Area residents will have the opportunity on Feb. 27 to share their thoughts with Montgomery County planners on a proposed plan to promote the resilience and growth of communities along a 3-mile stretch of University Boulevard in Silver Spring and Wheaton.
The proposed University Boulevard Corridor Plan includes recommendations focused on traffic safety, zoning, pedestrian connectivity and transit-oriented growth.
Zubin Adrianvala, who is leading the project for Montgomery Planning, recently told Bethesda Today that the proposal is part of the implementation of Thrive Montgomery 2050, the county’s 2022 update to its general master plan that’s expected to guide planning and development for roughly the next 50 years.
“After the … adoption of Thrive Montgomery 2050 we are at a position where we really want to investigate our growth corridors,” Adrianvala said. “This is an area that we haven’t studied for a long time. I think there’s some appetite in the community to see it move into the 21st century.”
A growth corridor is an area that already has existing infrastructure for transit, such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and street networks. The corridor concept is focused on increasing population density and creating “meaningful communities” in the area that can rely on the existing transportation system, Adrianvala explained.
“The planning department is looking at corridor planning as one of the more effective ways of addressing future growth in the county and is also a step towards creating more complete communities,” Adrianvala said.
The proposed plan is the result of community outreach that included visits by planners to affected neighborhoods, the mailing of more than 10,000 postcards in English and Spanish, and several community meetings held in the two languages, he said.
The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the proposed plan at 6 p.m. Feb. 27 at the board’s Wheaton headquarters at 2425 Reedie Drive and online via Microsoft Teams.
Those who can’t attend may submit written comments to the board by email to mcp-chair@mncppc-mc.org or call 301-495-4605 by noon Tuesday. The public record will remain open for written testimony until March 13.
The area covers a 3-mile stretch of University Boulevard from East Indian Spring Drive to Amherst Avenue. Within that corridor are Montgomery Blair and Northwood high schools; Forest Knolls, Glen Haven and Pine Crest elementary schools; Yeshiva of Greater Washington; St. Bernadette Catholic Church and its school; the Woodmoor shopping center; the WTOP radio tower property; and North Four Corners Local Park and Wheaton Forest Park.
Here are 5 things to know about the plan:
Traffic safety
The plan recommends new and wider sidewalks, bikeways and protected crossings to address community members’ concerns about pedestrian and transportation safety along the corridor, Adrianvala said.
“Around Four Corners, a lot of [Montgomery Blair High] students will leave the campus, some of them are not relying on school buses, but taking [public transit] buses, and we want to make sure that they have a pleasant experience crossing” the street, Adrianvala said. “It’s unfair to put the onus on 16-year-olds when the infrastructure should be designed such that it is safer for everyone.”
According to the plan, motor vehicle crashes that occurred on University Boulevard from 2015 to late 2024 resulted in 49 severe injuries and four fatalities.
Adrianvala also noted that Inwood House, an independent living community for adults with disabilities and seniors, is located along the University Boulevard corridor. Noting that many of its residents use wheelchairs, Adrianvala said the plan ensures compliance with accessibility rules under the Americans with Disabilities Act on public pathways, sidewalks, trails and street crossings.
Other proposed improvements include “no right turn on red” restrictions at intersections and providing Leading Pedestrian Intervals which gives pedestrians more time to cross University Boulevard.
More opportunities for housing
Another key recommendation is the rezoning of properties that face University Boulevard, including institutional and religious properties and existing single-use commercial shopping centers.
According to Adrianvala, the proposal recommends “up zoning” some single-family properties to a commercial residential neighborhood zone. He noted the proposed zoning changes aim to provide opportunities to create more “diverse housing types” by allowing for increased height and density.
“Nothing’s mandatory. Nobody has to change anything. … There is nobody forcing any property owner to make any changes,” Adrianvala said. But the option would be available for property owners “if they decide to make that change, then they can do it.”
Transit-oriented development
A major focus of the plan is increasing development around transit centers, specifically Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations. According to the plan, the 2013 Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan identified five potential places for BRT stops along University Boulevard. The locations would be at Amherst, Arcola, Inwood and Dennis avenues and the intersection with Colesville Road, or U.S. Route 29.
The plan recommends concentrating future higher-density, mixed-use development near those five stations, and lower-density residential development in between them.
“If we can bring populations closer, our transportation systems become much more effective,” Adrianvala said.
A safer Four Corners
The plan explores different ways for pedestrians and cyclists to safely navigate the Four Corners area, which is at the intersection of University Boulevard and Colesville Road and across from Montgomery Blair High. The area is home to numerous eateries, stores and businesses.
Recommendations include seeking “to transition Four Corners from an auto-dominant center into a mixed-use, people-oriented center.” Proposed changes include narrowing University Boulevard between Lorain Avenue and Lexington Drive, adding protected crossings and creating shorter crossing distances for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The plan also recommends further study of creating a more connected network of “town center streets” and large-scale transportation investments.
According to Montgomery Planning’s Complete Streets Design Guide, town center streets are located in small activity centers with lots of pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular traffic. Examples of town center streets in the county include Carroll Avenue in downtown Takoma Park, Century Boulevard in Germantown and Tuckerman Lane near the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro station.
Post-public hearing
Adrianvala said planners understand change can be “a little scary,” but noted that an approved plan acts as a guide for future development and recommendations aren’t implemented immediately.
“What the plans end up doing is it sets the vision,” Adrianvala said. “The community outreach has been done, so it makes life easier” for projects to be implemented.
Following the Feb. 27 public hearing, planners will discuss the community’s testimony with the Planning Board during several work sessions to be held into the spring, according to Adrianvala.
After the work sessions, the board is expected to develop its draft of the corridor plan. Upon approval, which is expected sometime in the summer, that plan is sent to the County Council. The council will hold its public hearing and work sessions before voting on the plan.
Once the council approves a plan, it will be sent to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission for adoption, according to the Montgomery Planning website. The adoption is expected to take place in fall 2025.
