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Last month I wrote with information about the FY18 County budget. In this newsletter I explain my position on the recently passed Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan. On Tuesday July 11, the Council will consider a companion zoning text amendment (ZTA) which determines how density can be moved around inside the sector plan area. This is important for Bethesda and all upcoming sector plans.
I am also writing to give you details about other recent issues and events. As chair of the Council’s Public Safety Committee I have included short articles on summer safety. “I take it personally.” is a campaign to keep our roads safe. MC Fire and Rescue Services have important messages about summer swimming safety and BBQ fire hazards. We have excellent public safety departments. Let’s do our part to never have to call upon their services.
I believe climate change is of immediate concern and we in Montgomery County can do our part to address it. The County is expanding its use of renewal energy sources and discouraging our pension fund managers from investing in fossil fuel companies.
There are many more issues we are working to address. As always, I welcome your thoughts, suggestions and comments.
Sincerely,
Marc Elrich Councilmember At-Large
By a vote of 8-1, the County Council recently passed the Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan that will guide commercial and residential redevelopment there over the next two decades. Although I support some redevelopment, I was the only councilmember to vote against the plan because my colleagues were unwilling to establish ties between development and the infrastructure they say we need in order to make this plan work.
I attended and participated in all of the committee and Council meetings, hoping to encourage the adoption of a plan that would not only drive future development in the right direction but also maintain the quality of life for Bethesda’s outstanding residential neighborhoods. In the end, I decided the problems with the plan far outweighed the benefits.
For many years, our master plan process was based on achieving a balance between growth and infrastructure. Now, the ‘new normal’ is to provide density and hope that everything else works out. The Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan is a case in point. It is a one-sided deal with developers, providing no certainty that it will address traffic congestion or school overcrowding, nor will it actually provide the amenities promised to the community in exchange for the increased densities. I believe critical zoning decisions must be accompanied by equally critical decisions about infrastructure.
We could have addressed these problems by implementing a “staging” plan, one that would require that adequate infrastructure come with or before new development. Staging is essential to addressing – in a timely manner - the ever-increasing congestion on the roads and in the schools. But a majority of my Council colleagues declined to support staging – and that was central to my decision to vote against the plan.
The Bethesda plan provides developers with density on a first-come, first-served basis, allowing for the real possibility that development will be scattered throughout a large area, too close to residential areas, rather than planned to create a vibrant core. Additionally, the plan’s “near agnosticism” about whether short-term market forces will lead developers to favor new housing over commercial space is problematic. This should matter - we are giving no guidance as to where residential and commercial uses should locate, even though Smart Growth research points to the need for commercial activity to locate nearest to the core. Despite the fact that Bethesda is rightly regarded as the economic engine of Montgomery County, the plan seems not to care about whether Bethesda will be a bedroom community or job center.
Although the plan envisions new parks, actual creation of those parks is uncertain at best. In fact, I was recently reminded that the last master plan – adopted in 1994 – promised new parks and pedestrian and bike paths that never materialized. And now we have a new round of promises, with no guarantees.
While I was pleased that the heights along the edges of the plan were lowered, and that modest efforts were made to increase affordable housing, it was not enough to justify support for the plan. Overall, the plan has no transportation solution, no guaranteed amenities and no binding connection between increased density and the infrastructure necessary to support it. We could and should have taken the time to plan correctly.
And now even the lowered heights along the edges seem to be at risk. The PHED Committee’s discussion of ZTA 16-20, an overlay zone that will implement the Council’s recommendations in the Plan, revealed support for giving away more height along the edges in exchange for small increases in the number of moderately priced dwelling units (MPDUs). I plan to raise this issue when the full Council discusses this on Tuesday, July 11th.
If you are interested in reading more about the Bethesda plan, you can view the Planning Board draft here.
Click here to view the Council’s resolution amending the Planning Board draft.
To read about the Bethesda Overlay Zone, see the Council’s staff packets here from the two PHED Committee worksessions on June 15, 2017 and June 26, 2017.
Many of us know that climate change is real and that we must take steps to address it. With that understanding, the Council recently passed a resolution (Resolution 18-804) urging the County’s Board of Investment Trustees to minimize their investments in companies with the largest fossil fuel reserves as quickly as possible. The Resolution passed the Council 8-1 with Councilmember Nancy Floreen voting no. While a resolution is non-binding, it is a clear statement to the Board; it also requests annual reports and focuses attention on steps toward divestment.
Initially, I had supported a bill (Bill 44-16) that would have required the Board to divest of the Carbon Underground 200 stocks but only two other Councilmembers besides me supported the effort. (We would have needed six Councilmembers to support the bill to override a likely veto from the County Executive.). I understood the concern that the pension funds were part of the compensation of former employees - ultimately, it was their money and they were concerned that large policy concerns could hurt their retirement funds. While I continue to believe that divestment - when done thoughtfully - does not hurt investment returns, our bill was not going to get enough support to pass and so we turned to a resolution. A resolution can be an important impetus. In fact, the DC Retirement Board sold all of its directly held Carbon Underground 200 stocks (the 200 publicly traded energy companies with the greatest reserves of coal, oil and gas) in response to a DC Council resolution so I’m hopeful we will divest expeditiously.
Divestment of fossil fuels at the local level is important for substantive and ethical reasons. Local governments are often the source of legislative leadership and innovation. The action we’ve taken may help to propel momentum around the country and generate support for cleaner, alternative forms of energy. With the leadership of the national group 350.org, universities, local governments, investment funds, religious institutions and other organizations have already or are in the process of divesting. The Montgomery County 350.org chapter has been tireless in their advocacy for our county to show similar leadership and courage. (You can check out their website 350moco.org and find a wealth of information there.) This effort has been supported by the employees’ union (UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO) as well as many of the County’s retired employees. And I am convinced that there are alternate investment options that can bring comparable returns while also sending the right message that it is time - past time - for us to help move this country away from fossil fuels and toward energy conservation and better energy sources.
The resolution’s first step is a report within six months on the actions of the Board toward these goals. Please know that I will continue to advocate for and support efforts to insure that the Council actively monitors the actions of the investment board. We have to do our part to combat climate change.
Did you know that play surfaces (both playgrounds and artificial turf fields) that are made using tire waste products get much hotter than grass, wood chips and other surfaces? In the summer, when it is particularly hot, these surfaces can get up to 55 degrees higher than grass. Mount Sinai’s Children’s Environmental Health Center advises people to avoid using these surfaces on very hot days. You can read the CEHC’s Consumer Guide to Artificial Turf.
Included here are photos were taken May 18, 2017 at a playground whose surface is made from tire-waste products, located behind Piney Branch Elementary School in Takoma Park. The ambient air temperature was 88F and readings were taken on the playground next to a children’s slide, then over real grass directly adjacent to the playground, and finally a few feet further away from the playground over a patch of real grass.
128F temperature next to a slide on a playground surface made of tire-waste products.
Temperature readings were taken May 18, 2017 at a playground whose surface is made from tire-waste products, located behind Piney Branch Elementary School in Takoma Park. The ambient air temperature was 88F and readings were taken on the playground next to slide, then over real grass directly adjacent to the playground, and finally a few feet further away from the playground over a patch of real grass. The grass temperature immediately adjacent to the playground ranged from 88 to 93F. The grass temperature a few feet from the playground ranged from 75 to 76F. The playground surface (made from tire-waste products) had a temperature that ranged from 123 to 128F.
88F temperature in grass directly adjacent to the same play surface.
The Maryland Department of Commerce approved the Burtonsville/Briggs Chaney area as one of five new “Enterprise Zones” in the State. The new zone encompasses 230 acres along U.S. 29, including the mostly vacant Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center, the Burtonsville Town Square, and the Briggs Chaney Market Plaza. This designation is viewed as a key part of the much-needed economic revitalization of the area, providing tax credits to businesses that create jobs and make capital investments. In addition, the County government plans to make large-scale investments in bus rapid transit for the area as well as redevelopment of the Burtonsville Park & Ride lot. Securing the Enterprise Zone designation is a great example of effective advocacy on the part of District 5 County Councilmember Tom Hucker, and the District 14 State Delegation. Thanks to all who made this happen!
On July 5th I was pleased to join the County Executive, General Services Director David Dise, Department of Correction and Rehabilitation Director Robert Green, and colleagues at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, where we gathered to celebrate installation of the largest solar project at a County facility. Striving to achieve energy independence and reduce our carbon footprint through use of renewable energy sources is something we as a county need to do. We need to walk the talk on global climate change, and this installation gets us closer to achieving our goals of energy independence.
The new solar array will generate 3.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year, enough to provide more than 60 percent of the electricity used by the facility. County Executive Leggett and Department of General Services crafted a public-private partnership that allows the county to add solar to facilities with no upfront costs to the County. The result is expected to create $15 million in savings on electrical bills over the next 20 years.
As a longtime proponent of microgrid systems I am very pleased to see that the County will achieve even greater independence from the power grid by implementing microgrid projects at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility and Public Safety Headquarters. Microgrids use onsite solar power, powerful batteries and generators to supply uninterrupted power, even during major weather events, which increases reliability for critical services and takes stress off of the larger power grid during taxing weather emergencies. We must continue to move forward on climate change locally. It is the right thing to do for the planet, it increases reliability, and it makes good economic sense.
Councilmember Elrich and County Executive Ike Leggett
Summer is a wonderful time to enjoy being with friends and family, but it’s also a dangerous time to be on the roads. More people are traveling on our roadways, and sadly many of them do so while impaired, putting themselves and other residents at risk. It’s estimated that about one third of all traffic fatalities involve an impaired driver. We don’t want you to become one of the awful statistics we discuss this time each year.
Just before the July Fourth holiday the Montgomery County Police Department and the Department of Liquor Control launched a new anti-drunk-driving campaign for the summer. The campaign is designed to encourage community members and retail establishments in the community to do what they can to limit alcohol over-consumption and over-service. Police officers will also set up checkpoints, conduct extra patrols in areas with frequent drinking-related incidents, and work to prevent minors from drinking.
Additionally, the “I Take It Personally” campaign includes a partnership with local transportation services, Dryver and Lyft, to provide reduced-cost safe rides for the rest of the summer, via smart phone mobile apps using the code MOCODLC.
Please take the time to make a plan, designate a driver and, if you’ll be drinking, arrange another way to get home safely. As Montgomery County Police Captain Thomas Didone said at the event, “If you don’t have a plan for a safe ride home, we do! And every officer involved in alcohol enforcement takes that responsibility personally.”
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service and Fire Chief Scott Goldstein have kicked off their annual “Summer of Safety” campaign with the goal of keeping residents, friends, and family safe this summer. Two particular hazards of note are the increased danger posed by fires originating on the outside of our homes, and water safety, especially for young children.
Summer can pose an increased hazard from fires originating outside our homes from grills, fire pits, and cigarettes, threatening your home and family. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), about 1,500 structure fires and 4,200 outdoor fires are caused each year by gas and charcoal grills, resulting in over $29.8 million worth of property loss. Additionally, warm weather invites us outside with friends around fire pits or, for some, to step outside for a smoke.
Improperly located grills, the disposal of ashes from fires, and cigarette butts can all easily ignite dried vegetation and mulch, often smoldering for a time before fully igniting, then spreading to the vinyl siding so common on the exteriors of homes these days. Those fires pose a particular risk because they may spread rapidly and far up the house and into the roof space before ever reaching the interior and triggering smoke detectors inside the home. By then, exits could already be blocked by exterior flames, making evacuation more challenging.
But there are simple things we can do to keep ourselves and our families safe from this hazard during the summer.
The hot weather drives many of us to the local pool or the beach, which is a great way to beat the heat and spend time together. But Montgomery County Fire and Rescue reminds us that drowning is the second leading killer of children ages 14 and under. Please take a moment to review their tips to ensure safety around the water below (with more details here, and consider visiting their website for more details on safety for families with children.
Often it may feel that our county government is a large, bureaucratic entity that makes decisions that impact our lives without residents’ involvement. But you are the government, and I am here to be your advocate. County government affects our lives in many ways, from the roads and buses we use each day to our children’s schools, our local parks, and our taxes. If you have an issue, concern or suggestion, please take a moment to let me know, and I will do my best to serve you. My staff and I look forward to hearing from you.
Dale Tibbitts is my Chief of Staff and handles the budget, rapid transit and environmental issues, as well as happenings Up-County; Tiffany Ward focuses on Health and Human Services and Education Committee issues, as well as Mid-County; Mara Parker follows the Public Safety Committee and the East County and also handles my schedule; Debbie Spielberg focuses on transportation, environmental issues and landlord/tenant issues, Silver Spring and Western Montgomery County; Claire Iseli handles planning, land use, environmental and zoning issues. Please don’t hesitate to contact our offices at 240.777.7966 or via email at councilmember.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov.
Marc Elrich, Councilmember At-Large 100 Maryland Avenue, Sixth Floor Rockville, MD 20850 Phone: (240) 777-7966 councilmember.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov