Woodmont Triangle, Bethesda, MD
This is how to grow an old urban area in a Smart Growth TOD (Transit Oriented Development) manner without destroying it at the same time.
In the age of virtual adjacency, the experience of place is the top priority. Unless we make “being there” worth the effort of “getting there”, it will die.
Sections 1 through 13 relate primarily to Fairmont Avenue in the Woodmont Triangle in Bethesda, MD as a specific example applying my creative thinking to solve this critically important problem. Sections 14 through 50 are the intellectual foundation supporting the vision / plan and governmental repair recommended in the fifth document below.
Section 28a sets out the big ideas on just one page. It took seven years of thinking to write it. Section 48a is the proposed new State Law — SRSOZ Maryland State Rail Station Overlay Zone. The proposed SRSOZ would make developing land within walking distance of rail stations so attractive, rational and efficient that green, smart growth would thrive.
There are four big ideas:
1) The ‘project’ is the neighborhood. Individual buildings are pieces of the larger jigsaw puzzle;
2) An elevator is a vertical metro-rail — neither makes sense without the other (i.e. land-use and transportation MUST be addressed together);
3) The public realm is the context within which the private sector exists. It is government’s job to address this in the most efficient (cost and time) manner possible (Montgomery County can do MUCH better than they have.) and
4) Almost every number in zoning is arbitrary — DO NOT give them divine significance. The land-use regulatory goal should be to maximize sources and destinations of pedestrians within walking distance of rail stations. This is a design issue, NOT rigid mathematical formulas.
Front Cover — philosophy / intent:000-peanuts-place-7725-ogr-einstein-twain.pdf
Rear Cover — map, Metro-rail and the Woodmont Triangle: 000 Project plan – aerial photo3
0-tbl-cont_25tab-wsga-7725.pdf *** please DOWNLOAD this Table of Contents for more detailed PDF descriptions***
0 WSGA award application-7725 (detailed data)
Government MUST fix these 6 items: 0-wsga-award-applic-7725-action-items.pdf
1a Urgent Plea to improve the Transfer of Density regulations prep for Marlene Michaelson (Council) & John Carter (m-ncppc)
1b urgent-plea-to-improve-the-transfer-of-density-regulations.pdf
3 Mal Rivkin, AICP to M-NCPPC Chairman Royce Hanson Individual buildings are NOT “the project”: the Woodmont Triangle is
4a Building Height Pros + Cons: narrative
4b Building Height Pros + Cons: numbers
5 numbers analysis: Density Transfer Council error Preserving and improving some existing buildings is critical
6a Public Cost of on-site Amenity is 4x private cost
6b Veterans Park should be the Town Square
6c Landow building and Veterans Park aerial
6d_Manayunk, Pa – model architecture for Veterans Park
7a Aerial photo: The “project” in virtual earth7b Plat image of Woodmont Triangle from M-NCPPC-7725.pdf
8 Massing model: multiple buildings “Average height” is 107 (8) Ave Height of 5 bldgs on Fairmont a2c
9 Photos & concept dwgs: Fairmont Avenue – Before and After “Petri dish”
11 Green Roof Facts – David Honza, Honza Group Incorporated
12a Architectural drawings: First floor without Garage entry
12b Architectural drawings: First floor with Garage entry
13 Architectural drawing: Typical office floor fronts on all 4 sides; windows for all (many can open!); balconies
14 Riding that train, Feeling much pain. Jen Chaney, Gazette
15 Party’s over in Montgomery Washington DC Examiner
16 County’s dirty little secret. Nancy Floreen, Gazette
17a A Public Arbiter of Good Design. R. Lewis, WPst, Shaping the City column 5jan08
17b R. Lewis Chicago Gets Design Gold Medal WPst 17oct09
17c R.Lewis Glass rules our cities WPst 14nov09
18 There’s nothing sacred about the building height limit. Roger Lewis, Washington Post, Shaping the City column 26May07
20 Reality Check: Future Growth Likely to Transcend Tabletop Solutions. Roger Lewis, Washington Post, Shaping the City column 19feb05
21 Virtual Adjacency and the Meaning of “Place.” Jay Hellman lecture Catholic University Law School: www.virtualadjacency.com for webcast and slides
22 Trend Summary+Hellman Transform CatholicUniv Mar08r
24 ULI Urban Land Institute article Telecommunities (May 2005)
26 Metro-rail is Regional NOT Local
27a Scarcest Resource in MoCo Land Use Policy
27b PrGeorge Delays METRO Green Blue Orange Lines WashBsnsJnl 26mar10
28a Walking Distance from rail is NOT a ‘number’
28b R.Lewis Encourage Walking by design of public realm and buildings WashPst 8may10
28c Inauguration Bound? Just walk, Metro Says (2 Miles!)
29a Fat in the USA BsnsWk Jul09
29b Obesity facts {Rails to Trails Gotschi}
29c-1 Sprawl and Public Health CDC Frumkin #117
29c-2 CDC Frumkin Healthy Communities, Green Communities pg 118-125 NBM book
29d PARADE Mag 10 Minutes to Better Health
30 ULI R.Rosan Land Use and Green
31a Dru Schmidt-Perkins 1000 Friends coop re-zone MD
31b JJH to Dru Schmidt-Perkins 1kFriends MD zoning
31c Dru Schmidt-Perkins 1000 Friends coop re-zone MD Nov09
32 R.Lewis Green House won’t solve Bad Regulation WashPost 2May09
33a Crashes vs Congestion AAA report Mart08 CvrPg-3
33b Crashes vs Congestion AAA report Mart08 Exec Sum
33c Auto Fatalities 8 cities Frumkin CDC slide 54
34a RealityCheckPlus-VisionMD-cover
34b RealityCheckPlus-VisionMD-pg 6,7
34c RealityCheckPlus-VisionMD-map LEGO chip stacks
34d Realty Check Plus-VisionMD Oct06
35a Where do we Grow from Here MD TF Report CvrPg
35b Where do we Grow from Here MD TF Report Members ltr fr Chairman
35c Where do we Grow from Here MD TF Report TblCont ExecSum
36a Doug Duncan talks Development WBJ
36b Doug DuncanOpEd Govt Failure WashPst 15feb09 jjh
37 R.Lewis Gov’t Job Plan+Public Realm WashPost 28feb09
38 R.Lewis Economic Downturn help Smart Growth
39a R.Lewis Affordable Hsng WashPost 16feb08
39b R.Lewis High Price Hsng Sprawl WashPost 14mayo5
39c R.Lewis Affordable Hsng Needs Gov $
39d S.Fuller Wash Region Housing Problem WPst
40a Carbon Neutral bike_walk Gotschi Nov09
40b CO2-emission-f(Ave-Speed) ULI bk
41a Hopkins RschCtr Sprawl WPst
41b Howard Univ BioTech Space campus in Pr George’s Cnty WPst
41c Reduce VMT Sustainably SRSOZ Howard U PG example
42a Garage Empty at Columbia Heights WPst
42b VMT-vs-Density-58cities ULI bk
43 Will That Road Make You Sick? WashPst 28sep09
44 Smart Growth Hurdles in Montgomery Co. WashPst 22oct09
45 Study says Smart Growth in MD is a Flop WashPost 2nov09
46 Digital Nomads Choose Tribe WashPost 26jul09
47a ULI Virtual Office (Hellman) article May96
47b Longest Ride in US WashPost 3feb09
48a SRSOZ State Rail Sta Overlay Zone (submitted to LegisSvcsAnnapolis)
48b Brookings Katz Overhaul State and Local Gov’t WallStJnl 16apr10
48c MD State PlanMaryland and SRSOZ Gazette 28apr10
49a SRSOZ Support to Del. Holmes fr Earl De Maris
