It's time to build housing at the Takoma Metro station

Metro has been trying for over a decade to spur development around the Takoma station in DC, but in the past, opposing neighbors and their elected officials have created years of delay. The project is ready to move forward again, and hopefully, the cycle won’t repeat itself this time. 

Existing conditions at the Takoma Metro station. Image from Google Earth.

What’s the problem?

Since before the turn of the millennium, Metro has planned to redevelop an underused parking lot next to the Takoma station, where parking usage is less than 50% most days. Housing developments on top of or adjacent to Metro stations is hardly controversial; it's a logical idea and part of Metro's development policy to promote them at or near Metro stations in order to make it easy for residents to get around.

In 2000, Metro selected EYA to develop the Takoma station’s parking lot, and the first plan developed in 2006 called for the construction of 90 townhouses. Some local neighbors in Takoma, DC, as well as elected representatives of Takoma Park, MD, opposed the first plan, with groups like Historic Takoma saying the proposal was “too dense.” They also argued that the two-car garages in each townhouse would bring too much traffic.

Some smart growth supporters didn’t think townhouses were unreasonable for an area right by a Metro station, but many did feel such large garages were unnecessary. EYA’s original plan got sidelined by a combination of opposition and the recession, but in 2013 the company drew up a new plan to build a medium-density apartment building between five and seven stories high (but scaling down to four stories at Eastern Avenue) instead, with about 200 units and with fewer parking spaces per unit.

EYA’s revised plan to build apartments by the Takoma Metro station. Image from EYA.

Many neighbors again opposed EYA’s plans, but this time, they had a much more effective online campaign, building and maintaining two separate opposition websites as well as both a Facebook page and Yahoo group. The neighbors also managed to garner support from elected officials this time around.  Complaints about EYA’s proposal are varied, but the theme is evident: “it’s too big and has too much parking.”

The neighbors’ petition cites their concerns over the size of EYA’s proposed building, the loss of green space, and EYA’s use of an above-ground parking garage with the building wrapping around it (rather than underground parking). ANC4B also raised concerns about traffic and said the size of the proposed building violates DC zoning rules for being higher than 50 feet.

Meanwhile, elected officials of Takoma Park also raised concerns about the size of the proposed building, the location of a loading dock for apartment residents, too much parking and that the plan steals public parking spots for the benefit of apartment residents.

Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good

The latest development isn’t perfect, but it’s not terrible either. Looking first at the size, even if the neighbors are technically correct that the proposed building is greater than the underlying zoning, a four-story apartment building abutting Eastern Avenue and adjacent to a Metro station is hardly out of character for the neighborhood. DC law does allow projects (like this one) to go through a process called a Planned Unit Development, which can give a project some latitude, such as to increase density near a Metro station or for affordable housing. That seems like good policy. 

Elevation drawings of EYA’s proposed apartment building. Image from EYA.

The argument that this development will increase parking and traffic is wrong-headed. This development is adjacent to the Takoma station, where people will have to drive less, not more. It does shift a significant number of parking spaces from public to private use, but will retain the number of Metro parking spaces for riders and expands the number of bus bays serving Metro and Montgomery County’s RideOn.

Former Takoma Park Councilmember Seth Grimes represented Takoma Parkers, who border the site and led the charge opposing EYA’s proposal. He told me that Metro and EYA’s motives are good with this project, as he fully supports development around the Takoma station, but he echoed what other neighbors have said: that EYA’s plan is still too focused on parking and encourages car ownership and driving. However, the number of parking spaces has dropped from two per unit in the original plan to 0.7 per unit, and at the same time, the housing that would be available would increase from 90 to 200 homes.

Grimes opined that the size issues could be remedied by either building the parking below ground or by greatly reducing it. “EYA designed a building for 10 years ago as opposed to 10 years in the future,” he remarked.

You can't always get what you want

The irony to all of this is that the neighborhood is struggling to attract businesses to its commercial street where the Takoma station is located. There is some good news in that Starbucks is opening a store in Takoma; even if it does upset some anti-corporate locals, many see it as a positive sign for the neighborhood’s business climate. Heck, despite the announcement by Starbucks to open a store in Takoma, a new local coffee shop announced plans to open nearby too.

But if you walk around Takoma's main street (i.e. Carroll and 4th Streets, DC and Carroll Avenue, MD) you'll find plenty of empty space for lease, including the old Takoma theater - a grand property ripe for reuse. Given Takoma's reluctance to supporting chain businesses, such a result is not unforeseeable. Additionally, Takoma’s historic districts may dissuade developers and businesses from wanting to build and invest here.

As an aside here, it’s richly ironic that Takoma was founded by B.F. Gilbert, a "New York venture capitalist" who is beloved by many of the same neighbors that are leading the charge against EYA. Meanwhile, people in Takoma are clamoring for more shops, restaurants and services. Look here to see how excited the community was for the startup of a local food truck! Gilbert would have probably supported an even larger mixed-use development than what EYA has proposed.

Personally, I think Metro could do even more development at this site by rerouting the buses to the Silver Spring transit center and developing the entire parcel into a larger mixed-use space, but I doubt that the community would support the loss of neighborhood bus service or the loss of the greenspace that is never used. Yet there is a housing crisis in DC and Takoma has a lot of crime that could be decreased with more “eyes on the street.” If only Metro was more ambitious.

More development is coming to Takoma, so let’s stop fighting already

With the recent opening of two new apartment buildings on Willow and Maple Streets, Takoma, like the rest of DC, is growing. Does this mean that we should start building skyscrapers adjacent to the Takoma station? Of course not, but Takoma residents cannot claim to be “progressive” and concerned about gentrification while simultaneously opposing new housing developments around a Metro station on the basis of zoning technicalities.

The effects of such diametrically opposed views results in pushing new development outside DC, which increases traffic and sprawl, and only isolates lower-income people from the jobs they need to make a living. While opposing activists may have slowed this development, with the support of other neighbors, the WMATA board approved it so it is now a question of when, not if. I spoke with Jack Lester from EYA and he confirmed that the project is still moving forward as EYA and WMATA work out some of the finer details.

But how do we thread the needle so that Takomans get more shops, restaurants and services while retaining the small-town feel (i.e. no significant traffic increase)? It’s not rocket science and a lesson for all business districts: increased density = more people living in the area = more demand for more local shops and services = more supply of local shops and services.

What is most perplexing to me is that much of the opposition to this development appears to be coming from Takoma Park even though the development sits in Takoma, which, again, is in DC. Takoma Park is an extremely progressive community that has laws protecting trees, bans on styrofoam containers and is the only rent control municipality in Maryland.

How can a community that cares so much about the environment and those who are less fortunate be so opposed to increasing the amount of available housing (some of which will be reserved for people who are at or below the poverty line), increasing the number of people who live close to public transportation (which supports Metro’s future) and are thereby unlikely to drive very much (which is better for the environment)?

In a Washington City Paper article about this whole ordeal, there was an interesting comment that may provide some insight. It reads:

There's an in increasingly common NIMBY strategy to pretend that what you’re really fighting is evil developers. Complaining about the future residents can come off too classist or racist, but complain about the developers who enable those “others” to move in is supposedly going to convince us that the NIMBYs are pure hearted.

Developers wouldn't be interested if they couldn't find a buyer. They are merely agents for the future residents. There is no isolating your objections against "developers' greed" and your objections to the people that simply want a place to live near where you have found a place to live.

What do you think? Does this sounds like what is happening in Takoma or does the opposition raise some valid concerns?

Cross posted at Greater Greater Washington

Dog owners want a dog park at the Takoma Recreation Center, but not everyone supports it.

A non-profit organization of Takoma neighbors called the Northern Ward 4 Dog Park Group (the Dog Park Group) has been trying since 2011 to build a dog park on land of the Takoma Recreation Center (the TRC).  But another community-based organization - known as the Friends of Takoma Recreation Center (the Friends Group) - is opposed to building a dog park at the current location (3rd and Underwood Streets) and anywhere else around the TRC.

Satellite view of proposed location of dog park

Last week the Friends Group, established in 1997, held a quarterly meeting and opposition to the Dog Park Group was on their agenda.  Because the Friends' Group meeting was public, some members of the Dog Park Group attended to listen to concerns.  I was in attendance too.  The Dog Park Group is composed of neighbors from Takoma, Brightwood, Manor Park and Shepherd Park.  The Friends Group meeting was initially cordial when the focus of the meeting was on providing equal access to the tennis courts at the TRC and other administrative matters to manage the TRC more efficiently.

But the Friends Group cordial attitude changed when it turned its attention to the Dog Park Group's application to build a dog park at the TRC.  At this point John Stokes, the Deputy Director for the DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), was also present to listen to the discussion.  Mr. Stokes obviously knew the issues well and was mostly there to listen to the Friends Group.  The Friends Group was critical of DPR's process; specifically that DPR's process was flawed.

DPR's Dog Park Process - Input or Comment?

As argued by the Friends Group, DPR's current application process provides local residents with 30-days to comment on an application to build a dog park but this occurs after DPR receives an application and selects a site to build the dog park.  Despite the fact that the Friends Group were able to organize an opposition petition during the comment period, members of the Friends Group complained to DPR that they should be given the opportunity to provide input for the site selection of any proposed dog park at the TRC.  As noted by Mr. Stokes at the meeting, DPR's process has worked well for every other dog park application in DC (12 and counting) since the rules were written in 2005, but apparently the Friends Group felt the process is flawed and unfair.

At this point some members of the Dog Park Group noted that the Friends Group repeatedly refused to engage with the Dog Park Group when offered the chance to provide input.  The Dog Park Group allegedly has proof of their attempts to engage the Friends Group.  The Dog Park Group also delivered info sheets to neighbors surrounding the TRC.  In addition, the Dog Park Group noted that the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC-4B) held a special meeting about the Dog Park Group's proposed application and included members of ANC-4A, DPR, the DC Department of Health, the Washington Humane Society and representatives from the Brightwood and Manor Park community associations.  DPR's regulations do not require that applications have a formal letter of support from their local ANC per se, but such a letter of support is persuasive to DPR.  ANC-4B ultimately provided a formal letter of support based upon a vote of its members.

Does Takoma need a Dog Park?

As noted in its application, many of the Dog Park Group's members live up to three miles away from the nearest dog park.  The Dog Park Group was able to garner the largest number of signatures for any dog park application that DPR has ever seen, and the TRC zip code has the second-largest number of registered dogs in DC.  The Dog Park Group also stated in their application that the TRC has over six (6) acres of unused or underused space, which is quite a luxury in DC but not surprising since the TRC is about 17 acres in size.  The Dog Park Group asked DPR to build a dog park that would be around 10,000 square feet in size, which is not terribly large when compared to other dog parks throughout DC (e.g. the Shaw dog park is 13,500 square feet in a much more dense neighborhood).

It would seem that there are plenty of reasons for DPR to build this dog park.  There are lots of nearby registered dog owners, strong community desire as evidenced by the Dog Park Group's petition, a formal ANC resolution of support and a DPR site that can clearly provide the space needed to build the dog park.  So why is the Friends Group opposing it?  Is it really about the DPR process?  I spoke with a few people after the Friends Group meeting and heard a few comments that suggested otherwise - for example, that dog parks smell, that they're noisy, and one long-standing local resident said this opposition was really about gentrification.  Nobody I spoke with from the Friends Group suggested that there are better locations in Takoma - just that a dog park is wrong for the TRC.  But there's no denying that the current proposed site location is directly across the street from a group of houses on 3rd Street, NW.

Closeup view of proposed dog park location and nearby houses.

In the end, however, the Friends Group got the special treatment they asked for - Mr. Stokes not only agreed to extend the comment period for an additional 30-days, he even promised that DPR would hold a special meeting of its own about the proposed dog park.  What do you think?  Is this fair to the Dog Park Group who followed DPR's rules?  Does Takoma need a dog park?

Town and gown are clashing over proposed development in Takoma Park

Montgomery County's rapidly-growing community college, Montgomery College, wants to expand its northern Takoma Park campus. A number of Takoma Park residents don't like the idea, and are pushing for the college to expand in nearby Silver Spring instead.

Montgomery College sits partially in Takoma Park (inside the red line) and partially in Silver Spring.

Image from Google Maps.

With three campuses in Takoma Park, Rockville and Germantown, Montgomery College serves more than 60,000 students a year, a number that's growing quickly. Its first campus was built in northern Takoma Park in 1950, and in 2004 it expanded by adding new buildings in Silver Spring.

The college's board of trustees recently approved a new Facilities Master Plan for 2013-2023. The Master Plan is full of proposals and ideas for the Takoma Park campus, such as a new math and science center building, a new health and fitness center, and a new library. According to the plan, Montgomery College's Takoma Park campus has more capacity constraints and "obsolete or dysfunctional existing structures" than Rockville and Germantown.

The plan notes that enrollment has increased 18% over the past five years and is projected to increase another 27% by 2023. All of those additional students will need space for classes and laboratories. In order to achieve greater square footage without acquiring any new land, the plan calls for taller, wider buildings to replace the current ones, which are mostly smaller, two-story structures built to blend into the residential character of northern Takoma Park.

All of that has the college wanting to expand the Takoma Park campus, to the tune of over 56,000 square feet.

	Renovation	New Construction	Demolition	New Growth
Takoma Park/Silver Spring	9,295	170,532	(113,983)	56,549

In the image below, the six buildings colored in yellow are those planned to be demolished and rebuilt, while the orange building is planned for renovation. It's worth noting that the college's daycare center (located on the right side and noted by the letters "DC") will be closed with no plans to reopen, meaning students with kids and some local parents will need to find a new childcare option.

Maps from the Montgomery College Facilities Master Plan.

Neighbors are opposed, but the college says it can address concerns

At a Takoma Park City Council meeting on January 20, 2016, Montgomery College Takoma Park campus provost and vice president Brad Stewart described the draft master plan to both residents and the council.

According to Historic Takoma, a non-profit organization founded to preserve the heritage of Takoma Park, MD and the Takoma Park neighborhood of DC, the college agreed in writing in 2002 to consult with neighbors and the City Council on any proposed plans that could impact the neighborhood. While Mr. Mr. Stewart claims that two neighborhood discussions about the plan occurred (one in Takoma Park and one in Rockville), neighbors of the college claim that nobody told them.

Members of the City Council sided with the college's neighbors and chided Mr. Stewart about what they said was a lack of coordination on the college's part. Neighbors also complained that the larger, wider buildings contemplated in the master plan would be more appropriately located on the western side of its campus, which borders an urban, commercially zoned area on Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring.

Mr. Stewart tried his best to allay concerns, noting that that Master Plan is not the final document with regard to actual design and construction. He assured the City Council that additional outreach will be done the school hires architects and starts considering building designs.

Regarding the building heights, Mr. Stewart responded that the college's architects heard neighborhood concerns and created setbacks on the top floors of buildings facing neighboring homes.

You can watch residents raise their concerns at the City Council meeting here, beginning around 13:20, with Mr. Stewart's presentation to the City Council starting around 2:02:00.

Residents and the college have clashed before

As noted above, during the January 20th City Council meeting a few local residents alleged that the college failed to conduct adequate consultation with the local community. But deeply embedded in the Master Plan is a section discussing the college's relations with its Takoma Park neighbors that brings into question whether opposing residents' demands about community involvement are reasonable.

Here's the critical part: "New development proposals on the Takoma Park side of Campus are nonetheless still opposed by a vocal minority of neighbors, who insist that the College shift all development to the Silver Spring side of Campus, or acquire new properties along Fenton Street and locate College programs there."

Jokingly referred to as "The People's Republic of Takoma Park," the neighborhood has a rich history as a community that is unafraid to challenge moneyed and other powerful interests. A recent blog post by Granola Park explains that in the 1970s the college sought to condemn and demolish 22 adjacent Takoma Park homes for new school buildings, but neighbors fought and won against the college.

Silver Spring development could be in Montgomery College's future

Interestingly, and perhaps as a result of repeated neighborhood opposition, the Master Plan does gesture towards future development on the Silver Spring side of the campus. The following map shows possible expansion sites:

Three of the four lots above are rather sterile space. The two on the east side of the railroad tracks are a combination of storage buildings, auto body shops and local rental car companies. One lot on the west side of the railroad tracks is a parking lot owned by the college's foundation and the remaining one abuts Jesup Blair Park where the college built a walkway to cross the railroad tracks and connect the campus.

Future expansion into Silver Spring would activate this space and make it more pedestrian oriented, which is great since the college is only six blocks from the Silver Spring Metro station and abuts the planned Met Branch Trail. But all of this would require the college to acquire these lots and then redevelop them, which is more costly and would take longer than to simply redevelop the buildings they currently own.

Do Historic Designations Hinder Takoma's Future?

During the course of some recent dialogue on my prior post about losing Trohv, an interesting question arose:  Should a house located in the Takoma Park, DC or Takoma Park, MD historic district retain its historic status if the owner(s) modified it in such a way as to hide or remove the historic qualities that made it historic in the first place?

Luckily, there are a few examples lining the commercial Takoma Park, DC corridor:

Here's the trio of businesses La Mano Coffee Bar, Takoma Station Barber and Spicy Delight hiding two historic homes:

The next historic house has been converted into the Hilltop Hostel (on the right) and retains its original character, but next to it are another trio of businesses/organizations hiding two historic houses - Seekers Church, Electric Maid Community Exchange and Friedrich's Modern Cleaners (dry cleaning and laundry):

And finally there are two historic houses behind the Torchinsky Hebrew Funeral Home (noted by the red circles because the Google street view didn't show the houses):

All of these houses are located in the Takoma Park, DC historic district, yet most of them are hidden from public view (save the Hilltop Hostel) by the storefronts that were added at some point or another - I'm guessing before the official designation by DC in 1980.  

There's no question that Takoma Park's historic districts are both beautiful and desirable, but does anyone really believe that the houses noted above represent their historic nostalgia behind the storefronts that now hide them?  The first question to ask is what makes a house or neighborhood historic?  Urban Land Institute Senior Resident Fellow Ed McMahon explains that "historic buildings tell us who we are and where we came from."

Also, in a recent academic paper on the topic of the effects of historic districts on local housing markets in New York City, the authors state the purpose of preservation policies is to "preserve the aesthetic beauty or amenity level of a neighborhood and minimize the risks that new investment will undermine the distinctive character of an area."  

Don't get me wrong, I believe the diverse stock of historic homes in both DC and MD make Takoma Park the envy of many other neighborhoods around the metro DC area.  But it's unclear to me that the small inventory and high prices of houses in Takoma Park is due to their historic designations or the fact that many of them are so close to the Takoma Metro station, although I'm leaning towards the latter fact.  Yet looking at these pictures doesn't give me the impression of Takoma Park, DC being a historic neighborhood because the beautiful Victorian-era houses are hidden from view behind non-historic storefronts on Takoma Park's most visible main street of commerce.

Meanwhile, DC has a housing affordability crisis and all of these homes/businesses are a short walking distance from the nearby Takoma Metro station.  All of this land could be redeveloped into one or more mixed-use buildings that would increase the supply of local housing, including some units being reserved for people that can't afford the rent.  But don't take my word for it - some scholars believe that  historic preservation requirements can limit the supply of new housing and hinder developers’ responses to increases in demand.

In sum, to answer the question posed at the beginning of this post, I believe that all of these houses (and their land) - save the Hilltop Hostel - should no longer be designated as historic unless the storefronts are removed and the houses are returned to their original appearance, which means that a developer should be able to purchase any or all of these houses and develop them without the noose that a historic designation brings with it.  

Maybe then we could lure Trader Joe's to open a store in Takoma as part of a large mixed-use development so close to Metro.

What do you think?

We lost Trohv, but gained an opportunity!

Main Street Takoma recently announced that Takoma's beloved upscale furniture and good store Trohv is closing due to lack of business.  It's a sad day when any company is forced to close down for lack of business, but especially so when it's a local one or quasi local like Trohv (they also have a shop in Baltimore).  According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), about half of all new businesses survive five years or more and about one-third survive 10 years of more, so survival is not a given by any means.

But ever the optimist we see the loss of Trohv as an opportunity for Takoma.  As we noted in a prior post, the population around the Takoma Metro station is about to grow by another 604-1812 people.  As shown in the map below, the building that housed Trohv is well suited for demolition and/or development - it's a single story building with a parking lot that is one-block from the Takoma Metro station.  

Map of block on Carroll St with outline of lots for Trohv and Torchinsky Hebrew funeral home

No offense to the dead here, but a smart developer would also attempt to buy the neighboring lot which is the Torchinsky Hebrew funeral home.  We're not sure how much business Ms. Torchinsky has these days, but what she most certainly has is a prime location and a sizable plot of land.  Anyone who frequents this block of Carroll Street can see the potential for housing and other mixed-uses so close to a Metro station. Hopefully the DC Office of Planning sees this too and is working to increase the supply of housing in an otherwise unaffordable city.

What would you like to see built in this part of Takoma?

The Battle for the Future of Takoma

Recently a Takoma neighborhood email distro list exploded when it was announced by our local business chamber that Starbucks is considering whether to open a store near the Takoma metro station.  Some people decried that Takoma should not follow Silver Spring and Bethesda by inviting national stores to compete against its small, but fiercely independent stores that already sell coffee, such as La Mano coffee bar, Busboys and Poets, and Capital City Cheesecake.  The whole ordeal got me wondering why some people rejoice or recoil when a national (or more likely international) business like Starbucks decides to open a store in their neighborhood.  It’s certainly true that adding a Starbucks in Takoma will put some pressure on other locally-owned coffee/food shops, but I think the concerns are overblown and also fail to recognize the changes that are coming in Takoma as I will discuss below.  

As many locals know, the DC border runs clear through Takoma separating the two jurisdictions.  People living in DC tend to say they live in Takoma, while Marylanders actually reside in the City of Takoma Park, but for purposes of this post I will simply refer to both areas as Takoma as many locals already do.  I am rather new to living in Takoma and I am no historian, but I have read with great interest how the Takoma community fought, wailed and gnashed its teeth when Subway, CVS and an ACE hardware store moved into the area.  I regularly walk to the CVS and ACE to pick up things rather than getting into my car just to save 5-10% at a larger suburban store.  And while I do not eat at Subway, it must be doing enough business to stay afloat in Takoma or how could they afford to pay the rent.

Map of DC/MD border running through Takoma

Takoma is, like many areas of DC, gentrifying with new residents.  Over the past few years numerous new businesses have sprung up around the main street that runs through Takoma (Carroll Street in DC and Carroll Avenue in MD), including the aforementioned stores and others like Republic (which is part of the local Black’s restaurant group), Roscoe’s pizzeria, Kin Da restaurant, Tabletop goods, etc.  I’m sure that I forgot others, but hopefully you get the point.  Along with all those businesses Takoma has become more expensive than it used to be.  For example, one-bedroom apartments at the swanky new Takoma Central start at $1,730 a month, which is on par with apartments in downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring.  Housing prices in Takoma have also catapulted as of late, with median list prices of $495,000 in DC and $625,000 in MD (in the historic district which spans most of the DC border).  

Developers have clearly taken notice of Takoma’s desirability and multiple buildings near the Takoma metro station are in various stages of development.  The aforementioned Takoma Central brought 150 units, while two new buildings on Maple and Willow streets are currently being constructed and will bring 102 units.  Other developments happening include apartments on Spring Place, NW, which will bring 142 units and the very controversial EYA project next to the Takoma metro station, which will bring 210 units.  In other words, Takoma is booming and will house another 604-1812 people (based upon a mix of 1-3 bedroom units) all nearby the metro station, which will surely increase demand for local shops, restaurants and services.  

Many of those new residents of Takoma will want to grab a coffee/tea on their way to work or want to meetup with a friend for coffee/tea after work.  While the current selection of Takoma stores to grab coffee/tea is great, Starbucks clearly noticed all of the ongoing/planned development and thinks there is room for them too.  Whether you love or hate Starbucks, you can’t argue with their logic and I think the current independent stores will continue to thrive in Takoma either way.  What do you think?  Will the Starbucks effect do more harm than good in Takoma?