Earlier this month, the Maryland Board of Public Works approved major changes to the State’s proposal to add toll or managed lanes to I-495 and I-270. This project, would no doubt impact many in District 1 if it were to go forward after the ongoing environmental review and bidding process for a private concessionaire.
Montgomery County needs and has long requested improvements to the bottleneck at the American Legion Bridge. The traffic congestion here is not just a quality of life issue. It threatens to hold back our County’s economy growth, which is critical to funding core everyday services. I've maintained throughout this process that any proposal from the State must not take private property, park land, or school property, must include a substantial transit component to actually reduce traffic rather than simply rearranging it, and must not require expensive toll rates that make the managed lanes unaffordable for many of our residents.
The Board of Public Works compromise guarantees improvements in some of these areas – especially when it comes to transit and a stronger commitment from the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) to work with County officials going forward to mitigate impacts. It’s a good start and a major improvement from the plan that state officials originally proposed. Thank you to Comptroller Peter Franchot and Acting Secretary of Transportation Greg Slater for their efforts to improve the proposal and their willingness to listen to many of our concerns.
We're hopeful the final plan will help us fund critical transit projects such as Bus Rapid Transit and an expansion of MARC train service to create a seamless, one-seat trip across the Potomac River. We’ll continue to push against impacts to those whose properties border the existing highways as MDOT goes through the federally-mandated environmental review and we’re actively working with communities to find out from MDOT how specific areas of their neighborhoods might be impacted.
We’re carefully reviewing the County Executive’s recommended capital budget, released yesterday. We’ll be digging in line-by-line over the coming weeks as the budget works its way through the Council. At first glance, I’m pleased that the County Executive included significant investments in pedestrian safety and bus rapid transit along Rockville Pike and Wisconsin Avenue.
On affordable housing, a $20 million investment in a new public-private preservation fund is an intriguing proposal. There are significant details to work through for this to be successful, including setting up a nimble program that could quickly navigate the private market. On the Housing Initiative Fund, which finances most of our affordable housing work, I added $5 million last year with the support of my colleagues for a total of $22 million. I'm pleased that as a baseline the County Executive has recommended maintaining that level of support.
On some other priorities, I'm disappointed that Parks, Montgomery College, and the school system’s requests are not proposed to be fully funded. The Capital Crescent Trail tunnel that we committed to opening along with the Purple Line is not included, and the White Flint Metro Station Northern Entrance that we fought hard to preserve last year has been zeroed out.
I’ll be working with my colleagues to ensure that the capital budget we approve supports our community’s needs and reflects our shared values. We’re going to need your help and advocacy. Starting January 17th, you can sign up here to testify at the Council's upcoming public hearings.
Our bill to reduce pedestrian closures next to construction sites is gaining momentum after last week’s public hearing and leading up to a worksession scheduled for March 12th before the Council’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy & Environment Committee.
Adapting existing suburban-style infrastructure to support the needs of growing urban environments is challenging. I feel strongly that with this legislation and best practices from jurisdictions across the country, we can maintain needed, safe pedestrian access while allowing the economic activity and added amenities that new construction brings.
It’s a matter of safety for residents, workers, and visitors, of fairness for pedestrians, and of maintaining quality of life. Our building and business community recognizes this is critical and provided constructive feedback about the challenges of construction in urban environments.
The legislative process so far has only made me more confident in our ability to establish clear and consistent rules that pedestrians and contractors understand and that make maintaining pedestrian access the default and not the exception, whether on the existing sidewalk or in a safe alternative pathway on the same side of the street. I’m looking forward to working more on this effort and toward pushing for similar changes when it comes to sidewalks owned by the Maryland State Highway Administration.
Many residents have called our office about the updates at Josiah Henson Park in North Bethesda. I visited in late November and I want to share with you more about this exciting project to create a museum dedicated to telling the story of resilience and perseverance in overcoming slavery, based on the detailed words and experiences of Josiah Henson himself – enslaved in Montgomery County for much of his life. This project includes:
- The conversion of the historic Riley/Bolten House into a public museum,
- The construction of a new 2,900-square-foot visitor center with a bus drop-off area and a three-car parking lot on the former Rozier property, and
- The installation of exhibits that educate and interpret African American History in Montgomery County, including a first-person narrative of Josiah Henson.
The Parks Department has obtained final construction permits for the project and we expect the museum to open late this year. The park closed on November 5th and will remain closed for the duration of the construction activities.
On January 7th, I joined the Interagency Commission on Homelessness as they released their latest strategic plan. It's a bold, visionary document looking to end homelessness in the County by the end of 2023. In recent years, with leadership from former Councilmember George Leventhal, the County and all of its many amazing partners ended homelessness for veterans and chronically homeless individuals.
Goals of the Strategic Plan
- End homelessness among families with children by the end of 2020
- End homelessness among unaccompanied youth (ages 16-24) by the end of 2021.
- End homelessness among seniors by the end of 2022.
- End homelessness among everyone in the County by the end of 2023.
Ending homelessness means that we have a comprehensive response system in place that ensures homelessness is a rare, brief, and one-time experience. This new plan calls for a “housing for all strategy” that aims to add 450 permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing units for people experiencing homelessness, which will require an increase in resources in the upcoming years. I look forward to working with my colleagues, particularly the Council's lead for homelessness Councilmember Evan Glass, to ensure we can support the work of the Commission and reach our most vulnerable neighbors and friends.
Integral to this conversation is the affordable housing crisis as many residents are just one paycheck or medical issue away from losing their home. As we did last budget cycle, I will continue prioritizing housing affordability to make our incredible County accessible to residents of every age and income level.
To get involved, you can contact HousingForAll@montgomerycountymd.gov
If you haven't heard about Pepco Smart Home Pilot, we wanted to share with you what PEPCO is offering and how to enroll. This pilot helps customers save money by identifying where energy may be wasted in the home.
After enrolling, Pepco provides customers with a free Smart Home Kit packed with devices that empowers residents take steps to reduce their energy usage. To find out what's in the kit and how to enroll, please click this link here or call (855) 530-5802.
To be eligible for the pilot program, Pepco residential customers in Maryland must:
- Reside in a single-family home or individually metered townhouse or condominium for at least 12 months
- Have an electric heat pump or central air conditioning
- Have an Ethernet internet connection available in the home (typically an available port on your router)
- Have a password-secured home Wi-Fi connection
- Have an iOS or Android mobile device
In our continuing effort to bring the Council to the community, we have some exciting events coming up in the new year.
Grab a Cup of Coffee or Tea with Us
Discuss Important Local Issues
It's truly an honor and privilege to represent our extraordinary community on the County Council. As always, we hope you will continue to keep in touch and reach out to us with any issues.
With Poolesville Elementary Students at the Historic Seneca Schoolhouse & United at Stand Up Against Anti-Semitism in Takoma Park
Discussing Neighborhood Issues with the Grand Condominium & Meeting with the Timberlawn Homeowner's Association
With David Dennison, Jessica Bulman & Family at The Original Pancake House to Provide a Full-Service Dining Experience for Homeless Residents & Night 1 of Hanukkah at the Annual Kensington Menorah Lighting with Mayor Tracey Furman and Town Councilmembers
Serving Community Members in Need at the 34th Annual Goodwill Holiday Dinner at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad
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