Date/Time
Date(s) - May 27, 2022
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
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THE MAY LAIGW MEETING WILL BE HELD AT CLYDE’S GALLERY PLACE ON FRIDAY, MAY 27 FROM NOON UNTIL 1 PM.
The Wheaton Revitalization Project, a public/private partnership formed between Montgomery County, Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), and a partnership of Stonebridge and Bozzuto transformed a County controlled parking lot and small three-story office building in Wheaton, Maryland into a new 308,000 sf 14-story, highly sustainable mixed-use office building with four-levels of public underground parking. The surface lot was an underutilized land use given its adjacency to a Metro Rail Station and regional mall. To maximize vibrancy, economic vitality and social engagement, a new .75-acre Town Square was delivered that connects the new M-NCPPC office headquarters, Metro Station and regional Mall with this new urban park at its center in Wheaton.
After many years failing to drive a development to transform Wheaton’s urban core, this project launches the revitalization with the influx of 1,000 workers and visitors to the office building. The project consolidated agencies – M-NCPPC, Permitting Services, Environmental Protection that focus on development projects in the County to realize efficiency and synergy.
The project was funded by a unique financial stack that went beyond traditional public capital:
- Built on an existing County parking lot, eliminating land costs.
- Creation of capital for the County through a land swap between M-NCPPC and Montgomery County and then selling that land to the Developers.
- The County used cost savings by vacating space leased from third parties and moving into owned space.
- The project creates a learning lab and showcase of sustainability.
Our speaker is Gwen Wright, Director of the Montgomery County Planning Department of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. In this role, which she has held since 2013, Ms. Wright oversees a wide range of projects that aim to improve the quality of life in Montgomery County by conserving and enhancing the natural and built environment. Montgomery County is one of the largest jurisdictions in Maryland with over 1 million residents and has a key role in the dynamic Washington D.C. metropolitan growth area. Ms. Wright also worked for the Montgomery County Planning Department from 1987 to 2008. During this period, she served as the Chief of Countywide Planning, including supervising the Environmental Planning, Transportation Planning and Historic Preservation Sections, as well as serving as Acting Planning Director.