Board of Managers Meeting: Monday, September 12, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Hall

Fall 2016 Paper Shredding: Saturday, September 10, 2016 at James Hubert Blake High School

The Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste Services' next confidential paper shredding/recycling and clothing/household item reuse collection event is this Saturday, September 10, 2016.

This event is free of charge and open to all Montgomery County residents. No businesses, please. There is a limit of 5 small cardboard boxes or paper bags of confidential paper for shredding per vehicle.

It will be canceled for inclement weather.
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Saturday, September 10, 2016
Event time: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm; all cars must be in line by 2:00 pm
James Hubert Blake High School
300 Norwood Road
Silver Spring, Maryland 20905

All paper will be shredded on-site. This is a drive-through event, and we ask you to stay in your vehicle. For everyone’s safety, you will not be able to watch your paper being shredded.

Acceptable paper types for shredding include:

• Personal confidential paper such as financial and legal documents, receipts, and tax and medical records
• Papers with staples or paper clips
• Envelopes with plastic windows

• Electronic items or multi media materials (DVDs, CDs, tapes, hard drives, or computer disks)
• Batteries, flammables, combustibles, binders, or hanging files
• Plastic bags or credit cards

Acceptable clothing/household item donation details for September 10 event
Services provided by, and partners in this event are, Office Paper Systems and National Children’s Center, Inc.

Other Fall 2016 dates have not yet been announced. Please click here for more information.

Fall 2016 Class Schedule Now Available

The Chevy Chase Village Fall 2016 class schedule and registration information is now available on the Village website. Please click here to view the listing of classes and registration form.

Little Lending Library Needs Children's Books

The Little Lending Libraries at the Village Hall are coming up on their one year anniversary and we are so pleased to have this great program here in our community. The concept behind these libraries is a book-sharing honor system in which neighbors take and leave books of interest for one another.

Unfortunately, the large supply of children’s books that once graced our libraries have been depleted. If you have taken a children’s book from the libraries, we remind you to return them once your little readers have finished enjoying them or leave others in their place. We want all children in the community to be able to walk or bike up to the Hall to check out a new book to enjoy, but our lending libraries will only work if we all agree to take AND leave a book for the next family to enjoy.

We are always looking for donations, so please feel free to donate a book or two today!

The Week Ahead: September 11-17

• 7:30 p.m. Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers will be holding its monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. in Humphrey Hall. All residents are welcome to attend.

• 11:00-1:00 p.m.: Pianist Ann Joseph will present Chevy Chase @ Home’s first musical program (on our newly donated piano) - an “Interlude with Gershwin”. Come and enjoy great music and also Ann’s commentary on the music and life of Gershwin.

Community Invited to Second Meeting on Airbnb's on September 19 at the Planning Department

The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is holding a public meeting on Monday, September 19 from 7 to 9 p.m. at its headquarters (8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD) to answer questions and solicit feedback related to the regulation of online-advertised, short-term home rentals, such as Airbnb.

At the meeting, planning staff will provide information on short-term rental regulations currently in place in other jurisdictions around the country. Representatives from the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services, County Department of Health and Human Services and County Department of Housing and Community Affairs will be in attendance to answer questions pertaining to this use.

This second meeting is a follow-up to the July 18 community meeting where more than 60 attendees listened to presentations by industry representatives and offered feedback on issues ranging from existing illegal short-term residential rentals to the benefits of allowing this type of use in the County. Of particular concern was the possible impact of short-term residential rentals on residential neighborhoods.

Learn more about short-term residential rentals.

What is a short-term residential rental?

Online services, such as Airbnb, Flipkey, HomeAway and VRBO, connect homeowners and property managers with travelers who seek the amenities of a home for a short-term rental stay. Currently, a short-term residential rental (less than a month, typical of companies like Airbnb) is not allowed in Montgomery County unless the property has been approved for use as a bed and breakfast. However, the County allows a homeowner to rent out a home, or part of a home, for 30 days or longer.

What type of laws are being proposed to regulate short-term rentals?

The County Council is considering expanding the opportunities for short-term tenancy so homeowners can participate in the sharing economy. The Council introduced legislation (ZTA 16-03) in February 2016 to relax the requirements on short-term rentals. As proposed, this new law would allow Airbnb or other, similar short-term residential rentals, but with some limitations. ZTA 16-03 was introduced in conjunction with Bill 2-16, which would update the licensing requirements for all transient housing, including a bed and breakfast.

After holding a public hearing on ZTA 16-03 and Bill 2-16, the County Council requested that the Planning Department reach out to County residents and stakeholders to seek their input regarding the regulation of short-term residential rentals. As part of this effort, staff will study regulations adopted by other jurisdictions locally and nationally that may be helpful in crafting new legislation in Montgomery County.

Once planners have gathered additional information on the topic and received feedback from the public, they will present recommendations to the Planning Board and County Council.

Please click here for additional information.

September is National Emergency Preparedness Month: Are you Prepared?

1. Stay Informed: Know what kind of hazards you’re susceptible to, and how to get information about emergencies that are occurring in your area. Montgomery County offers Alert Montgomery emergency messaging, which sends emails and texts to your cell phone so that you can be informed about severe weather, traffic disruptions, power outages, and floods, among other events.
2. Make a plan: Take some time to figure out how you are going to reach your family in times of disaster. Do you have an in-town contact, as well as an out-of-town contact? This is important because it may be easier to reach someone out of town during an emergency because of overloaded phone lines in the affected area. Also have two places to meet your family and loved ones in case you need to evacuate. One outside your home in a safe location, and one outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home. Be sure your plan has considerations for children, older adults, pets, and those with access and functional needs, if needed.
3. Make a Kit: Think about what you’ll need for basic survival, and make an emergency supply kit to have readily available in case you need to evacuate or shelter in place. Items that should be in your kit include: water, batteries, flashlight, food, clothes and shoes, can opener, hygiene products, medication, and others.
4.  Get Involved: Finally, help others to be prepared, once you have your items and plan ready. Contact older relatives, neighbors, and friends to assist them in getting prepared, and also check on them after an event. Support neighborhood associations that are involved in emergency response, or better yet, join an emergency volunteer association, or get training on CPR and first aid.