RUSH TO JUDGEMENT ON WESTBARD SECTOR PLAN

The developer-supplied renderings remain on the official Westbard Sector Plan website, sending the wrong message about the planning process before it has even begun. As I reported last week, Montgomery County planners have placed luxury townhome renderings created by developer EYA on the Plan Westbard website and social media accounts. The problem? EYA is one of the development firms seeking to redevelop multiple properties along Westbard Avenue and Ridgefield Road, and its fortunes will be greatly determined by what the finished plan recommends. Furthermore, single-family homes - not townhomes - are the prevailing dwelling type in the neighborhoods surrounding the Westbard commercial/industrial area. No single-family home is pictured in the marketing outreach by the planning department. Yes, images and the messages they convey matter, as they are critical tools in shaping public opinion.

One message given is a sense of approval of this particular developer, and of this particular style of housing, by planners. Another is that the developer has an inside track with planners that actual residents do not enjoy. Accurate or not, those are impressions given by the online platforms.

This isn't the first "rush to judgement" in official public dialogue on the Westbard plan. The evening of a meeting held this spring by EYA development partner Equity One, a County Council staff member tweeted a favorable response to the announcement of the partnership:

Cindy Gibson, District 1 Councilmember Roger Berliner's chief of staff, wrote: "EYA will be partnering with Equity One on the Westbard Plan in Bethesda. Seems like a good choice for this project."

I don't believe that those tasked with representing the interests of residents - the Council has final say on both the sector plan, and any specific development projects - should be passing judgment, or expressing opinions, on what is a good or bad choice at this stage. In my opinion, EYA does a great job of matching townhome designs to their environment, and in not providing the same cookie-cutter results on every project. But the citizens had not, and still haven't - as of today - concluded that high-density multi-family housing developments are the right fit for the Westbard area. That is yet to be determined in the planning process.

High-density development is probably not going to be "a good choice" for a neighborhood whose elementary school is maxed out with students. Even after the new addition to Wood Acres ES next year, the school will still be slightly over capacity, and the building cannot be expanded any further on the site. High-density doesn't fit for an area not in walking distance to Metro, with limited bus service to boot. Then there is the traffic situation on River Road and Massachusetts Avenue, which are already overwhelmed by the existing population. Beyond that, the overwhelming character of the area is that of single-family, residential suburban neighborhoods. Westbard is not an urban area; it is a commercial/industrial center that serves the residential neighborhoods around it.

The messages sent by government officials should be emphasizing inclusion and fairness, and - barring some future decision by citizens - not bending the representative character of a neighborhood to fit a particular message, or designate a predetermined goal. First we have to set the goals.