOT meetings to advance bus improvements, and then head over to WMATA and push the staff there to uphold their end of whatever is necessary.

I hope you will ask Director Bellamy questions such as these:

Do you agree that bus efficiency must get much higher priority from the department?
Will your participation at WMATA represent a turning point to get long-awaited, significant progress going on these bus projects?

If the answers to both are yes, then Director Bellamy's presence on the WMATA Board will not just mean yet another voice contributing to already crowded debates, but a very positive step toward getting these two agencies working together to exploit our greatest untapped mobility opportunities.

7 comments

Cyclists & pedestrians versus bus riders? (Nov 16, 2010)
Cheh makes better bus service a priority in DDOT budget (May 4, 2012)
Leftover capital money could save Metro service (Apr 14, 2010)
Montgomery councilmembers: Get moving on bus priority (Apr 22, 2011)
Wells pushes DDOT to perform better on parking (Mar 1, 2011)

Silver Spring townhouses pass one hurdle, face another

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:19:00 EDT

by Dan Reed

With fewer houses and a reconfigured layout, Chelsea Court, a proposed townhouse development less than a block from downtown Silver Spring, got the nod from Montgomery County's hearing examiner, bringing it one step closer to reality. The County Council next has to approve the project, and they should.

Townhomes like this could be coming to Silver Spring. Photo by the author.

Two years ago, Bethesda-based developer EYA bought the five-acre Chelsea School campus at Pershing Drive and Springvale Road after the school decided to move. Noting the site's proximity to the Silver Spring Metro and demand for transit-accessible housing, EYA sought to have the site rezoned from R-60, which allows single-family homes, to RT-15, which allows townhouses.

The zoning change was approved by the county Planning Board, which pointed to the twelve-story Colesville Towers apartments across the street and said townhouses weren't too dense for the neighborhood.

It also got approval from the Hearing Examiner, Lynn Robeson, who basically serves as a judge for the county's zoning code. Then it went to the County Council, but they rejected the zoning change due to opposition from residents only want single-family homes in their neighborhood.

The County Council asked EYA to come back with a new proposal, and they did, which was just approved by the Hearing Examiner. The examiner's office released this 111-page report detailing how they came to their conclusion.

Top: The originally proposed site plan. Bottom: The new site plan.

The site will now be zoned RT-12.5, which still allows townhouses, but at a lower density. There will be only 64 townhouses, instead of 77 as EYA first proposed, while the number of county-mandated moderately-priced dwelling units will drop from 13 to 8. The houses will be placed further away from Springvale Road to appease residents of that street, while a private street for the new development has been moved.

Because of these changes, half of the site is set aside as open space, including wider courtyards between townhouse rows and a larger park at the corner of Springvale Road and Pershing Drive. There's also more open space around the historic Riggs-Thompson House, which was built by the founder of Riggs Bank was originally going to be saved in the first proposal.

Neighbors continue to oppose townhouses

Nonetheless, some neighbors weren't satisfied. No fewer than 6 civic associations opposed the project, including the adjacent Seven Oaks-Evanswood Civic Association (SOECA), but also Lyttonsville and South Four Corners, both of which are several miles away from the site.

Residents complained about the loss of large trees, while others questioned that EYA's traffic studies showing no increase in nearby congestion. SOECA president Vicki Warren said there wasn't enough open space around the Riggs-Thompson House, though historic preservation planner Judith Christensen said she could "live with" what was provided because the county's Historic Preservation Commission would have a say in how it was used.

Many complained that the project's layout resembled military barracks, though the "alternative plan" submitted by Kenneth Doggett, SOECA's "expert land planner," looks much like EYA's proposal, but with fewer houses.

Doggett's proposal for the Chelsea Court site.

In response, EYA tried to show how Chelsea Court fit into the local context. Vice president Aakash Thakkar displayed a model of Clarendon Park, a project they built in Arlington with a similar layout, and noted how the end houses were designed to look like single-family homes, helping them blend into the neighborhood.

Miguel Iraola, a planner at Hord Coplan Macht who's designing the project, offered several precedents throughout Silver Spring, Wheaton and Bethesda that are similar in design or density to their proposal. Neighbors Maria Schmit and Tom Anderson claimed that they weren't comparable to Chelsea Court, but Robeson agreed with Iraola's conclusion.

With the hearing examiner's approval, the new Chelsea Court proposal will now go before the County Council once again, and I hope they approve it as well. EYA has worked hard to meet the neighborhood's concerns, crafting a project that not only respects the site's history but its current surroundings.

They also have a good track record for creating quality infill projects, which many neighbors recognize. "Based on EYA's National Park Seminary [in Forest Glen], I am convinced this new development will be attractive—just as attractive as our existing neighborhood and perhaps even more so," wrote SOECA resident Leslie Downey in a letter to the Planning Board last year.

Many Silver Spring residents say they want to support local businesses, are upset about traffic congestion, and are concerned about safety. Yet they are often the same ones who oppose projects like Chelsea Court, which would generate more customers, allow more people to walk, bike or use transit instead of driving, and provide more "eyes on the street."

We could do far worse than this. Chelsea Court has been fully vetted and dutifully revised, and now it's time to get it built.

7 comments

Silver Spring school leaving, could become 75 homes (May 3, 2010)
Different housing types can mix if designed propertly (Nov 7, 2011)
Anything but townhouses, say Ravenwood Park activists (Feb 28, 2011)
Affordable housing clashes with the suburban mindset in Wheaton/Kensington (Dec 1, 2008)
Taxpayers foot bill for parking giveaway in Silver Spring (Mar 28, 2012)

Live chat with Matt Yglesias

Wed, 23 May 2012 11:50:00 EDT

by Miles Grant

Please welcome Matt Yglesias, Slate Moneybox economics blogger, author of The Rent Is Too Damn High, and frequent commentator about how regulations limiting development affect cities.

View the chat transcript

25 comments

Live chat: Matt Yglesias, Wednesday at noon (May 18, 2012)
Vancouver's Larry Beasley talks DC's Height Act in forum Tuesday, live chat Wednesday (May 17, 2010)
Live chat with Larry Beasley on DC's height limit (May 19, 2010)
Live chat: Kwame Brown, DC Councilmember at-large (Mar 27, 2009)
Live chat: Jim Graham, Wednesday at noon (Mar 23, 2009)

Without preservation, DC's boundary stones are in danger

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:33:00 EDT

by John Muller

The first monuments of the nation's capital still stand, after enduring earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, and blizzards, target practice for bored encamped Civil War troops, wayward vehicles, and vandalism.

Boundary Stone NE#3, near Eastern and New Hampshire Avenues. Photo by the author.

In 1791 and 1792, 40 Aquia Creek quarried sandstones, forming the perimeter of the federal 10-mile square, were placed in the ground. 36 original stones have withstood the test of time, but their future is in danger.

Tireless volunteers and vigilant homeowners have maintained the boundary stones for the better part of more than 200 years, but there is no funding to ensure the stones get preserved for the long term. DDOT is responsible for the stones and received federal money in 2005 to preserve the stones, but the funding has disappeared.

The stones have survived more than two centuries, but conditions vary from stone to stone. Made of sandstone, a soft sedimentary rock, many stones still bear the "Jurisdiction of the United States" engraving and the year they were placed. For others the inscriptions have worn off over time.

Surrounding vegetation, undeterred by the fences that buttress the stones, has eroded numerous stones while the stones on a grassy plane are in the best condition. Through small cracks in some stones, similar to potholes in the street, water has seeped in, fragmenting the stone, such as on stone NW#6:

Boundary Stone NW #6, near the intersection of Western Avenue and Fessenden Streets, NW. Photo by the author.

The most immediate and practical solution would be to install a canopy over each stone, similar to the canopies that in recent years have ensconced Metro station entrances.

Making stones National Historic Landmarks would aid preservation

In the early 1990s, all 26 of the stones on the DC-Maryland border (23 of the originals are still in the ground, while one is in a basement in Colesville, MD) were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

National Historic Landmark designation, a further step, would make it easier to obtain grant funding to preserve the stones. It would also bring National Park Service technical assistance and monitoring of the stones' condition. But thus far, only one stone, SW#9 in Falls Church, is a National Historic Landmark.

Stephen Powers, acting co-chairman of the Nation's Capital Boundary Stones Committee (NACABOSTCO), says the organization is currently developing an application to submit the Boundary Stones for National Historic Landmark status.

DDOT gets money to restore stones, but funds disappear

DDOT actually legally owns the stones, according to Ric Terman, co-chair of NACABOSTCO. In June 2003, DDOT's Chief Engineer at the time, John Deatrich, accepted legal responsibility for the DC-Maryland stones after Department of the Interior officials determined that a 3-foot easement around each stone was federal property to be overseen by DDOT.

Terman says that acquiring a National Historic Landmark for all 26 stones was part of the draft Memorandum of Agreement between multiple city, state, and federal agencies.

In 2005, DDOT announced that they had been awarded a $200,000 Transportation Enhancement (TE) grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to preserve the stones that mark the DC-Maryland border. In 2006, DDOT presented a draft scope of work for the project, funded by $160,000 in TE money and $40,000 of local funds, predicting an August 2006 start date. Later that year, a Draft Memorandum of Agreement was circulated between DDOT, FHWA, and the National Park Service to "inventory, evaluate, preserve, and restore the original sandstone markers."

Six years later, DDOT hasn't started the project, it's not clear whether anyone signed the Memorandum of Agreement, and the funding for the project appears to be gone.

Boundary Stone SE#9, in the woods off I-295. Photo by the author.

"At this time, DDOT does not have funding for marker improvements, but we will be working with District agencies, our Federal partners, and other interested groups to develop a comprehensive approach to preserving the monuments," Maurice Keys, DDOT's Chief of Strategic Planning for Planning, Policy and Sustainability Administration, wrote to Jane Waldmann, of the Tenleytown Historical Society, in January.

Keys recently said, "DDOT does not maintain the stones. Volunteer groups have taken responsibility for maintaining a number of the monuments. DDOT recently requested approval of funding from the Federal Highway Administration to inventory and assess the condition of the monuments." What happened to the $200,000 TE grant that FHWA awarded in 2005?

Barry speaks up for the stones

Largely out of sight, out of mind, the Boundary Stones that lie in Ward 8 have found a vocal champion on the DC City Council: Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry.

"The Boundary Stones are an important part of our history in the District of Columbia," Barry said. "We take this responsibility very seriously. I am thrilled that these small monuments of our heritage have finally been brought to the forefront and given the recognition that they so greatly deserve."

Without public funding and attention from the city, it has largely fallen to private citizens and bi-annual service events led by Powers to maintain the stones. Chapters of the DC Daughters of the American Revolution have helped with full-scale restoration projects at a handful of stones, and the American Society of Civil Engineers, National Capital Section has provided over $3,000 to restore and paint fences around 20 stones.

The efforts of these volunteers are crucial, but it's time to get the stones designated as National Historic Landmarks and for DDOT to help the Boundary Stones get the attention and protection they deserve.

19 comments

Boundary stones: The oldest monuments in the District (Oct 25, 2011)
Streetcar tracks deleted from 11th Street Bridge (for now) (Oct 6, 2011)
K Street Transitway delayed seven years, again (Jan 26, 2009)
Leftover capital money could save Metro service (Apr 14, 2010)
K Street Option 2 is the "preferred alternative" (Dec 17, 2009)

DC's parks are 5th best in the nation, says "Park Score"

Wed, 23 May 2012 09:34:00 EDT

by David Alpert

DC is 4th on Transit Score, 6th on Bike Score (and 4th to Bicycling Magazine), 7th on Walk Score, 6th worst in traffic, and 2nd in tech job growth. The parks folks have decided to get into the headline-grabbing rankings business (suc cess fully) with a new "Park Score," and DC comes in 5th.

Photo by Mr. T in DC on Flickr.

The Trust for Public Land ranked the 40 largest US cities on 5 metrics: the amount of parkland in the city, media park size, the percentage of residents within ½ mile of a park, park spending per capita, and the quantity of playgrounds by population.

DC placed 5th, after San Francisco, Sacramento, New York, and Boston. The 5 worst cities are Indianapolis, Mesa, Louisville, Charlotte, and Fresno. Virginia Beach was #7, Baltimore #15.

Here is the full spreadsheet of data (XLS). We mainly lose points on average park size, where our median of 0.7 acres is the smallest among the cities due to the many small federal circles, squares and triangles. 96% of residents live within ½ mile of at least one park, putting DC near the top on that metric, but for many that park is just a small federal square or triangle without many amenities.

DC also ranks low in playgrounds, with only 1.68 per 10,000 residents, which comes out to about 100 playgrounds. Downtown residents have been asking for a playground, and other neighborhoods could benefit from them as well.

ParkScore's map of DC. Parks are in green, universities in purple.
Click for interactive version.

Meanwhile, we score near the top on the other metrics. 19.1% of DC's land area is parkland, second only to San Diego and New York. This ranking unfortunately includes things like parkways and, in DC, the parking lots around RFK stadium. But that still doesn't diminish our robust amount of actual parkland, most in the large federal spaces like the Mall, Rock Creek, the Arboretum, the Anacostia and Potomac waterfronts, the Fort Circle, and more.

DC ~~spends~~ and the federal government spend $303.45 per capita on parks, the most of any city thanks to the Mall's role as a major national tourist destination.

In the press release, Peter Harnik, director of The Trust for Public Land's Center for City Park Excellence, notes that residents in Wards 1 and 5 especially need better park access, and there are not enough sports playing fields.

32 comments

Don't call it a park (Apr 28, 2008)
Bike Score places DC 6th, shows big gaps in bikeability (May 14, 2012)
Downtown's lack of playgrounds is hard on families (Aug 22, 2011)
Walk Score launches maps for DC and others (Jul 17, 2008)
DC scores 4th in first Transit Score rankings (Apr 27, 2012)

Breakfast links: On the cheap

Wed, 23 May 2012 08:31:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Photo by veer66 on Flickr.

Yes, non-BRT is cheaper than decent BRT: Surprise, surprise: If you let "BRT creep" reduce the Corridor Cities Transitway to a bus often in mixed traffic, scale back stations, and make the route 4 miles longer, it becomes cheaper and faster to build. (Post)

Concrete not good enough: Though the Silver Spring Transit Center meets national standards it does not meet Montgomery County's. The problem stems from the concrete, which the county says is too thick in some places and too thin in others. (Examiner, Post)

Hine shrinks: The Hine project has removed a floor from its corner office building, reducing daytime customers for Eastern Market and local businesses to please loud neighbors. Tommy Wells will back up the ANC but otherwise stay out of the matter, though he thinks there may be too much parking. (@GarberDC, EMMCA)

Food trucks a problem in Rosslyn?: The Rosslyn BID wants to limit food trucks in the area. The BID represents several restaurants who feel the food trucks are not invested in the area. Some residents might say the restaurant selection is poor. (ARLnow)

Clang, clang, clang: Alexandria looks to expand its free trolley bus service to Del Ray and even Arlandria. While businesses are eager for the service, some residents question the proposed routing on a 2-lane road. (Patch)

School to townhouses: Despite organized opposition who wanted single-family homes, a former school near downtown Silver Spring will become townhouses. (SS,S)

Rowhouses to retail: Could rowhouses along Florida Ave. turn into businesses? The zoning allows for it by right, and there are already a few retail options there that could be ahead of their time. (Left for LeDroit)

Not enough money for water: DC Water may not be able to afford new sewers mandated by the federal government. Brookings thinks surrounding governments need to chip in, but will they really? (City Paper)

MoCo gets a little safer: Ped/bike crashes in Montgomery County have declined. Interesting, the analysts found that drivers are at fault in most of the county's pedestrian collisions, most of which involve hitting children or teenagers. There were, thankfully, no fatal bicycle collisions (and 11 pedestrian ones). (Gazette)

Who are the worst drivers?: DC residents think Virginia drivers are the worst; VA and MD drivers blame DC drivers. Drivers are most annoyed by texting drivers, tailgaters, and drivers who are "too slow." (WTOP) ... But traffic has improved. (Post)

Have a tip for the links? Submit it here.

47 comments

Food trucks enhance brick-and-mortar restaurants (Mar 16, 2011)
Food trucks could fill in retail gaps (Apr 22, 2010)
Are Washington's drivers really the worst? (Sep 2, 2011)
More and varied nightlife can make Silver Spring safer (Jul 26, 2011)
Should trucks double park in bike lane or next to it? (Jan 7, 2011)