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Montgomery County planners are taking a renewed look at revitalizing Glenmont, a largely residential neighborhood whose major commercial development is a shopping center at the corner of Randolph Road and Georgia Avenue. The Montgomery County Planning Board is scheduled to begin discussions on development in the area at its Thursday meeting. Officials have proposed high-density commercial and residential development around the Glenmont Metro station that would create a more pedestrian-friendly environment.
The area could benefit from a town center, said Councilwoman Valerie Ervin, D-Silver Spring.
Many of the younger residents want bars, restaurants and retail, said Michael Brown, senior planner for the Montgomery County Planning Department. “They’re very, very unhappy with the lack of development and the loss of opportunity at the Glenmont Shopping Center.”
For some residents, new development would be a welcome change.
A more walkable environment and mixed-use properties around the Metro station would be good, as long as there is a “buffer zone” between the denser developments and the existing houses, said Amanda Bernhardt, president of the Greater Glenmont Civic Association. “A town center would be lovely … maybe some stores with a little green space and a couple of benches where people can take their dogs.”
The biggest priority should be cleaning up the Glenmont Shopping Center at the corner of Randolph Road and Georgia Avenue, Bernhardt said, calling the center “an eyesore.”
But to change the center, all 13 property owners must be in agreement, which has not happened in the more than 30 years that residents have clamored for changes, said Dick Kauffanger, who has been involved in several area civic associations and numerous land-use discussions during his 33 years in Glenmont.
Some residents worry about building new developments and bringing more pedestrians and cars before Glenmont’s roads can handle them.
“It’s a great idea to have high-density [development] close to the Metro. The question is what are they going to do with the traffic?” said David Shaw, a board member at the Tivoli Homeowners Association.
The ongoing changes to the intersection at Randolph Road and Georgia Avenue — where ramps will be added and one road will go under the other — will make it less pedestrian-friendly than it is now, making a town center impossible, Kauffanger said.
In fact, Kauffanger said, many of the changes being discussed are unrealistic, which is why they were never made when the Planning Department released a 1997 plan for Glenmont. That plan also called for mixed-use property and a town center.
“We should execute on those visions of 15 years ago before we move forward with a new vision,” he said.
