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>>September 14 Executive Committee Meeting -- All Are Welcome!
The monthly KHCA Executive Committee will be held Wednesday September 14 at 7:30 pm at the home of Ann and Alberto Arevalo, 10801 Torrance Drive.
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| >>Membership Dues and Upcoming Annual KHCA Meeting
First, our standard reminder: KHCA runs on your contributions, so we need your help each year. Our annual picnic was a great success, but KHCA always ends up spending money to subsidize the event. We also have costs for meeting space and other miscellaneous expenses year round. Our dues are a very modest $10 per person and $20 per household. You can either send a check to our Treasurer, Erl Houston, at 10723 St Paul Street, Kensington, MD 20895; you can pay in person at our Fall Membership meeting in October,; or you can donate online at www.kensingtonheightsmd.org. Whichever way you choose, please support your local community.
Second, our Annual Meeting:
Hold the Date (tentative): Tuesday, October 18, 7:30 pm, Stephen Knolls School
Third, an important issue: Zoning and land use provisions. Specifically, the County is currently considering whether and how to revise current zoning and land use provisions applicable to “AirBnB” and similar short-term rental lodging facilities in the County. For those not familiar, these are somewhat akin to more traditional “bed and breakfast” facilities, but may include anything from simply renting out a spare bedroom overnight to use of a whole house for multiple tenants. Some do still continue the “landlord host” model with the owner on the premises and supplying meals, but others are more akin to a traditional non-resident host rental. Rentals are usually made over the Internet, and rentals may occur in any neighborhood. The proposal is discussed more below, but we are tentatively planning (depending on schedules) on having these issues be the focus of our Fall Annual Meeting. We can pretty much guarantee that such rentals already take place in KHCA but they are largely under the radar at the moment. It will be useful to discuss how the County should react proactively to the continued growth.
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>>Happy Hour at Bar Louie -- Let's Make It a Tradition !!! September 16 Meet for Happy Hour at 5:00 pm until ..? We'll meet on the side verandah, weather permitting. Otherwise, we’ll see you inside. The first KHCA Happy Hour went great. And our neighbors in Kensington View held their own the last week of August. Let's keep the good times going -- we'll hold the tables for you!
October -- Let's Start a New Tradition: Movies According to Mall Manager Emily Brophy, the movie theater below Bar Louie on the ground level of the South Tower Building should be opening by late September. So, it could be ready for “Dinner and a Movie” by October. You may have seen the new signs around the Mall, and we’ve been peeking in the front window. Still a lot of work to do, but we see the popcorn machines, so we know this is really happening soon. Also, the Tilted Kilt Restaurant is supposed to be opening at the Mall in mid-September. We'll be keeping a close eye on its operations to determine its impact. .
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>>Safety Signs Still Available As we reported earlier, KHCA placed a bulk order for colorful signs saying "Drive Like Your KIDS Live Here. With our busy and hilly streets and with the narrow twists and turns other streets take, there are lots of places where drivers need to be reminded to slow down! We have gotten homes for many of the signs (and we expect you have seen them around KHCA). We still have a few more and we'd like to see them all get adopted. The west end of McComas, the north end of Drumm (which will soon start getting more traffic from the townhouse development), the Bentley-Jutland corridor, and Jennings all come to mind as great spots for them. We are asking for a $10 donation to reimburse the KHCA treasury, but we won't turn you down if you can't afford it. The signs can be picked up from KHCA President Karen Cordry (10705 Torrance Drive) -- just drop her an email at karenc425@aol.com to let her know when you'd like to stop by. Checks should be made out to Kensington Heights Civic Association. Thanks!
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>>Costco Update and Legal Defense Fund Status
Our brief went in on August 10, along with briefs from the County, the Stop Costco Gas Coalition, and from Interested Parties and KHCA members, Donna Savage and Mark Adelman. In light of the number of separate briefs that were filed, Costco got permission to file a longer reply brief than normal. The standard is 3,900 words; they asked for 9,100 (i.e., as much as their opening brief). We agreed not to oppose 7,000 words, and the Court of Special Appeals gave them 8,000. Go figure. Their brief is due on September 17. After that, we wait until January when the court will schedule a hearing date in Annapolis. It will only last 20 minutes per side, compared to the marathon 3-hour hearing before the Circuit Court last year. Keep your fingers crossed.
In other news, as you may recall, we have been working with a “fiscal sponsor” to allow charitable donations to be made to the KHCA Legal Defense Fund. Good news –we have finally been able to complete the process of applying for the LDF to become a charitable organization on its own. So, as of this month, we are now legal! You can make your donations to the LDF directly -- and, yes, although we are keeping up with the new bills, we still have a few thousand left to raise to retire the old bills. We’d also like to start rebuilding the fund in case something new pops up that we need to address quickly. You can send checks made to KHCA Legal Defense Fund to Erl Houston,10723 St Paul Street, Kensington, MD 20895, or you can donate online at www.kensingtonheightsmd.org. Thanks for your help! [Submitted by Karen Cordry, President, KHCA]
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>>Traffic
Now that school has started, we expect the County to be conducting a traffic volume study on Farragut Avenue, which is now heavily used as a cut-through by business and school traffic. Once that is completed, we will discuss with the County whether it meets the criteria for traffic mitigation measures -- we’re pretty sure it will qualify. We are also waiting for the County to find time to study implementation of some traffic calming measures on McComas Avenue, most likely at the intersection with Torrance Drive in light of the proximity to Stephen Knolls School and its role as access point for pedestrians going to the Mall.
[Submitted by Karen Cordry, President, KHCA]
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>>Education
KHCA sends best wishes to all school and college students for a great academic year! Hope you've enjoyed your summer break and have had a great start to the 2016-17 school year. We're sharing below some highlights of Montgomery County Public Schools. MCPS Begins 2016–2017 School Year with a New Superintendent, a New School and Record Enrollment MCPS welcomed more than 159,000 students for the first day of the 2016–2017 school year on Aug. 29. This is more than 2,500 new students to the school system and represents the largest enrollment in the district’s history. More than 1,200 new teachers were hired this year, and the school year started with 12,673 teachers on staff. MCPS also has a new school—Hallie Wells Middle School. Located in Clarksburg. Read more. MCPS BOE President Michael Durso's Statement on Gov. Hogan's Executive Order On Aug 31 Governor Larry Hogan, alongside Comptroller Peter Franchot, announced and signed an executive order that mandates all Maryland public schools start after Labor Day, conclude by June 15, and include 180 days of instruction. Several school districts in the state of MD, including MCPS, have opposed this executive order.The MCPS BOE believes that prohibiting schools from starting before Labor Day ignores critical issues faced by schools and the potential negative instructional impact on students. MCPS BOE President Michael Durso issued a statement that the decision around school calendars should remain local. Read the statement. MCPS Mandatory Online Training for Volunteers and Contractors Prior to the start of the 2016–17 school year, MCPS will enhance its training for volunteers and contractors with the rollout of an online training module on preventing, recognizing, and reporting child abuse and neglect. All volunteers who regularly support schools and students as well as those who attend field trips must complete the Child Abuse and Neglect volunteer training.This training requirement also applies to volunteers who regularly support school-sponsored activities.The training is available online on the Child Abuse and Neglect webpage. The Montgomery County Board of Education Policy JHC, Child Abuse and Neglect that guides MCPS procedures and protocols for recognizing, reporting, and preventing suspected child abuse and neglect of students is accessible by clicking here. Parents of Students Entering Seventh Grade Reminded of New Immunization Requirements -- Free Immunizations Offered in August and September Montgomery County Health and Human Services staff is providing free Tdap and MCV4 vaccinations to incoming seventh-grade students at several locations throughout the County beginning in late August. Eighth and ninth grade students entering a Maryland school for the first time should also receive the vaccinations in order to comply with the requirements.Check out the list of clinics by clicking here. In addition, there are four locations that will offer expanded hours for their regularly scheduled immunization clinics. For more information on that clinic schedule, click here.
[Submitted by Shruti Bhatnagar, Chair, Education Committee]
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>>Land Use
Little to report other than that the townhouses at the Valley View entrance to the Mall are popping up quickly! We’ll be waiting with interest to see when a model opens and when sales start. We’ve been told that development on Mt McComas -- which will result in completing the sidewalks on McComas Avenue and the installation of a walkway up to the Mall -- won’t start until the sales are proceeding (briskly, one hopes) for the Valley View project. So, we’ll just keep any eye out. [Submitted by Karen Cordry, President, KHCA]
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COMMUNITY NEWS & CALENDAR
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>>September 11: Villages of Kensington PICNIC
Learn about VoK and meet your Kensington Heights neighbors.
--Sunday September 11, 4:00-7:00 pm. --Home of Carolyn Lichtenstein, 10905 Drumm Avenue.
All Kensington Heights residents are invited; tell your neighbors. The mission of VoK is to build a supportive, diverse, and intergenerational network of neighbors helping Kensington neighbors to remain in their homes and to be engaged in our community. VoK trained and vetted approximately 40 volunteers who are waiting to be of service to our members. Full members receive free transportation, assistance with various chores, friendly visits, a variety of social events, and a free online subscription to Washington Consumers' Checkbook. Visit the VoK website for more info.
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| >>September 12: Montgomery County Civic Federation Meeting Topic: Proposed Changes to County's Subdivision Staging (Growth) Policy. These changes revise the policy that sets the requirements for what facilities must be in place before additional growth can be approved. Time/Location: 7:45 pm, Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville.
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>>September 16: International PARK(ing) Day in Wheaton Wheaton Urban District in partnership with MCDEP, MCDOT and GreenWheaton will transform parking spaces on Reedie and Grandview on September 16th. Metered spaces around the County will be temporarily transformed into a fun, park-like spot. Stop by from 9 am to 3:30 pm. Enjoy a 'mini' County Fair, arts & crafts, learn about the environment and transportation options or just come to relax outside. The County Department of Transportation is encouraging artists, planners, businesses, organizations, groups and individuals to participate. Click here for more info.
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>>September 19: Public Hearing on Zoning for "Commerical Short-Term Transient Lodging" When: September 19, 7:00-9:00 pm Where: County Planning Building Auditorium, 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring
The MCCF newsletter discusses the proposed legislative changes for AirBnB-type facilities.It states: Currently, short-term lodging facilities (Bed and Breakfasts) are already permitted in larger-lot residential zones if the application meets health, safety, and parking standards and obtains licensing.They are also allowed in smaller lot zones (R-60/R-90) [typical lot sizes for homes in KHCA] after public notice and hearing examiner review. A Bed and Breakfast is currently defined in the code as “a detached house that is owner-occupied with no more than five guest rooms for rent and customarily serves breakfasts to guests.” The two bills proposed would not only remove the public notice and process for the R-60 and R-90 zones, but would also remove current standards for lot size, parking, inspections, number of guests, proximity to other similar uses, requirement that the owner occupy the house, as well as other licensing standards. The bills also propose to expand the use to all residential zones, including townhouses, condominiums, and apartments.
The legislative proposals at issue are Zoning Text Amendment 16-03, Land Use, Bed and Breakfast and Bill 2-16, Transient Housing Licensing and Registration, both sponsored by Councilmember Riemer. They were originally proposed in February and, as drafted, were frankly a mess. They failed to impose adequate limitations and requirements for matters such as parking spaces, noise control, and proliferation and did not have adequate provisions for giving neighbors notice and a right to participate in the approval process. The drafts were essentially tabled and the County Planning Staff has been sent back to hold additional hearings and do more work on the drafts.
An initial hearing was held on July 18. It was well-attended but the only formal presentations were made by the lodging industry representatives without an opening discussion by the County of what current law requires and what the new legislation might change. County staff noted that further meetins would be held and repeatedly stated that this was just an initial discussion and that the bill language was by no means final or set in stone. The September 19 meeting will have appropriate County representatives there who should be able to better explain what is being proposed and how it will work.This is an important topic since it is clear that this new rental model is not going away. The County (and other government entities across the country) have been trying to find the right balance between imposing appropriate regulatory and taxing measures while not simply driving the business underground and losing all ability to control the market.
There are real pluses and minuses to this new model. We urge you to stay informed and get involved by attending one or more of the meetings.
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>>September 20: View New Seating at Veteran's Park Wheaton
At 5:30 pm the new furniture at Veteran's Park will be showcased. Stop by to try it out, and get some free ice cream. Raindate is September 23.
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>> Election Workers Needed
In case you hadn’t heard, there’s an election coming up in November! Yes, really! The County needs to hire about 3500 workers to staff all of the polling sites during Early Voting and on Election Day, November 8. You can access all of the information about how to apply for one of the positions by clicking here. You must be a registered voter and at least 17 years old. Bilingual workers with Spanish fluency are particularly sought by the County.
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>> Master Plan 2016-2022: Fire, Rescue, Emergency Medical Services and Community Risk Reduction
The County Council-approved Plan can be viewed online by clicking here. After clicking on the Master Plan, which is one of several topics scrolling at the top of the webpage in the red banner, you'll see a yellow "NEW" button for the full master plan. You may also click on the hyperlinks to view any of the appendices.
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>> Solar Co-op Neighbors in Montgomery County can join a solar co-op to save money and make going solar easier while building a network of solar supporters. To learn more and register for an information session, click here, or call 240-334-7720.
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History Chair: vacant
Safety Chair: vacant
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