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November 28, 2006
REMARKS OF
MICHAEL MCATEER
VICE PRESIDENT, GLENMONT CIVIC ASSOCIATION
PUBLIC HEARING
MONTGOMERY COUNTY COUNCIL
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND
NOVEMBER 28, 2006
I am Michael McAteer, vice president of the Glenmont Civic Association. I am pleased the
T & E Committee directed the Department of Public Works and Transportation to develop an
alternative design for the 1200 car garage planned for the Glenmont residential area. The new
design will have to meet financial constraints.
I hope they come up with a look that masks the garage. As for redesigning the garage, it’s still six
floors of cars, a block long and a block wide. Maybe a designer can make it disappear. I hope so.
The Glenmont Civic Association expects in the coming months that DPWT will seek the
participation of the community in developing a new design. Even though they swore last April that
we would be involved, DPWT forgot. From April to November, we got no call. They only invited
us to a meeting on November 13 to show us the “final” design. That is not community participation.
County Council, please look into this. This is a significant issue for us.
I believe that with regard to the new garage, Montgomery county is between a rock and a hard
place. Here are some facts:
- Glenmont was built around 1950 for returning veterans. It’s has been around a while. It
should get a little respect, not little respect. - Glenmont -- the Metro stop -- is the fourth largest in Montgomery County. Its number
of riders grows 4 percent each year. - Our community is very young, international, with many children, and it’s educated.
People have moved to Glenmont because it is a Metro stop. - I estimate our community parks 2400 cars daily – 1700 in the east side garage and 700
at Metro surface lots, at private lots, and on streets. - Now the county wants to park 1200 more cars in the residential west side, in an area
bordered by houses, a Metro entrance, and Georgia Avenue. People say you’re putting cars
over their sixty year old community.
The 1994 Glenmont sector plan says the green area near the west side entrance is to be used for a
local park, community center, and town houses. You have voted to make that area a parking
garage. Do you remember who signs off on sector plans? Everybody from the County Executive,
County Council, Park and Planning, and community representatives. Does this parking garage mean
that we should disregard all sector plans?
Why doesn’t Montgomery County hold a local meeting in Glenmont, explain your plan, show
pictures, and hear what people say? This has never been done. WMATA held a meeting -- in
Rockville -- in April, but our association only got a three day notice. The larger community never
did hear about it. And speaking of WMATA, why did they hold the meeting? You are our elected
representatives, not WMATA people. Eventually, the community will find out what’s going on. It’s
better to tell them in a meeting than to have them get the information piecemeal by rumor and such.
Get a flyer out. Maybe they’ll support you.
This may interest you: when I was distributing our association flyer recently, which is generating
many letters and e-mail, I told one man, “they are going to build a garage on the green space.” He
said, “Who is?” I said, “Who else, those garage builders.”
My point is this: I don’t think the Council has either communicated with this community about the
garage, nor has the community been given the chance to communicate with you. I know the
community is deeply wounded. You need to hear that yourselves.
Thank you.
.
Remarks by Loretta Swansinger
Member, Glenmont Civic Association
My name is Loretta Swansinger and I live at 12415 Flack St., Wheaton (Glenmont). I have lived
at this address for 37 years and have witnessed many changes during that time. The big one, of
course, was 15 years ago when the construction started for the Glenmont Metro Station. During
those years we literally saw it being built from the ground up. And all we heard during that time
was "the West side" for anything that came along.
Now here we are again with an issue on "the West side". When the metro station was completed
with open land between the west side entrance and Denley Road we were told many things. First,
a day care center would be built there. Than it was a community center. Now, it's a garage and
fire station. Now that the decision is final for a garage why hasn't the community had any input as
to the final design?
It is our community (on the West side) which will be impacted the most. The garage is free
standing and will be sticking out like a sore thumb and the design decided upon fits that description.
I am a member of the Glenmont Civic Association and I have not, as a member, or as a neighbor,
ever received any notice as to meetings concerning this final decision. Now that I have seen all
options I certainly do not approve of the one being voted on. I urge you to put this on hold until
community input is considered.
Thank you.
My name is Laura McAteer and I have been a resident of Glenmont for over 20 years.
I have a question for the County Council: When was this hearing scheduled? We were notified early
evening on November 20.
I would like to state that in my opinion, this is not a public hearing. I was encouraged when we were
told that this Council Meeting was a public hearing and felt that perhaps now the Glenmont Community
could be heard. I was curious, wondering how it was publicized to the community, since at a meeting
with Gary Erenrich on November 13, he described the meeting as a “vote”, not a hearing. When
Delphine Harriston returned the call to confirm that I would be speaking, she said that only five persons
would be speaking. So now you have gone from having the community represented by three people to
having them represented by five! I repeat, this is not a public hearing. However, I do appreciate the
time that was given to us by the T&E Committee yesterday to express our views .
I have come to the conclusion that Montgomery County rules by minority, not majority. Reviewing the
staff analysis from the WMATA Hearing on April 26, I noted that six people favored placement of the
garage on the west side and four of these were either county officials or representatives from the fire
station. Ten persons spoke against the west side placement, and twenty seven favored the east side. By
my calculations, this is thirty seven (37) to two (2)-- I did not count the county officials.
As I stated in my e-mail and letters, there was no community involvement in the design process prior to
the decision being made. We were assured many times and by many people that the “the community will
be involved in improving the appearance of the garage”. This did not happen! The only meeting about
the design about which I was informed was on November 13 and there were three community
representatives present: Greg Eisenstadt, Charles Harris representing the Baptist Church, and myself,
along with Natalie Cantor and Carol McKenzie. Three people are a very small representation of the
Glenmont Community. Everyone present expressed disapproval of the design. We were told that
comments were welcome but that version “A” was going forward for a vote by the T&E Committee and
then the County Council. Comments I have heard included, it’s “ugly”, “looks unfinished”, “looks like
an industrial warehouse with the windows knocked out”, and “looks like a prison.” The
“improvements” consisted of adding a brick design to the tower and the vertical columns. In my
opinion, this is no improvement at all. Community participation does not mean “rubber stamping” a
design that is going forward.
A sign of pride in workmanship is said to be indicated by a signature. Given the unflattering descriptions
of this building, would you be willing to put your names on it—not collectively as the county council, but
individually? After all, you voted for it.
Why the rush? This garage will be around for a long time. Please delay the approval of this design and
allow the community to participate in the design selection process. It is in our community and we are
the ones that have to live with it.
Thank you.
Laura C. McAteer
12407 Flack Street
Silver Spring, MD 20906
301 933-3699
lcmcateer@aol.com