Seems like people need an Update on Montgomery County Development!! (Germantown: how much, neighborhoods)

[MDAllstar]

There seems to be a lot of negative posts about Montgomery County even though Montgomery County is absolutely booming. So, here is a run down of the different parts of the county that people seem to think are not changing for the better. The wind of Gentrification is sweeping this county and the so called bad element people keep referring to is about to be pushed out even further north or east out the county.

Wheaton
http://www.wheatonsnewdowntown.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ParkingLot131.jpg (broken link)





White Flint

Shopping Center with the Bally's Gym



Twin Brook


Twinbrook Sector Plan on Vimeo

Germantown Sector Plan



Gaithersburg

[Mr. Crisp]

NICE.

It seems like the entire DC area is going through development. Traffic is going to get very crazy... as if its not already.

[MDAllstar]

Originally Posted by Mr. Crisp

NICE.

It seems like the entire DC area is going through development. Traffic is going to get very crazy... as if its not already.

Actually, this type of development is designed to do the opposite. Sprawling development like we have now is the reason traffic is bad. This type of development is so people can live without cars. Take the train or BRT system to get to work. Walk to the Harris Teeter or Safeway at the corner underneath the high rise and do your shopping. Our suburbs are no longer suburbs. They are cities and the designs are reflecting that. The future is upon us and the suburbs of yesteryear will be reserved for exurbs like Frederick, Loudon, or Prince William Counties and West Virginia. The inner ring suburbs are becoming cities through and through. I think people need to think about how much the world has changed since 1950 so they can remember how much the world is about to continue to change again.

The area with the least amount of congestion in our area is actually Washington D.C. proper. Even though D.C. neighborhoods have about 8 times the density of most neighborhoods in the suburbs, it's still has less traffic. The suburbs are the areas with all the congestion in the D.C. area. Why? Well because they are car oriented. That is what is changing in these plans region wide. The car is taking a back seat in priority. White Flint already is putting in major parking restrictions. Limiting parking will force people to take mass transit.

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by MDAllstar

Actually, this type of development is designed to do the opposite. Sprawling development like we have now is the reason traffic is bad. This type of development is so people can live without cars. Take the train or BRT system to get to work. Walk to the Harris Teeter or Safeway at the corner underneath the high rise and do your shopping. Our suburbs are no longer suburbs. They are cities and the designs are reflecting that. The future is upon us and the suburbs of yesteryear will be reserved for exurbs like Frederick, Loudon, or Prince William Counties and West Virginia. The inner ring suburbs are becoming cities through and through. I think people need to think about how much the world has changed since 1950 so they can remember how much the world is about to continue to change again.

The area with the least amount of congestion in our area is actually Washington D.C. proper. Even though D.C. neighborhoods have about 8 times the density of most neighborhoods in the suburbs, it's still has less traffic. The suburbs are the areas with all the congestion in the D.C. area. Why? Well because they are car oriented. That is what is changing in these plans region wide. The car is taking a back seat in priority. White Flint already is putting in major parking restrictions. Limiting parking will force people to take mass transit.

I agree 100%.

[kcmo]

Nice post!

It also looks like the transitway along the 270 corridor is seeing some interest from the private sector to fund it sooner than waiting for the feds.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...90O_story.html

[PhenomenalAJ]

That plan for Wheaton looks insane. I've read quite a bit about it, its probably undergoing a greater transformation than anywhere in Montgomery County. There are really no high rise residential towers in all of Wheaton, University Towers is the closest but that is on the outer fringe of Wheaton really, not plop in the middle. Downtown Wheaton now is all a bunch of dumpy run down buildings and mostly Latino restaurants. It'd be quite a huge shock to see it all shiny and new with all those nice looking buildings. Traffic is not quite that bad yet in Wheaton compared to places like Rockville but I think it will be and the incoming Costco will be the icing on the cake.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by MDAllstar

The area with the least amount of congestion in our area is actually Washington D.C. proper. Even though D.C. neighborhoods have about 8 times the density of most neighborhoods in the suburbs, it's still has less traffic. The suburbs are the areas with all the congestion in the D.C. area. Why? Well because they are car oriented. That is what is changing in these plans region wide. The car is taking a back seat in priority. White Flint already is putting in major parking restrictions. Limiting parking will force people to take mass transit.

I sat in traffic on the Southeast/Southwest Freeway, and on South Capitol Street, on Friday, that makes 270 seem like an easy drive. It took an over an hour to get from Howard rd exit on 295 to the GW Parkway. It's not the only time this has happened either.

[MDAllstar]

Originally Posted by dkf747

I sat in traffic on the Southeast/Southwest Freeway, and on South Capitol Street, on Friday, that makes 270 seem like an easy drive. It took an over an hour to get from Howard rd exit on 295 to the GW Parkway. It's not the only time this has happened either.

The traffic we are referring to is neighborhood traffic. We aren't talking about highway traffic. There is no traffic on the street grids in DC. The only traffic is drivers from Maryland and Virginia clogging the highways and main arteries out of the city.

[Mr. Crisp]

Its like Montgomery county will eventually be one big city. 355 (Rockville Pike) will be like the Vegas strip surrounded by buildings and crowded sidewalks from Germantown to Chevy Chase. Especially from Gaithersburg to Bethesda.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by MDAllstar

The traffic we are referring to is neighborhood traffic. We aren't talking about highway traffic. There is no traffic on the street grids in DC. The only traffic is drivers from Maryland and Virginia clogging the highways and main arteries out of the city.

I definitely disagree. There's plenty of traffic on DC streets. Haven't you driven there lately? You won't see it out the train windows since it's underground.