After months of review, the Planning Department staff of Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) requested that Monument Realty make modifications to the Bloom Site Plan, which includes, among other things, the relocation of some homes in Area 1 along Montgomery Village Avenue and Area 2 along the proposed extension of Stewartown Road. Monument made these changes to address concerns that planning department staff had with regard to environmentally sensitive areas within the existing floodplain. The revised plan keeps the housing unit count at 489, most of which are townhouses at various widths.
In brief, M-NCPPC wanted to see the extension of Stewartown Road and homes along the road moved as far north as possible from the stream and the associated floodplain. More specifically, M-NCPPC requested that the homes closest to the floodplain be moved uphill and to the east, resulting in the changes illustrated in the site plan. The original site plan and revision are available online at www.montgomeryvillage.com.
The design of the extension of Stewartown Road has also been a major discussion point with the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (DOT). The master plan calls for a two-lane minor arterial, and a cross section detailing the design was included in the document. So far, DOT has objected to Monument Realty’s engineering of the proposed new roadway and has requested modifications to the design and its intersection with Watkins Mill Road.
Monument Realty continues to work diligently to address the request by the planning department staff, while maintaining design principles developed through the open community charrette process in 2013. Monument Realty is working with the planning department staff to keep the project moving forward to a hearing before the planning board, which is now anticipated to take place in November.