In answer to Dwight's question, the plans available at Town Hall include the landscape plan, unit layout w/dimensions of the units, a 13 page checklist of how the plans either conform or deviate from the mandatory pieces of the MUTC guidelines, and the parking/garage layout. As far as the general look and materials, what's online is probably sufficient for most people to get a sense of what's been proposed.
<br><br>- Alice<br><br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 12/11/06, <b class="gmail_sendername">Dwight Holmes</b> <<a href="mailto:dwightrholmes@gmail.com">dwightrholmes@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div>I see that some of the drawings have been posted to the website. This is great.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Can someone tell us how much more is available at Town Hall than what we have here? Thanks.</div>
<div><p>Available plans include <a href="http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us/Misc/2006/12/RiverdaleCorner-02RetailPlan-11.13.06.pdf" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><font color="#800080">
the layout at the ground floor (retail) level</font></a> from above, a view from
<a href="http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us/Misc/2006/12/RiverdaleCorner-07Elevation3-11.13.06.pdf" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><font color="#800080">the other side of the railroad tracks
<em>at the crossing</em></font></a>, a view from <a href="http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us/Misc/2006/12/RiverdaleCorner-08Elevation4-11.13.06.pdf" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
<font color="#800080">the other side of the railroad tracks <em>a little bit <span style="font-weight: bold;">north</span> of Riverdale Road</em></font></a>, a view from the <a href="http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us/Misc/2006/12/RiverdaleCorner-09Elevation5-11.13.06.pdf" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
<font color="#800080">other side of the railroad tracks <em>a little bit <span style="font-weight: bold;">south</span> of Riverdale Road</em></font></a>, and a <a href="http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us/Misc/2006/12/RiverdaleCorner-01Summary-11.13.06.pdf" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
<font color="#800080">set of numerical tables</font></a> about the development's square footage. </p><br><br> <p></p></div><div><span class="e" id="q_10f726f51ce16b44_1">
<div><span class="gmail_quote">On 12/7/06, <b class="gmail_sendername">Alice Ewen Walker</b> <<a href="mailto:alice.ewen.walker@gmail.com" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">alice.ewen.walker@gmail.com
</a>> wrote:</span>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Town Talkers,<br><br>Last night the M-UTC committee met with Pete and Sons (owners of<br>Dumms) to review their new application for redevelopment of properties
<br>at Queensbury / Lafayette / Riverdale Rd. (the properties where the<br>boarding house, convenience store/sub shop, and credit union building<br>are now located.)<br><br>As with the previous development proposed by Patriot Group, the
<br>redevelopment does not meet the M-UTC guidelines on a few very major<br>points: building height, setback, and parking. Those are standards<br>that are mandatory, which the zoning committee has no legal ability to<br>
waive. The county, in consulatation with town council, does have that<br>authority through the 'special exception' process.<br><br>The M-UTC voted to approve the project subject to it securing permits<br>from the county through the special exception process. In essence,
<br>this means the zoning committee approved everything that we have the<br>authority to approve and now the proposal passes to the county to<br>secure those big exceptions. The county will consult w/ the town in<br>this review.
<br><br>It is really up to the town's elected body, reportable to voters, to<br>determine major variations from the zoning -- such as building height.<br><br>(In my view, building height is the only big issue on the table. The
<br>variance needed for setbacks is reasonable - it allows them to build<br>closer to the train tracks than current county codes now allow, but is<br>consistent with our historic build to lines. The parking variance is<br>
minor.)<br><br>About the project -<br><br>The proposal we saw reflected effort by the applicant to incorporate<br>many of the comments the committee and public provided during the<br>Patriot Group's earlier application process. Several of the
<br>concessions/improvements that were made in this application are:<br>- 4 stories rather than 5 on the building on the south side of Riverdale Rd.<br>- use of quality materials and articulation on all faces of the<br>building, including the courtyard/back sides
<br>- more surface level parking to serve retail businesses<br>- no net loss of retail space. this version of the project provides<br>about twice the retail area as what the Patriot Group had proposed.<br>- effort made to minimize the roof profile
<br>- a two phase building process that will allow the owners to continue<br>to operate their businesses with no shut down and no loss of these<br>valued businesses to the town.<br>- larger unit sizes to the residential units than what was previously proposed
<br><br>While there are some details that are still pending regarding interior<br>amenities, landscaping and other features, these are things that the<br>applicant has stated will be in compliance with the M-UTC guidelines.
<br><br>At this point, the applicant is going to move with all haste to submit<br>for the special permit and get a decision about whether the project<br>will be granted an exception or not.<br><br>If you have opinions about the project (in favor or not), the most
<br>appropriate thing to do is to review the plans at town hall and get in<br>touch with your council person. You may also want to talk to the folks<br>at Dumm's Corner, who would like to keep the lines of communication<br>
open and would rather have a chance to answer/address concerns now<br>than later.<br><br>Many thanks to the Spiropoulos family and their architecture team for<br>a thorough and straight forward presentation of the project last
<br>night.<br><br>Alice Ewen Walker<br>M-UTC Committee Chair<br></blockquote></div><br>
</span></div><br>_______________________________________________<br>TownTalk mailing list<br>To post to the list, send mail to <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:TownTalk@riverdale-park.org">
TownTalk@riverdale-park.org</a><br><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:TownTalk-request@riverdale-park.org">TownTalk-request@riverdale-park.org</a> is for automated subscription processing only
<br><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk" target="_blank">http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk</a><br><br>For more information about Riverdale Park, visit
<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us" target="_blank">http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us</a><br><br></blockquote></div><br>