Wheaton Central Business District and Vicinity Sector Plan Update
Almost 20 years after the Montgomery County Planning Department last examined Wheaton’s commercial center, planners are re-evaluating the community’s central business district. The amended sector plan will guide future land use and development in downtown Wheaton.
NEW Download the Wheaton Central Business District Sector Plan (pdf, 14MB). This draft will be the subject of a July 29 public hearing before the Planning Board. Sign up to testify online (at date prompt, scroll to July 29) or call 301-495-4601 to be placed on the list. Submit written testimony or mail to Planning Board Chair, 8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910.
View the plan appendix.
The amendment to the 1990 Wheaton Sector Plan covers 484 acres surrounding the Wheaton Metro station. The plan will focus on encouraging great urban design, efficient transportation, pedestrian links to the Wheaton Metro station, environmental sustainability and more.
Home to the popular Wheaton Westfield Mall, the central business district draws residents from throughout the county and serves locals with a core of small stores, restaurants and other businesses.
The study looks at Wheaton’s future and how to build on its strengths. Planners, with input from the community and property owners, will propose a development pattern that best meets the needs and goals of Wheaton as a highly livable, unique place in the county. The plan's goals are as follows:
- Focus new development and revitalization efforts near Metro’s Red Line
- Reinvigorate Wheaton’s downtown by creating a walkable community with a distinct identity
- Create a vibrant mix of jobs and housing
- Preserve Wheaton’s ethnic diversity
- Design quality public spaces inviting to pedestrians
- Foster an environmentally sustainable community
Get involved
The Wheaton Sector Plan outreach strategy engages two advisory committees associated with the Mid-County Regional Services Center -- the Wheaton Redevelopment advisory Committee (WRAC), as the lead organizing committee and the Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee (WUDAC). During Sector Plan Amendment process, WRAC and WUDAC have formed a Wheaton Sector Plan Joint Advisory Ad Hoc Work Group. The Wheaton Civic Coalition, other interested organizations and community members also participate in the work group as non-voting members. Recommendations from the work group will be presented to the full membership of WRAC and WUDAC for deliberation and voting. WRAC and WUDAC are designated representatives to provide testimony to the planning Board and County Council. All of their meetings are open to the public. For more information, call 240-777-8121.
Project schedule
- July 29, 2010: Planning Board public hearing (Download public hearing draft (pdf, 14MB) | Sign up to testify)
- September 2010: Planning Board begins worksessions
- October 2010: Planning Board Draft transmitted to County Council
Previous actions
- June 3, 2010: Staff Draft Sector Plan presented to the Planning Board
- May 19, 2010: Staff Draft Recommendations were presented by staff to residents, property owners, and developers. View the handout and presentation.
- February 2010: Staff presented a summary of the Wheaton Sector Plan Status Report to property owners and community groups.
- February 2, 2010: View a presentation at the county's pre-submission meeting for the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a Public-Private Partnership for the Wheaton Central Business District.
- December 3, 2009: Public Hearing: Preliminary Recommendations and PowerPoint presented to the Planning Board.
- October 5, 2009: View the transportation presentation to the Wheaton Redevelopment Advisory Committee's (WRAC) Sector Plan Work Group.
- September 21, 2009: Community Meeting to discuss the draft preliminary recommendations. View the presentation and comment session.
- June 11, 2009: Planners gave a status report and a presentation (pdf, 20 MB) to the Planning Board. The following short video by Nick Whitaker,
"Paint a Parking Lot, Put Up a Paradise" was shown to the Planning Board. - September 4, 2008: Staff presented the Scope of Work to the Planning Board.
- September 24, 2008: Community Visioning Workshop.
- April 30, 2008: Community meeting.
View the presentation.
The Sector Plan process
Planners develop master and sector plans to create a framework for each community designed to last 15 to 20 years. Those visions help planners and policy-makers – such as the Planning Board and County Council – make policy and decide on proposed development. Each sector plan includes an inventory of land uses and an analysis of zoning, transportation, community facilities, environmental assets, and historic structures, among many other elements.
Created nearly 40 years ago, Montgomery County’s General Plan defined the land use concept "Wedges and Corridors” a regional plan that envisioned growth corridors radiating from Washington, D.C., like the spokes of a wheel. In between each spoke, wedges of open space, farmland, and residential areas prevail. Metro station areas – such as Wheaton – provide opportunities for vibrant, compact, and walkable communities. Learn more about our community outreach plans.
M-NCPPC Staff Contact
Sandra Tallant, Community Based Planning
301-495-1329
Sandra.Tallant@mncppc-mc.org
Date of last update: July 29, 2010
Montgomery County Planning Department
8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910
www.montgomeryplanning.org
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