Posts tagged Tod
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Sprawl is the only option at the Planning Board
Montgomery County is barreling blindly down a path to create a huge new pocket of sprawl outside Gaithersburg. Dubbed “Science City,” the county envisions 20 million square feet of new biotechnology research and development on 900 acres near Rockville and Gaithersburg. However, as currently proposed, “Science City” is no city. The Board recently rejected… Keep reading…
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Dinner links: High-speed to stupid town
George Will hates Portland, facts; How about just old-speed rail?; Cops upset they can’t park illegally; DC Beltway neither skinny or obese; Mixed-use beats a dead mall; Third Church redevelopment economically uncertain; Jaywalker strikes speeding SUV. Keep reading…
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Morning links: A sometimes merry land
Support the Pike; From Secretary to Deputy Secretary; Wider, wider, wider; Planner argues stadium opponents missing the point; Crash means holes in the ground; Back in brick; Don’t drink and bike in Poland; Police fee? Streetlight fee? Why not a congestion fee?; The simple answer: Eliminate public transportation. Keep reading…
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Bye bye blank wall, hello parking lot, for now
A Baltimore Red Line news release touts the exciting news that Maryland will use stimulus money to demolish a portion of West Baltimore’s neighborhood-dividing “Highway to Nowhere”. In its place, leaders hope, will one day rise mixed-use development on this key transit node. In the meantime, though, the area will only get more parking. Keep reading…
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Designing for walkability in Fairfax and Loudoun
In a suburban context, developers tend to propose suburban designs for new development. Those designs separate buildings with large amounts of space, fill that space with empty lawns and plazas, and channel traffic to wide boulevards around the periphery of a site. These designs don’t lend themselves to walkable environments with lively ground level activity. Keep reading…
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Potomac Yard group debates Metro location and auto-oriented principles
Last night, Alexandria’s Potomac Yard Planning Advisory Group discussed the proposed infill Metrorail station at Potomac Yard. The station would anchor a large area of mixed-use development mostly between Jefferson Davis Highway and the GW Parkway. This land used to be filled with railyards, and is now mostly empty space with some big-box retail. The group is only starting… Keep reading…
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Thomas: Brooklanders support the Small Area Plan 50 to 1
According to a message on the Brookland email list, “Councilmember Thomas stated at a meeting on Wednesday that his mail is running 50 to 1 in favor of the Small Area Plan as submitted by Office of Planning.” While a vocal group of people vehemently oppose the plan on the neighborhood list, if that report is true, most residents of the area are enthusiastic about the opportunity… Keep reading…
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Why I support the Brookland Small Area Plan
Ryan, a Brookland resident, just sent this to the Brookland neighborhood list. It elaborates on many of the points in his petition calling on the DC Council to approve the plan. Fellow Brooklanders, For the past 18 months, the DC Office of Planning has worked with planners, business people, and residents of Brookland to put together a small area plan for the area around the… Keep reading…
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An even better Brookland
Take the Metro to U Street, Clarendon, or Bethesda, and you find yourself in the middle of a lively neighborhood. Public plazas, shops and housing fill the surrounding blocks. There’s a feeling of place. Keep reading…
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JHU Life Sciences Center: show me the transit!
Johns Hopkins University wants to expand and update its Shady Grove Life Sciences Center to meet the needs of the 21st Century. JHU owns the 100-acre Belward Farm in West Gaithersburg, and Montgomery County is developing a plan for the area. It aims to change the campus from its current form as a “sprawling, single-use, auto-oriented area” to a place that can be “more… Keep reading…