Monday, September 26, 2016

just call me a YIMBY! (guest post by susan buchanan)

Lyttonsville is one of Silver Spring's oldest neighborhoods, but Montgomery County is considering a plan that calls its future into question. Last week, we heard from resident Abe Saffer about his concerns with the plan. In response, neighbor Susan Buchanan tells us why she supports new development in Lyttonsville. We happily accept guest posts, and if you've got something to say, send an email to just up the pike at gmail dot com.

My neighbor Abe Saffer expertly captured the concern of some Lyttonsville residents about the prospect of redevelopment and urban growth here with the coming Purple Line. The allowance of 2,500 new families in Lyttonsville over the next 20 years seems alarming. It’s difficult to comprehend how that many more people can fit here with the current design and use of the community. For this reason, I once agreed with Abe and others in calling for a cap of 400 new homes in the Greater Lyttonsville Sector Plan.

But that was before the developer, EYA, entered the picture in recent months with interest in redeveloping portions of Lyttonsville and investing in much-needed infrastructure here.

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Lyttonsville's main street, Brookville Road. Photo by Thomas J. Leonard on Flickr.
EYA’s inspiring proposal demonstrates how growth can be accomplished through a comprehensive plan to modernize Lyttonsville while improving quality of life for the residents. The EYA vision, along with the potential $500 million of investment the master plan would bring to the area, have flipped me from a NIMBY to a YIMBY.

Or rather, an enthusiastic Y!IMBY! (Yes! In my backyard!)

Friday, September 23, 2016

scarred by urban renewal, lyttonsville could get a second chance

Silver Spring's Lyttonsville neighborhood has a rich history, but urban renewal nearly destroyed it. With the Purple Line coming, this historically-black community could get a second chance, but not everybody looks forward to it.

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Urban renewal nearly destroyed Lyttonsville in the 1970s. Photo by Alan Bowser.

Located west of the Red Line tracks from downtown Silver Spring, Lyttonsville is one of Montgomery County's oldest neighborhoods, founded in 1853 by freed slave Samuel Lytton. The area could soon be home to a Purple Line station if the light-rail line between Bethesda and New Carrollton opens as scheduled in 2022.

Over the past two years, Montgomery County planners crafted a vision for a small town center around the future Lyttonsville station, bringing affordable housing and retail options the community lacks. Some residents are deeply skeptical of what's called the Greater Lyttonsville Sector Plan, though it could restore the town center Lyttonsville lost long ago.


confessions of a NIMBY (guest post by abe saffer)

Lyttonsville is one of Silver Spring's oldest neighborhoods, but a new plan from Montgomery County calls its future into question. Check out this guest post from local resident and friend of JUTP Abe Saffer. We happily accept guest posts, and if you've got something to say, send an email to just up the pike at gmail dot com.

I have a confession; I am a NIMBY. The term sounds like a mix between a character on a show for children and some incurable disease. In reality, it’s an acronym, standing for Not In My Back Yard. It’s shorthand to describe someone who objects to any project that, while the larger community wants or needs it, could have personally negative repercussions for that person. These negative repercussions include everything from being unsightly, dangerous, or likely to lower property values.

That description fits me exactly.

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Affordable apartments in Lyttonsville today. All photos by Thomas J. Leonard on Flickr.

Former Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neil liked to say, “all politics is local,” now one of the most used political clichés. Former-President Ronald Reagan asked the now famous question at a 1980 debate, “are you better off now than you were four years ago?” Both are another way of asking the status of your backyard. As a NIMBY, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this frame of reference when I consider for whom to cast my vote in any election, for any level of government.

I am a strong advocate for increased affordable housing, increased public transportation, and increased opportunity for people to live in my beloved community. However, because I wear the NIMBY label with pride, I can voice my serious reservations about the Lyttonsville sector plan currently under consideration by the Montgomery County Council. The plan covers an area including the Summit Hills apartment complex, the Rosemary Hills neighborhood, and two planned Purple Line stations. At its heart sits the Coffield Community Center.

As I have admitted, I am a NIMBY. Historically, policy makers find it easier to dismiss the concerns of people like me. They say their focus is on the “greater good.” However, to ignore the concerns of my neighbors and I is shortsighted. The residents shared proposals, both self-serving proposals as well as selfless, with County employees at multiple working sessions. and public hearings. The proposals would allow Lyttonsville to grow in a reasonable and responsible way, while maintaining its unique character.

Since its creation in 1853 by a freed slave for other free slaves, Lyttonsville has become incredibly diverse. It has a history of residents tackling challenges together, as a community. It took until the late 1960s and early 1970s, after years of citizen lobbying, that the community got running water, and paved roads. During the Purple Line’s initial planning, the massive rail yard and maintenance shop’s location was Lyttonsville. Yet again, unified community lobbying achieved the relocation of the maintenance shop to Prince George’s County, but the train storage yard will remain.

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Lyttonsville's main street, Brookville Road, was replaced by an industrial park in the 1970s.
However, the planning board feels they can put the added density in Lyttonsville, because while it's a smaller area, it has room for growth and has historically not had as much political power. I just feel they are packing density in Lyttonsville and not really doing it in a responsible way.

However, as has seemingly been the historical trend, the solution has a vastly disproportionate effect on the greater Lyttonsville area. The current proposal is to increase the number of households from 780 to 3500. As anyone who has visited the area, it’s hard to see how the community could withstand the massive influx of new residents. This is what worries me about the proposed density increases in the latest sector plan draft.

However, the community used their knowledge of the area, and the Westbard sector plan as a guide on how much of an increase to expect and accept. While Westbard is larger in area, the proposed density increase was less than in the Lyttonsville sector plan. Ultimately, the County Council approved just half the density of Westbard.

Even though I am a NIMBY, I understand the need to keep focus on the greater good. This ensures that some communities will face added inconvenience by civic projects from time to time. I believe I share this understanding with my neighbors. In a recent community meeting, residents did agree density would, and should increase.

I see the intention of this plan. While the number of people who want to live inside the beltway in Montgomery County increases, the land area is constant. Therefore, density must increase. I like that the plan wants to add a little retail, and they want to highlight the history of Lyttonsville.

If EYA can execute its plan, there are more upsides, but since they don't have any letters of intent or partnerships firmly in place, I remain nervous.

The focus of my testimony to the Planning Board was this community is a model for diversity. Lyttonsville should be a point of pride for Montgomery County. Sadly the County’s actions have shown it does not share this view. Given the dramatic density increase proposal, it forces consideration of an important question for a majority-minority community; does the county assume they can saddle Lyttonsville with a disproportionately greater amount of inconvenience compared with other areas?

Though, I’m a NIMBY, so what do I know?

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

silver spring doesn't have actual boundaries, so we asked people where they are

As an unincorporated place, Silver Spring's boundaries aren't really defined. So I asked people what their Silver Spring looks like.

What Silver Spring residents say are Silver Spring's boundaries. The darker green areas are where people agree. Image by Christy Batta.

Thursday, September 8, 2016

seeking cheaper space and new audiences, DC artists head to maryland and virginia

Rockville might seem like an unlikely place for a queer punk show. But for artist and curator Eames Armstrong, hosting a show is a way to connect to local kids who need creative outlets. It's also a sign of how DC's art and music scenes are expanding into Maryland and Virginia.

Evening in Rockville Town Square, July 2013
A not-so-unlikely place for a punk show. Photo by the author.

From Wednesday until October 16, Armstrong will present Noise Body Music, an exhibition of queer and gender non-conforming visual artists and musicians, at VisArts, a non-profit arts center in Rockville Town Square. Next Friday, September 16, there will be a free concert in collaboration with electronic music promoters Select DC featuring musicians from around DC and the nation. The show features what Armstrong calls a "really huge range of sounds," from the "queercore punk" of DC's Homosuperior to Fire-Toolz, a Chicago band they describe as "20 different genres put together." (A closing concert October 16 will bring in Scottish artist FK Alexander.)