Update Regarding Revisions to the County’s Master Plan of Highways & Transitways

Proposed Reclassifications of Local Roadways

Village staff attended Wednesday evening’s public outreach meeting hosted by the Montgomery Planning Staff regarding the comprehensive re-write of the County’s Master Plan of Highways and Transitways.  The meeting was attended by approximately 30 citizens, approximately 10 of which were residents of the Village.  The Planning Staff’s presentation can be found at the following link by scrolling down to “Briefing Book”:
 
http://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/transportation/highway-planning/master-plan-of-highways-and-transitways/
 
As reported in last week’s blast email, the primary local roadway of concern under the proposed revisions is the proposed reclassification of Brookville Road from a “primary residential” roadway to a “minor arterial”.  Planning Staff reaffirmed that this proposed change was made to recognize the current use of Brookville Road which their analysis determined that over 50% of the vehicles are using the roadway as a through street.  A “minor arterial” is defined as “a two-lane arterial meant nearly equally for through movement of vehicles and access to abutting property”.
 
Although Wednesday’s meeting was intended to allow Planning Staff to report out on the proposed recommendations, the staff did accept comments and questions from the floor. Most of those in attendance commented regarding Brookville Road and urged that while the roadway may currently be operating as a “minor arterial” as that term is defined, the roadway was not intended or designed nor is it maintained as such. Rather, the roadway is viewed locally as a residential roadway that is being inundated with unintended and unsustainable traffic levels.  Additionally, many noted that a larger effort should be made to address why much of the traffic that is using Brookville Road as a bypass to Connecticut Avenue are doing so.  The backups at East West Highway and Connecticut Avenue was cited as a primary reason.
 
Planning Staff did confirm that the Master Plan of Highways & Transitways is not an operational document and does not dictate any prescribed changes that may be made to a roadway. Rather, the county’s Department of Transportation—and in the case of Brookville Road, the State Highway Administration—assess what changes may be needed for a particular roadway regardless of its classification under the Master Plan.  Nonetheless, the concern stated by those in attendance at the meeting as well as from residents who have contacted the Village office is that Brookville Road should not be reclassified and efforts should be made to help ease traffic along the roadway rather than classifying the current traffic levels as acceptable in the revised Master Plan.
 
Village Board Position
The Village Board is preparing a letter that will be sent to the Chair of the Planning Board urging that the “primary residential” classification for Brookville Road be maintained and urging the removal of Grafton Street from the plan’s scope as the roadway does not fall under county oversight or control (the Planning Staff has already acknowledged that Grafton Street was not intended to be added under this effort in the same way that all roadways within the corporate limits of the cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville were left out). 
 
Additional Public Outreach Meetings
There are three remaining Public Outreach Meetings being held across the county, including:
 

• October 10: Marilyn J. Praisner Library, Small Room, 14910 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville

 
Informational Website
Below is a link to the website that has been created regarding the proposed changes:
 
http://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/transportation/highway-planning/master-plan-of-highways-and-transitways/
 
How to Submit Comments
Comments are being accepted through October 27, 2017.  Residents can submit comments directly through the interactive map on the Montgomery Planning website at: http://www.mcatlas.org/mpohtcomments/ or by mail to:
 

Montgomery County Planning Board
c/o Mr. Casey Anderson, Board Chair
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910

 
The Planning Staff will present its recommendations to the Planning Board in November (date TBD).

Residents Cautioned NOT to Accept Offers for Painting House Numbers on the Village Curb

It has come to our attention that some residents have received solicitations from a private company offering to paint house numbers on the curb in front of the resident’s property. This is prohibited by the Chevy Chase Village Code of Ordinances. The issue has come up before; some of the solicitations even implied that painted house numbers on the curb are preferred or even required by emergency response teams. This is not accurate and is a misleading claim.
 
Again, the Chevy Chase Village Code prohibits the painting of house numbers or any other modification to the curb, which is located within the Village public right-of-way abutting their property. If you have any questions about this topic and/or to report specific solicitors of this service, please contact the Village’s Municipal Operations Coordinator, Ms. Ellen Sands.

Public Comments Sought Regarding Early Voting Sites

 
Per State law, which requires a bi-annual review of early voting sites, the Montgomery County Board of Elections is seeking residents’ comments on the list of early voting sites that will operate beginning with the 2018 elections.  Village residents may recall that our local early voting site at the Jane E. Lawton Community Center in the Town of Chevy Chase was a candidate for removal from the list in 2015, however, the Village and other neighboring communities weighed-in and were successful in our efforts securing the site for the 2016 presidential elections. 
 
The Montgomery County Board of Elections will take public comments on the proposed early voting sites and recommendations for new sites beginning at 10:00 a.m. on September 23 at the lobby auditorium of the Montgomery County Executive Office Building, located at 101 Monroe Street in Rockville.  Public comments will also be accepted at the Board of Elections offices located at 18753 North Frederick Avenue, Suite 210 in Gaithersburg during the Board’s meetings on September 18 and October 16.  Both meetings begin at 2:30 p.m. 
 
If residents would like to submit written comments including recommendations for additional sites, please do so by email to elections@montgomerycountymd.gov before October 14.  The final county-recommended sites will be submitted to the State Board of Elections for final approval.
 
For more information, including a listing of all proposed early voting sites, please visit:
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Elections/EarlyVoting/2015EarlyVotingfor2016/EarlyVotingSitesfor2018.htm

Are You Prepared?

As we saw last season during the record Blizzard of 2016 and as gear up for the upcoming winter season, the Village reminds residents that it is important to be prepared. In order the assist residents in their preparedness, the Village in partnership with the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS) offer a number of helpful tools, plans and free alerts to assist and keep you informed.

Village Website and Blast Email System – Have you signed up for the Village’s blast email system? This is primary electronic method of communication with you. The Village has 2 email lists you can sign-up for:

Urgent News Alert – include messages such as criminal activity, neighborhood disruptions such as water main breaks, power outages and road closures and major weather events.

General News Alerts – include messages about Board and committee meetings, community events, changes in public services such as refuse/recycling collection schedules and upcoming road closures.

To sign-up for the blast email system visit the Village website at www.chevychasevillagemd.gov and click on the tablet icon at the top of the Village’s homepage.
 

Alert Montgomery – Alert Montgomery is the office emergency communications service for Montgomery County, MD. During major crisis, emergency or severe weather events, Montgomery County officials will send event updates, warnings and instructions directly to you on any of your devices. To sign-up for Alert Montgomery please visit the OEMHS website www.montgomerycountymd.gov/oemhs and click on the “Alert Montgomery” link at the top of the page.

Family and Community Preparedness Information – Emergencies can take many form and occur with or without warning. By taking a few simple steps now, you can ensure that you, your family and your community are better prepared to handle emergencies. To assist in your family planning please visit the Village’s emergency preparedness page, www.chevychasevillagemd.gov/emergencyprep for helpful tools and links. Another important tool the Village has to assist you in your preparedness efforts is to always request a House Check when you are out town and ensure that your emergency contacts are up to date with the Village office.

For additional information please visit the Village’s website at www.chevychasevillagemd.gov and click on the “Are you prepared? – Emergency Preparedness Tips” link listed in the Quick Links on the homepage.

Emergency Contact Sheet

EMERGENCY - 911
 
Chevy Chase Village Police 
Non Emergency/24hrs - 301-654-7300

Montgomery County Police 
Non Emergency/24hrs - 301-279-8000

Bethesda - Chevy Chase Rescue Squad - 301-652-0077

Chevy Chase Fire Dept
(Opposite Columbia Country Club) - 240-773-4707

Bethesda Fire Dept
(Wisconsin Ave and Bradley Blvd) - 240-773-4706

National Capital Poison Center
(George Washington University Hospital) - 800-222-1222

Utilities
 

Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO)

Emergency-Live wires down, power failure - 877-737-2662

Customer Service - 202-833-7500

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission

Emergency - 301-206-4002

Complaints, Leaks, Information - 301-206-4001

Washington Gas

Emergency - 703-750-1400

Information & Customer Service - 703-750-1000

Comcast - 800-934-6489

Verizon - 800-837-4966

**A cut out sheet is also located on page two of the January 2017 Crier.

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