Allen M
Posted Sun 3-15-09
The next meeting of the Maplewood Citizens Association will be held on Wednesday, March 18th 2009 at the old Heart House campus at 9111 Old Georgetown Road. Representatives of the Foundation for Advancement of Education in the Sciences (FAES) will discuss its proposed rezoning of property that it owns in Maplewood between West Cedar Lane and Cypress and Acacia Avenues. Also at this meeting Maplewood resident Jim Winkler, the MCA representative on the Bethesda Fire Board and a former NYC firefighter, will discuss the current level of fire protection we have in this community and its adequacy.
Webmaster
Posted Fri 3-13-09
The State Highway Administration will conduct a Public Workshop on the Bethesda BRAC Intersections Project: Thursday, April 2, 2009, from, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School gymnasium, 4301 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814.
The purpose of the SHA meeting is to acquaint the public with the progress of the project to date. Displays and mapping depicting the planned improvements will be available for viewing. Citizens will be invited to present comments to the project team. Project representatives will be available throughout the meeting to explain the improvements and their associated impacts, discuss points of interest, and record public comments. For more information, see the SHA press release or the SHA newsletter.
On March 9, Congress approved $3,087,500 in funding specifically for the Bethesda BRAC intersections improvement project. Thanks go to Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin and Congressman Chris Van Hollen.
This funding was part of an omnibus funding bill passed by the U.S. Senate (the House of Representatives approved the bill two weeks ago) that appropriates funds for most federal agencies through September 30, 2009 — the remainder of Fiscal Year 2009. This is funding that Congress should have completed at the beginning of FY2009 (October 1, 2008); having failed to do so until now, most federal agencies have been operating at FY2008 levels.
Tags: BRAC, NavyMed
Webmaster
Posted Sun 3-8-09
As they do every December, Tracy Stanton and Carlos Cuevasa recently hosted a gathering at their Fordyce Place home featuring several local jewelry and textile artisans. Tracy and Carlos share an interest in healthy lifestyles and the environment. Having retired from the World Bank, Carlos now works in microfinance—providing financial services to poor and low-income clients—while Tracy is a program manager at Ecosystem Marketplace, an information source on ecosystem services such as water quality and biodiversity. They are both runners.
It’s natural that Tracy and Carlos’s neighbors Keith and Lynn Voight would be included in this artisan line-up. In addition to their day jobs, the Voights own All Things Olive, which specializes in authentic olive oil and other gourmet food items. You may have run into them at the Kensington Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings. With an exotic choice of California extra virgin olive oils, herb infused olive oils, wine vinegars and tapenades on hand and ready for tasting, Keith will explain all there is to know about the health benefits of olive oil and more. The Voights came up with the idea for the business after a trip to Paris. And they live right here in Maplewood!
If you have ideas about Maplewood events or personalities to feature in this space, please let us know.
Webmaster
Posted Fri 2-27-09
The next BRAC Implementation Committee meeting will be Tuesday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase services Center located at 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda (above Chipotle on Old Georgetown Road).
The main agenda item will be a preview by the State Highway Administration of information they will present at a public workshop on April 2 regarding potential intersection improvements around the National Naval Medical Center.
For directions and information about the March 17 BRAC Committee meeting, go to the COMMUNITY PAGE of the County’s BRAC web site.
Tags: BRAC, NavyMed
Mark N
Posted Thu 1-15-09
The Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) notified the MCA back in September that it intends to construct a 31-unit student housing complex on its property at the intersection of Acacia and Cypress Avenues in Maplewood. A committee has been formed to address issues associated with the FAES proposal and monitor the progress of the proposed project.
The approximately four-acre lot is currently zoned for single family detached residential buildings (R-60). In order to develop the property with multi-family housing, FAES must be granted a rezoning from the Montgomery County Council. FAES recently informed the MCA that it intends to submit their rezoning application before the end of January. Signs will be posted on three sides of the property. All adjacent and abutting homeowners, as well as the MCA, should receive notice of the rezoning application from the attorney for the FAES.
The FAES has also requested attend the MCA general membership at the upcoming meeting on January 28th at Heart House. At this time it will present details of the proposed project and answer questions from neighborhood residents.
The FAES committee is tentatively scheduled to meet on Tuesday, January 27th to review the FAES rezoning application. If you’re interested in attending, please contact committee co-chairs Susan Cheney or Mark Nathans.
Mark N
Posted Tue 12-9-08
Ground has finally been broken on the last two remaining townhomes in the Bethesda Crest development, which sits on a 5-acre infill site on Rockville Pike just east of where Benton and Acacia Avenues end. When these are completed, there will be a total of 28 townhomes on the site, including four existing MPDUs. The site, which used to house the regional headquarters of Goodwill Industries, has been at the center of significant controversy beginning when it was proposed back in 2002.
Neighborhood efforts resulted in the scaling down of the project and significant trees being saved, among other concessions. However, in 2005 county officials ordered a halt to construction after MCA members called their attention to setback, height and other site plan violations. The Planning Board eventually ordered Elm Street, the developer of the project, to pay a small fine and adhere to a compliance plan. The amended site plan, which pertains in part to the two units currently under construction, included increased setbacks and more substantial fences and walls at the perimeter of the property.
Like the existing townhomes the new units are being built by Craftmark Homes. The developer has said that both homes are under contract and scheduled to be completed in March. (Only one other unit in the complex remains on the market, priced at $1.37 million.) Residents who have concerns about construction activity or notice anything else unusual are encouraged to contact the MCA.
[Link to MCPD record plat amendment (PDF) dated 2/21/07.]
Mark N
Posted Thu 10-30-08
As reported yesterday in the Bethesda Gazette, The McClean School of Maryland, a private K-12 institution currently located in Potomac, is proposing to relocate its upper school to the old Heart House property at 9111 Old Georgetown Road. The 10-acre site was vacated by the American College of Cardiology in September 2006 and has been unoccupied since then. Eventually, the Bethesda campus would house approximately 350 students in grades 9-12. The McLean School’s younger students (grades K-8) would stay in Potomac.
School officials have stated that although the existing building would require only a minimum of renovation to accommodate the influx of students and faculty, there will be a need for a new athletic field as well as a gymnasium on the property. They will present their proposal to the neighborhood at an upcoming meeting on the Heart House campus.
The McLean School is fully accredited and holds membership in a number of local and national organizations, including the Learning Disabilities Association and the Parents of Gifted and Talented/Learning Disabled Children. According to their web site, the school was established in 1954 to “provide a unique environment for learning that would serve the needs and gifts of all kinds of students”. An announcement on the site details the background of the planned move, and predicts a move-in date of late 2010 to early 2011.
Mark N
Posted Wed 10-29-08
The McLean School of Maryland is inviting all residents of the neighborhood to attend a meeting scheduled for this coming Monday, November 3rd, at 7 PM, on the campus of the American College of Cardiology (”Heart House”) at 9111 Old Georgetown Road.
Representatives from the McLean School will present their proposed project on the Heart House property and address concerns about its potential impact on the community, prior to filing the pre-application submission for this project with Park and Planning.
The McLean School requests that if you are planning to attend this meeting you email or call Laura Sinner at lsinner@linowes-law.com or 301-961-5183 by October 31st so that they can accommodate all attendees. In any case, this meeting is open to the public and all interested parties are urged to attend.
Barbara H
Posted Tue 9-30-08
General Membership Meeting Minutes, Maplewood Citizens Association (MCA)
MCA ATTENDEES
Officers present were: Allen Myers, president; Janet Maalouf, vice-president; Joe Levin, treasurer; Barbara Harrison, secretary
Approximately 40-45 community members attended
Continue Reading »
Mark N
Posted Tue 9-23-08
September’s Maplewood Citizens Association general membership meeting will include a presentation on in-fill development by Chuck Sullivan of Renewing Montgomery and Miti Figueredo from Councilmember Roger Berliner’s office. Also on the agenda: the proposed development projects at the current Heart House site and a development proposal for FAES student housing at the corner of Acacia and Cypress Avenues.
The meeting takes place Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 at 7:30 PM at the American College of Cardiology Campus (”Heart House”), 9111 Old Georgetown Rd. All neighborhood residents are welcome to attend.
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