Note: Over the past few months our group has held several meetings with EDENS and the County to discuss the future of Burtonsville. Over the next couple weeks, we will be posting summaries of all the meetings. A few days ago, we posted a summary of our first meeting with EDENS, the developer/owner of Burtonsville Crossing. Be the first to find out about our progress by signing up for our email updates.

On December 6 of last year, the members of the “Build a Better Burtonsville” group held our first meeting with Marc Elrich, who was inaugurated only three days earlier as the new Montgomery County Executive. Elrich was accompanied by Special Project Director Tina Benjamin and three of his his aides, Dale Tibbits, Debbie Spielberg, and Claire Iseli.

The meeting was very positive: Elrich and his staff were receptive to our expressed a willingness to collaborate with the both local community and with EDENS to find a solution that benefits all stakeholders.

Local community members Don Chamberlin and Carmen Jenkins began the meeting by summarizing our outreach activities in summer/fall 2018 and outlining our suggestions for encouraging revitalization of Burtonsville:

• Direct the County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) to determine the feasibility of a parking garage to encourage use of the commuter parking lot, free up more space for amenities, and promote redevelopment.
• Pursue options for financing the aforementioned parking garage, such as state funding.
• Assign a qualified and empowered project manager to coordinate the redevelopment effort and interface between the developer, elected officials, the public, and various agencies.
• Assist in our efforts for short-term programming and placemaking by assigning staff to help with the permitting/liability issues and providing community grants to sponsor such events.
• Coordinate with MCDOT and state officials to consider a “road diet” for Old Route 29 to improve road safety, promote walkability, and free up land for more productive use.

Elrich was receptive to all the suggestions above and agreed to have his staff follow up on them. We will be providing updates on them as we make progress.

Want to be more involved in our efforts? Be the first to find out about upcoming meetings by filling out the volunteer signup form.