As a Woodside resident, I’m not opposed to the development of the site. It’s a great opportunity for a non-profit agency to create an exemplary model that may influence commercial development.

However, I don’t like the current plan, where the Park & Planning agency is turning over most of the site to standard commercial development in turn for a ca. $70M dollar headquarters that has expanded to 170,000 s.f. since the first design in February.

And they’re not even getting maximum residential occupancy. The residential developer is Bozutto, which has given this area the hit-and-run 5-story apartment wall at the convergence of Viers Mill & Georgia. Anything over 5 stories requires steel framing, which decreases the per-unit profit. So these apartment/condos will be 5 stories.

At this point we have no opportunity to be heard or discuss options because Park & Planning, which is both the beneficiary and regulator, has turned down requests to work with a community advisory committee or independent, outside planning agency.

Editor’s note: Just an FYI … Some posts have been appearing as long paragraphs. I’ve been breaking them down into smaller, easier-on-the-eye paragraphs with line breaks. Unless noted, none of the content has been edited. Thanks! — JD (Jul 13, 2007)

This is an opportunity to show the rest of the county and region what a mixed-use development should look like. Since the Planning Department is initiating this project, it will be looked upon as an example for developments across the area. If they mess up and don’t include denser residential, office space, as well as retail, the department will probably be derided in the future for not taking their own advice and creating a smart, transit-oriented development in a dense urban area.

I have always been suspicious about the motives of Woodside residents. The exchange between Councilman Elrich and several posters in the Silver Spring Scene blog further supports my feeling that Woodside residents want to curb economic development and residential projects. There are some fairly influential people who live in the Woodside community and they have the ear of key Montgomery County officials. A luxury that Silver Spring residents in LESS prosperous neighborhoods can afford.

We need more housing in downtown Silver Spring: more condos, more rentals. A higher supply of housing in DTSS means more affordable living for middle class people. The Woodsiders are more inclined to fight such developments because of traffic concerns–quality of life concerns.

Build big tall residential building within walking distance to mass transit, and a larger percentage of the population is going to get to work using environmentally sustainable methods that take traffic OFF of the congested highways. Sure, some of those people will drive to work. But better they do it from downtown SS than from Columbia.

Restrictive “congestion” regulations and complaints should be banned from discussion of projects within 3/4 of a mile walking distance… 1 mile or so line of sight of any rail station, metro, marc or otherwise.

I love woodside, I do, it’s a beautiful neighborhood – but I can’t afford going-on 1mil for a home, and neither can a lot of other people. The more residential there is in walking distance of transit, the more people can afford to live in a sustainable manner.

That sight isn’t even within view of 95% of woodside, there’s MAYBE a dozen homes across spring street that will even be able to see it.