SILVER SPRING, MD – In keeping with
Montgomery County’s General Plan that concentrates growth along major
transportation routes, the Planning Board has recommended approval of two
comprehensive projects that detail ways to revitalize Twinbrook and link the
communities along I-270 that stretch from Bethesda to Clarksburg.
Early this week, the Planning Board will transmit
the two projects – the Twinbrook Sector Plan and the MD 355/I-270 Corridor
Study – to the County Council for consideration and potential
approval.
The Twinbrook Sector Plan envisions new housing,
retail and offices in a unified, walkable neighborhood located near Metro’s Red
Line. One of the few communities in the county to contain light industrial
businesses, Twinbrook would create an entrepreneurial area for existing and
potential new companies and better integrate them with housing and retail.
When the plan is approved by the County Council and
local officials enact zoning changes envisioned in the plan, Twinbrook will have
the tools to take on a new look. As redevelopment progresses, the community
will become more urban, with high-quality public spaces, pedestrian-friendly
street crossings and trail connections to Metro, urban parks and other open
spaces.
View the Planning Board’s version of the Twinbrook Sector Plan.
The MD 355/I-270 Corridor Study approved Thursday by
the Planning Board looks more broadly at Montgomery County’s most-traveled
corridor. The project identifies strategies to unify and improve the 27-mile swath
connecting Bethesda to Clarksburg.
Through a coordinated approach, the Planning Board hopes
community centers along its path – Bethesda, White Flint, Twinbrook, Rockville,
Gaithersburg, Germantown and Clarksburg – will see new jobs and a mix of
housing types thanks to their proximity to Metro’s Red Line or the proposed
Corridor Cities Transitway rapid bus or light rail system. The study also
emphasizes ways to promote environmental conservation as well as new arts and
entertainment venues.
The study recommends clustering technology
industries to attract experts, increasing mobility along the corridor by
putting people closer to Metro, train, and interconnected bike trails, and
improving the look of MD 355 (Rockville Pike).
The study sets the stage for master plans in
progress for many of those communities. Each master plan forecasts
approximately 15 years of land use and other improvements in a more detailed
look at each community.
View the corridor study.