Westbard Storage Moves Building out of the Buffer!
The latest submission from Westbard Storage have moved their proposed self-storage facility out of the stream valley buffer. While this is cause for celebration, there is still much about the building plans that LFWA is not in agreement with.
We are advocating for:
Treatment of surface run-off and vegetative areas that allow the water from the driveways and parking lots to soak into the ground.
The Westbard Storage Facility stormwater management plan relies entirely on roof-top solutions for filtering the water while leaving the surface run-off untreated and flowing directly into the Willett Branch. The primary goal of a good stormwater management plan is to return the water to the ground where it will be cleaned by natural processes and recharge the ground water. While green roofs have a lot of benefit to the environment, returning water to the ground is not one of them. Instead, the water is soaked up by the roof top plants and any excess is channeled into the storm drains.
Wider Pathway into the new Willett Branch Park.
The Sector Plan specifically calls for a welcoming gateway to the new Willett Branch park. The corridor between the building and the McDonald's that leads to the new Park, is only 18 feet wide. There will be a sixty foot wall on one side and the McDonald's retaining wall on the other. We feel this is too narrow to be safe or welcoming. A 24 foot wide path would allow for plantings and a light to enter the area.
The Westbard Storage Facility is the first test of the new Sector Plan and the first building to be approved on the banks of the Willett Branch. We need to get this right.
Please send comments to the Planning staff and Permitting Department. They need to hear from the public that the park is important and we want the best building we can have so that generations of residents can enjoy the new green space.
Department of Permitting Services
Mark Etheridge, mark.etheridge@montgomerycountymd.gov, Manager, Water Resources Plan Review
Montgomery Planning
Elza Hisel-McCoy, elza.hisel-mccoy@montgomeryplanning.org
Our comments from July 2 can be found at http://www.lfwa.org/updates/westbard-self-storage-threatens-stream-buffer While the building has been moved out of the stream buffer, many of the comments are still unaddressed.
Thank you for your support on this,
Sarah Morse
The latest submission from Westbard Storage have moved their proposed self-storage facility out of the stream valley buffer. While this is cause for celebration, there is still much about the building plans that LFWA is not in agreement with.
We are advocating for:
Treatment of surface run-off and vegetative areas that allow the water from the driveways and parking lots to soak into the ground.
The Westbard Storage Facility stormwater management plan relies entirely on roof-top solutions for filtering the water while leaving the surface run-off untreated and flowing directly into the Willett Branch. The primary goal of a good stormwater management plan is to return the water to the ground where it will be cleaned by natural processes and recharge the ground water. While green roofs have a lot of benefit to the environment, returning water to the ground is not one of them. Instead, the water is soaked up by the roof top plants and any excess is channeled into the storm drains.
Wider Pathway into the new Willett Branch Park.
The Sector Plan specifically calls for a welcoming gateway to the new Willett Branch park. The corridor between the building and the McDonald's that leads to the new Park, is only 18 feet wide. There will be a sixty foot wall on one side and the McDonald's retaining wall on the other. We feel this is too narrow to be safe or welcoming. A 24 foot wide path would allow for plantings and a light to enter the area.
The Westbard Storage Facility is the first test of the new Sector Plan and the first building to be approved on the banks of the Willett Branch. We need to get this right.
Please send comments to the Planning staff and Permitting Department. They need to hear from the public that the park is important and we want the best building we can have so that generations of residents can enjoy the new green space.
Department of Permitting Services
Mark Etheridge, mark.etheridge@montgomerycountymd.gov, Manager, Water Resources Plan Review
Montgomery Planning
Elza Hisel-McCoy, elza.hisel-mccoy@montgomeryplanning.org
Our comments from July 2 can be found at http://www.lfwa.org/updates/westbard-self-storage-threatens-stream-buffer While the building has been moved out of the stream buffer, many of the comments are still unaddressed.
Thank you for your support on this,
Sarah Morse
1 comment:
waoo well written post about "Update on Westbard Self Storage"
Thanks,
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