Posts by Ben Ross — Contributor
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New Maryland toll lanes will lose money
New toll lanes that opened Saturday on I-95 promise to be a financial debacle for Maryland. In all probability, the tolls won’t bring in enough money to pay the extra cost of building toll lanes rather than widening the highway without tolls. Over the next six years, the state expects tolls to bring in about $5 million a year after subtracting the costs of toll collection. … Keep reading…
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Montgomery throws more money at unneeded parking
Montgomery County is about to spend tens of millions of dollars on a 395-space parking garage in Wheaton, even though more than 500 parking spaces sit empty in a Metro garage a block away. The new garage would sit northwest of the Metro station, beneath a mixed-use development that will house several county agencies along with retail stores and 200 apartments. The county will own… Keep reading…
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The Purple Line will likely beat ridership forecasts
Tucson’s new streetcar and the light rail between Minneapolis and St. Paul are beating ridership forecasts. It’s a good bet that the Purple Line, which will break ground next year, will do the same. What do they have in common? All run through the heart of major state universities. Keep reading…
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Many Silver Line riders make a long trek from Metro’s eastern branches
Fifteen percent of commuters who take Metro’s Silver Line to Tysons Corner or Wiehle Avenue come from east of the Anacostia River in DC or Prince George’s County. These long commutes result from a growth pattern that puts jobs in far-flung western suburbs and affordable housing in the east. They’re part of the price our region pays for sprawl. Data released… Keep reading…
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Dead ends: How zoning embalmed cities
Ben Ross has published a new book, Dead End: Suburban Sprawl and the Rebirth of American Urbanism. Greater Greater Washington will be reprinting a few excerpts from the book. In this one, he explains the history of zoning. Since the last years of the nineteenth century, covenants had been widely used to exclude undesirable people, buildings, and activities from new subdivisions. Keep reading…
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Bethesda’s planning survey loads the dice against urbanism
Planners drafting a master plan update for downtown Bethesda are running an online “visual preference” survey to get public input. But the choices they offer — and, even more, the questions they choose not to ask — tilt against the urban style of development that Montgomery County’s most successful downtown needs. Keep reading…
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Dead ends: Tenant activists against housing
Ben Ross has published a new book, Dead End: Suburban Sprawl and the Rebirth of American Urbanism. Greater Greater Washington will be reprinting a few excerpts from the book. Ward 3 Vision is organizing a talk with Ross on Thursday, June 12, 7 pm at the Tenley-Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Avenue NW. Then, have a drink with Ross, Ward 3 Vision members, and others at Public Tenley,… Keep reading…
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A pro-sprawl movement surfaces in Montgomery County
Do urban living arrangements have no place in Montgomery County? Should the county favor automobile travel to the over other forms of transportation? An influential group of local activists say so. At a zoning hearing three years ago, former councilmember Rose Crenca declared, “When did we vote to change SUBURBAN to URBAN? For those who prefer an urban environment,… Keep reading…
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Dead ends: Euphemisms hide our true feelings about growth
Ben Ross has published a new book, Dead End: Suburban Sprawl and the Rebirth of American Urbanism. Greater Greater Washington will be reprinting a few excerpts from the book. Vicky Hallett also discusses the book in today’s Express. Ross is giving a book talk on Tuesday, April 22nd, 5:30 pm at APTA headquarters, 1666 K Street NW. Afterward, GGW is cosponsoring a happy hour… Keep reading…
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Montgomery proposes bigger parking subsidies
While they say there’s not enough money to increase bus service, Montgomery County transportation officials propose to throw millions of taxpayer dollars at oversized parking garages. In White Flint, the county wants to use $21 million in proceeds from a land sale on a new parking garage. The garage would replace the parking lot at the Bethesda North Conference Center… Keep reading…