Development Options for the 32 acre Property on Bowie Mill Road

1
Development Options for the 32 acre Property on
Bowie Mill Road
2
Olney Coalitions Priorities(No matter what is
built on the property)

• 1. Land use to meet highest public need
• 2. Respects Environment Compatibility Adequa
  te Public Facilities (roads/schools) Quality of
  Life

3
Highest Public Need

• We believed the first highest public need was a
  school. We did research and questioned MCPS.
  MCPS still says it does not want the site. See
  the letter from MCPS to the Council regarding why
  they do not want this site (page 31 of
  http//www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/council/com
  packets/041115/20041115phed01.pdf). There is a
  future ES site on Wickham Road and a future MS
  site on Cashell Road. A HS is needed but this
  site is the wrong location given the proximity of
  Blake, Magruder, and Sherwood High Schools and
  the environmental constraints on this property.
• Second highest public need is recreation. In a
  2002 survey, 74.1 of Olney residents indicated a
  need to have more walking/biking opportunities.
  Olney Coalition pushed to have this language
  added to the master plan in its recommendation
  for the 32 acre property
• Include open space with an active recreational
  component as part of any future development on
  this site. Connect the open space to the
  adjoining residential community through the
  proposed network of trails and bikeways in the
  area.
• Third highest public need is housing to address
  the countys affordable housing crisis.

4
Doug Duncan made a promise to build 1,000
affordable housing units to Action in Montgomery
(AIM) which is faith based activist group that
includes 30 congregations. Estimated size is
greater than 50,000 people. See their web site
http//www.aim-iaf.org
See the full article at http//www.olneycoalition
.org/wpostonduncanpushforhousing.htm
5
What is Affordable Housing?

• Program Approximate Income Ranges
• PLQs/Transitional Homeless
• HOC 0 50 AMI
• MPDUs up to 65 AMI
• Workforce 65 120 AMI

AMI Area Median Income. The 2003 AMI for a
family of four was 84,800
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PLQs/Transitional

• Personal Living Quarters (PLQs) and Transitional
  housing target the homeless. This type of
  affordable housing has not been discussed as a
  possibility for the 32 acre site.

7
HOC

• The mission of the Housing Opportunities
  Commission is to provide affordable housing and
  supportive services that enhance the lives of low
  and moderate income families and individuals
  throughout Montgomery County.
• HOC manages more than 1,500 units of public
  housing (includes seven family developments, four
  high-rise towers for elderly and disabled
  residents, and scattered sites throughout the
  County) and administers the federal Housing
  Choice Voucher program (formerly known as Section
  8). HOC develops affordable housing provides
  supportive services to HOC clients offers
  rentals to moderate-income earners partners with
  others in the community to help develop and
  finance affordable housing issues housing bonds
  provides financing for income-qualified
  first-time homebuyers and provides information
  about affordable housing to the public through
  its Housing Resource Service.
• Units are either owned (purchased below market
  rate) or rented (rent is generally subsidized so
  it is based on 30 of income).
• For more information, see their web site
  http//www.hocmc.org

8
MPDUs

• Moderately Priced Dwelling Units (MPDUs) target
  those earning 35 65 of AMI (translated to
  30,000 - 55,000). This program, run by DHCA,
  emphasizes home ownership (not rental). However,
  HOC has the right to purchase 30 of the MPDUs in
  a development to use as rentals.
• All new developments that are larger than 20
  units are required to include 12.5 MPDUs.
  Developers can build more market rate units
  (above the zoned density) if they also include a
  higher percentage MPDUs on site.

9
Workforce Housing

• Workforce Housing units are essentially starter
  homes.
• Currently a person in Montgomery County needs to
  earn 136 of area median income (AMI) in order
  to buy a median priced home. In 2003, the median
  price of an existing single family detached home
  was 376,000 and an existing townhouse was
  223,000. The costs are even higher today.
  Workforce housing targets those making 65 120
  of the AMI (translated to 51,000 - 102,000
  income). This income range includes teachers,
  firefighters, nurses, and others who make too
  much money to qualify for the MPDU program but
  still cannot afford to buy a house in Montgomery
  County. This program emphasizes home ownership
  (not rental).
• Currently there is no legislation regulating this
  program however, it is being worked on. See a
  memo from Steve Silverman on page 9 (or circle 4)
  of http//www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/council/
  compackets/041213/20041213phed01.pdf

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• Olney has elderly housing, HOC housing, and
  MPDUs. Given the skyrocketing price of homes,
  Olney does not have homes for the middle class
  (those earning close to the area median income of
  85,000)
• Workforce housing is to preserve the middle class
  of Montgomery County.
• See this article at http//www.washingtonpost.com/
  wp-dyn/articles/A55748-2004Oct22.html

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Process

• Zoning
• ?
• Concept Plans
• ?
• Preliminary Plans
• ?
• Site Plans
• ?
• Blueprints

• Zoning is specified in the master plan. Olney
  Coalition agreed with the Planning Board to zone
  the property R200 which means 2 units per acre or
  a maximum of 78 units including MPDUs.
• The Council voted on March 15, 2005 to zone the
  32 acre property R200/PD3 which translates to 3
  units per acre or a maximum of 117 units with
  MPDUs.
• Concept plans are the early ideas of a project.
  Many steps are taken prior the plans becoming
  reality.

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Development Options
Olney Boys and Girls Club (OBGC) Rural looking
gymnasium and 60 - 80 workforce housing units.
There would be no market rate units. The purchase
price of the property would likely be below
market rate. Private Development Depends on how
Executive Branch decides to dispose of the
property. A private developer may have option to
put the required number of affordable housing on
the 32 acre property (currently stated to be a
majority 58 of the 117 units) or to swap some
number of affordable units for market rate units
elsewhere in Olney so more of the affordable
housing is built in a transit oriented area. In
the end there still would be 117 units on the 32
acre property with potentially a different
mixture of market and affordable. Market rate
for this property is estimated to be between 12
- 16 million. HOC An unknown mixture of
market, affordable, and rental units. It is not
clear if HOC must follow the zone and be limited
to 117 units. Action in Montgomery (AIM) has
been actively lobbying the Council for 180 units
on this site. No concept plans are available
closest one is the PD4 concept plan which shows
156 units. The purchase price of the property
would likely be free or substantially below
market rate.
13
There is a need for gymnasium space throughout
Montgomery County
Washington Post article from front page of Metro
Section, December 29, 2004
14
OBGC - Gymnasium
15
One OBGC Concept Plan
Single family detached homes (light green lots)
abut homes on Darnell Dr and Daly Manor. Lot
sizes are similar to adjacent properties. The
orange lots are townhomes. The gym, pool and
parking are placed away from existing homes. All
the units would be workforce units.
16
Another OBGC Concept Plan
Single family detached homes (light green lots)
abut homes on Darnell Dr and Daly Manor. Lot
sizes are similar to adjacent properties. The
orange lots are townhomes. All the units would
be workforce units.
17
Concept Plan with R200/PD3 zone
18
Concept Plan with R200 zone
19
Concept Plan with PD4 zone
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Challenges in Developing the Property

• Environmental Constraints
• Stream is recommended for restoration
• Imperviousness is already at 17
• Degradation of streams occur at 20
• Compatibility
• Density is calculated on the full 32
  acres
• but built on the 20 usable acres.
• Traffic on Bowie Mill Road

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Environmental Constraints
Stream (blue)
Gas pipeline can be moved (pink)
Estimated stream buffer area (green)
Even though Olney Coalition has hired several
experts to evaluate the land, wetland and stream
buffers are not officially recognized until a
Natural Resources Inventory is done. This will
only be done prior development approvals since it
is expensive and the developer pays for it.
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Impervious Surfaces

• Impervious surfaces are areas where water cannot
  penetrate into the ground. This includes roads,
  roofs, patios, driveways, etc. As impervious
  surfaces increase, environmental damage is done.
• The 32 acre property is in the Williamsburg Run
  sub-watershed of the North Branch of the Upper
  Rock Creek. One branch of this stream starts on
  this property and flows less than a mile down to
  the Norbeck Country Club and then into the Upper
  Rock Creek Master Plan area. The Council
  approved an impervious cap of 8 for these
  properties downstream but did not include this
  property.