new set of case studies [PDF] highlights how important urban design, community connections, and transit access could ultimately be to the long-term success of a new Regional Medical Center in Prince George’s County. The hospital design examples are from leading national and international architectural firms, including AECOM, Cannon Designs, ZGF, and Smithgroup JJR. Local organizations the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Potomac Valley, Coalition for Smarter Growth, and Envision Prince George’s Community Action Team for Transit-Oriented Development compiled the examples to illustrate the benefits that innovative urban planning, connectivity, and accessibility to transit resources would add to the healthcare and economic opportunity that the new medical center represents for the county.
Category: Maryland
Public transportation use on the rise in D.C. region
More commuters are moving from roads to rails, according to new census data that show public transportation use up across the region. About 37.5 percent of D.C. residents use public transportation to get to work, compared with 42 percent who drive, according to the 2007-2011 average released by the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. In 1999, 33.2 percent took public transit and 49.4 percent drove. Montgomery and Arlington counties experienced similar jumps. The percentage of Montgomery residents taking public transit to work rose from 12.6 in 1999 to 15.2 in the latest census data, while Arlington residents went from 23.3 percent to 27.7 percent over the same time period. The largest percentage-point increase, however, was in Prince George’s County. While commuters there still largely favor the car — 76.7 percent drive to work — public transit rose to 17.6 percent from 11.9 percent in 1999.
Getting Transit-Oriented Development Right
On December 5, we gathered with the Envision Prince George’s Community Action Team for Transit-Oriented Development to learn from Stewart Schwartz, Chuck Boyd, and Shyam Kannan about best practices in getting TOD right in Prince George’s County and beyond.
P.G. lawmakers consider fast-tracking transit projects
A discussion on fostering development near Metro stations quickly turned into a pointed — and, officials hope, constructive — indictment of Prince George’s County’s planning and zoning process. The meeting was a response to a pair of bills that would have allowed developers to fast-track the development process for projects within a half-mile of Metro or Maryland Transit Authority stations. The bills were tabled after criticism that they would allow such projects to bypass public hearings. Many speakers said the public hearing process is not what slows projects down. Cheryl Cort, policy director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth, called the development process a “labyrinth.”
Testimony before Rockville City Planning Commission:Support for Site Plan Application STP 2012-00112, 1900 Chapman Ave
We are pleased to express our support for the 1900 Chapman Ave project which will replace the old Syms building and surface parking lot with two street-oriented moderate-density apartment buildings. These new homes will be within a few hundred feet of the Twinbrook Metro station. We commend this proposal as the kind of transit-oriented development this city and region needs to remain sustainable and competitive.
Public Hearing Testimony Regarding Montgomery County Bus Rapid Transit Proposal
In the last couple of years we have seen Montgomery County renewing its focus on transit and transit-oriented development (TOD) — first and foremost with the Purple Line, as well as the White Flint plan, CR Zone and now the Rapid Transit proposal in the list of important county initiatives.
Support of proposed ZTA revising the requirements for permitting accessory apartments
We strongly support the zoning text amendment proposal to revise and similify the requirements for permitting accessory dwellings. We commend the Planning Board for addressing some of the key problems within the current rules which are discouraging the creation of accessory apartments that are perfectly compatible with existing neighborhoods. We also commend the Board for recognizing the potential of accessory units as a key opportunity to address the county’s tremendous affordable housing shortfall.
Presentation to Montgomery County Council A Network of Livable Communities (full text of prepared remarks)
Of course Montgomery County had begun many years before to implement smart growth policies, earning a national reputation for its early planning initiatives including: wedges/corridors, Agricultural Reserve, TDR’s, downtown Bethesda, Kentlands/King Farm, and of course, MPDU’s
Letter Supporting CB-2 “Adequate Pedestrian and Bikeway Facilities” to Prince George’s Council
We would like to express our strong support for this important bill, CB-2, which we call the “walk/bike connections” bill. This bill helps ensure that Prince George’s residents and visitors have better and safer transportation choices. By allowing the Planning Board to ensure that developments fill in missing links of essential sidewalk and other walk/bike facilities around a new development, the quality of development, as well as safety and access, will be improved. Offering multimodal transportation choices has been the intention of the county for several years through the “Complete Streets” policy adopted in the 2009 County Master Plan for Transportation. This bill helps implement this policy.
Testimony on SB 971 – Maryland Transportation Financing and Infrastructure Investment Act of 2012
The groups listed above support a vibrant transportation fund, and we recognize that the current economic downturn has hit the transportation trust fund hard. However, we believe that transportation revenues should be increased only if every new dollar is invested more wisely.