Re: land rent and development: an example


"sinister" <sinister@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:FuXte.368$al.106@xxxxxxxxxxx
> Just took my car in for some work at the dealer. Dealer is near the
> subway station named "Shady Grove," in Rockville, MD (greater DC area). I
> biked (neat folding bike!) from the dealer to the subway and passed
> through an old neighborhood. Housing stock pretty old, if not
> delapidated. Density low.
>
> I thought, "jeez, very inefficient---they could put midrise condos or
> apartments up and house a lot of people, right near the subway." Then I
> thought, "yeah, they'll do that, except first the county has to approve
> it, and they don't like residential construction because it means there
> are kids whose education has to be paid for." [Washington Post documented
> this---this county (Montgomery Co., MD) and others stack the deck against
> residential development, leading to (inefficient) sprawl as people have to
> live farther out]. And, "it's probably not been developed yet because
> some party is going to make tons of money when it's upzoned, and they
> haven't properly positioned themselves to reap the windfall created by the
> public infrastructure [subway line]. And, the local pols being in their
> pocket, the pols are also waiting."

Addendum: from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/22/AR2005062201141.html
:

-------------------------
Neighbors Fight Shady Grove Growth Plan

By Fulvio Cativo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 23, 2005; GZ03



Neighborhood groups near the Shady Grove Metro station are fighting a
development proposal for high-density growth that would bring 6,000 homes
and 7,000 jobs to the area.

Although officials describe the proposal as a smart-growth plan to put
people and jobs near mass transit, residents say they aren't so sure it
makes sense and are worried about traffic congestion.

"It's like the one guy said, 'Is this smart growth, really?' " said Janet
Kogut, one of the organizers for the Mid-County Citizens Alliance.

Of particular concern is a proposal that would involve a land swap resulting
in the relocation of county industrial facilities -- a bus depot,
distribution warehouses, and storage and maintenance facilities -- to a site
near Montgomery Village.

County officials are considering the proposed master plan for redevelopment
in Shady Grove and are scheduled to vote on it this fall. With the proposed
addition of thousands of homes and jobs, it will be one of the county's
largest redevelopment efforts.

At a meeting last week attended by more than a dozen local elected
officials, more than 200 residents voiced concerns over a proposal by
McLean-based developer Miller and Smith, which owns the Airpark North
property in Montgomery Village, often referred to as the Webb Tract.

If the Shady Grove master plan is approved, Miller and Smith has offered to
swap the Webb Tract, on Snouffer School Road for the county's industrial
facility property on Crabbs Branch Way near Shady Grove Metro, where the
6,000 homes have been proposed.

Residents fear the relocated industrial facilities could move too close to
their neighborhood.

"It's just not a good location for it," said Terry O'Grady, president of the
East Village Homes Corp.

Scott Reilly, assistant chief administrative officer for County Executive
Douglas M. Duncan (D), said the county executive has favored the land swap
with the condition that the relocation of the industrial facilities not be
at county expense and that there be no impact on the ability of the
facilities to serve their functions: distributing school meals, liquor and
serving as a depot for hundreds of buses.

The land swap would be open to bidding, Reilly added, and Miller and Smith
could be one of several developers to propose land swap deals in this
process.

The county could essentially decide to move all, most or none of the
facilities to the Webb Tract, said council member Michael Knapp
(D-Upcounty).

Over the past few months, Montgomery Village residents have joined with the
Mid-County Citizens Alliance and other groups to fight the proposal.
Residents say they are worried not only about traffic, but air quality,
quality of life and property values.

The proposals include upgrades to nearby roads, but area residents say that
may not be enough to handle such a large traffic increase in an already busy
corridor.

Knapp said there is still much time to decide what will happen to the Shady
Grove plan. But one thing is certain, he said: "We can't just pass a master
plan but not tell anybody where we think they're going to put it [the
service facilities]."

By mobilizing early before the master plan is up for a vote, the coalition
is looking to have a say in how the area develops, said John Zakian,
executive vice president of the Montgomery Village Foundation Inc., a
nonprofit group that provides public services to Montgomery Village.

"We realize we can't build a moat around the border of Montgomery Village,
and we understand that there's going to be impact, but what we ask is that
there is a reasonable and responsible approach" to developments in
surrounding areas, he said.

Chuck Ellison, vice president of Miller and Smith, said the development firm
is taking into consideration concerns raised by officials and residents.

"I think there's been very, very good dialogue with some very engaged
citizens, ourselves, the elected officials, and I think there's a potential
here for some good to happen to everybody," Ellison said.

Said Dave Ott, co-chairman of the Mid-County Citizens Alliance: "At the end
of the day, we are not anti-growth, we're a pro-growth organization that
wants to work with the county. We want a say in the matter."

© 2005 The Washington Post Company

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