Schools near metro will get more housing without overcrowding relief

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The county needs more housing without more traffic; this is a win. MCPS needs to better use the capacity they have; that's on the BOE. Or something like that.

What makes you think there will not be more traffic? That is simply not true.

Higher density means MORE traffic. More housing leads to more cars and that leads to more traffic.

No, higher density means less traffic. Because you can get where you need to go without driving and parking.

NYC is very high density. There is a a TON of traffic.

Montgomery County has increased density over the past decade. Definitely more traffic in MoCo than there was a decade ago.

Higher density means more people. More traffic.

Are you serious? Half of the households in New York City don't even own a car.

Are you serious? As if building more housing in Montgomery County will somehow lead to fewer cars. BS.

Fewer cars per capita.

[Anonymous]

The planning dept has long since given up on mcps managing their house properly.

DCUM understands and sympathizes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The planning dept has long since given up on mcps managing their house properly.

DCUM understands and sympathizes.

What BS. Planning means the planning officials are supposed to take existing information and actually plan, not ignore.

[Anonymous]

Why is the state taking away local communities’ voices? If we have overcrowding at our schools (and we already do) why can’t that be considered? I’m not saying we don’t need more housing but let’s be smart about this. This is such short sighted, single issue only governing. Good urban planning takes multiple factors into account. This is bill just smells of developers money and will ultimately put more pressure on our already strained community.

[Anonymous]

The smart thing for the county to do is build school capacity to meet anticipated demand. When the county can’t grow because it hasn’t built enough schools, MCPS and the county council have failed.

This isn’t all on MCPS. The county council has repeatedly gutted school funding — especially in urban areas where high-density development is concentrated — by lowering impact fees that developers pay to add school capacity. The fees had been set so that each new development paid roughly the amount of money required to add the capacity needed for that development, but the council has cut the fees because it prioritizes developer profit over building schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The county needs more housing without more traffic; this is a win. MCPS needs to better use the capacity they have; that's on the BOE. Or something like that.

This is either a troll response or someone with no kids in MCPS. First of all, there is a baked-in assumption that mixed-income and low-income housing residents don't own cars if they are walking distance to public transportation. As a result, new buildings often have far fewer parking spaces than they do units. However, the assumptions here are not actually true, particularly post-covid. All of the amenities that make it possible for white collar professionals to comfortably work from home and have their take-out, groceries, and office supplies delivered to their door? Those are all brought by residents of multi-family dwellings using their own personal vehicles. In the gig economy, a working class family needs a car, and needs somewhere to park it.

Further, in most of these neighborhoods, there is no capacity to use. Schools at all levels are giving up playground and outdoor space to make room for portable classrooms. The failure of our municipal/county leadership to work with MCPS to deal with these issues is not only troubling, but ultimately will damage any nascent YIMBY movement that would have otherwise developed.

Basically, the YIMBY approach in MoCo is one of "heightening the differences." Rather than making things better for everyone by building enough parking or working with the school district to absorb capacity, the approach is to make everyone so miserable that they start riding public transportation because the roads are so gridlocked with InstaCart drivers that regular residents can't get out of the neighborhoods.

Right because no MCPS parent could possibly have a different opinion from your own. Must be a troll.

How old are your kids? We have many neighbors who are very pro-development, partly because they truly are concerned about the lack of affordable housing, partly because they’re desperate to walk to a coffee shop. But I noticed they all have kids that are either in high school or college already. They won’t be affected by the lack of new school infrastructure. My kids are young and our ES is 10 years old and already over capacity. MS is similarly overcrowded, and we all know it’s a problem at most of the DCC high schools. When the new proposed development adjacent to our neighborhood is built, and others like it, where are the kids supposed to go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The smart thing for the county to do is build school capacity to meet anticipated demand. When the county can’t grow because it hasn’t built enough schools, MCPS and the county council have failed.

This isn’t all on MCPS. The county council has repeatedly gutted school funding — especially in urban areas where high-density development is concentrated — by lowering impact fees that developers pay to add school capacity. The fees had been set so that each new development paid roughly the amount of money required to add the capacity needed for that development, but the council has cut the fees because it prioritizes developer profit over building schools.

Agree! This is so frustrating. I completely understand the need for housing but developers need to pay their share otherwise it falls on taxpayers. The council needs to take care of their constituents not just their PAC donors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The planning dept has long since given up on mcps managing their house properly.

DCUM understands and sympathizes.

What BS. Planning means the planning officials are supposed to take existing information and actually plan, not ignore.

MPCS repeatedly ignores overcrowding. Planning got tired of waiting for them to adjust to the reality on the ground.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is the state taking away local communities’ voices? If we have overcrowding at our schools (and we already do) why can’t that be considered? I’m not saying we don’t need more housing but let’s be smart about this. This is such short sighted, single issue only governing. Good urban planning takes multiple factors into account. This is bill just smells of developers money and will ultimately put more pressure on our already strained community.

What's the state doing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The planning dept has long since given up on mcps managing their house properly.

DCUM understands and sympathizes.

What BS. Planning means the planning officials are supposed to take existing information and actually plan, not ignore.

MPCS repeatedly ignores overcrowding. Planning got tired of waiting for them to adjust to the reality on the ground.

I believe this. My kids were in overcrowded schools for ES and MS, and now HS. MCPS either is incapable of doing any real planning - the overcrowding isn't new or a surprise, and they do nothing

[Anonymous]

Nobody will want to live here once they raise property taxes to cover the developer subsidies so that the problem will be solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery County legislators are pushing a bill that would put more housing near metro without concern for overcrowding of schools.

https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2024/02/moco-legislators-pushing-bill-that-will.html

Well Metro has a HUGE budget shortfall (I mean, so many fare avoiders!) that it has threatened to decrease service.

How is that going to work out when they cut lines and close stops?

Metro has a huge budget shortfall because Virginia and Maryland have not yet contributed their funding. If Metro had its own funding source, we wouldn't have to go through this song-and-dance all the time. Don't want Metro to cut lines and close stops? Tell your state legislators to fund Metro.

+1. And for MoCo the Metro needs to expand. The last train stop is Shady Grove, yet half the county lives above that. Bus service is those areas is not the same frequency as lower MoCo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The county needs more housing without more traffic; this is a win. MCPS needs to better use the capacity they have; that's on the BOE. Or something like that.

This is either a troll response or someone with no kids in MCPS. First of all, there is a baked-in assumption that mixed-income and low-income housing residents don't own cars if they are walking distance to public transportation. As a result, new buildings often have far fewer parking spaces than they do units. However, the assumptions here are not actually true, particularly post-covid. All of the amenities that make it possible for white collar professionals to comfortably work from home and have their take-out, groceries, and office supplies delivered to their door? Those are all brought by residents of multi-family dwellings using their own personal vehicles. In the gig economy, a working class family needs a car, and needs somewhere to park it.

Further, in most of these neighborhoods, there is no capacity to use. Schools at all levels are giving up playground and outdoor space to make room for portable classrooms. The failure of our municipal/county leadership to work with MCPS to deal with these issues is not only troubling, but ultimately will damage any nascent YIMBY movement that would have otherwise developed.

Basically, the YIMBY approach in MoCo is one of "heightening the differences." Rather than making things better for everyone by building enough parking or working with the school district to absorb capacity, the approach is to make everyone so miserable that they start riding public transportation because the roads are so gridlocked with InstaCart drivers that regular residents can't get out of the neighborhoods.

Not only is it less parking than units, it’s as if they somehow think none of the residents will ever have guest who travel by car.

And as for free space in the schools, MCPS already has several boundary studies in the works/planned and BOE member talking about needing to use that space. However, there is not enough free space to account for all the overcrowding that currently exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery County legislators are pushing a bill that would put more housing near metro without concern for overcrowding of schools.

https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2024/02/moco-legislators-pushing-bill-that-will.html

Well Metro has a HUGE budget shortfall (I mean, so many fare avoiders!) that it has threatened to decrease service.

How is that going to work out when they cut lines and close stops?

Metro has a huge budget shortfall because Virginia and Maryland have not yet contributed their funding. If Metro had its own funding source, we wouldn't have to go through this song-and-dance all the time. Don't want Metro to cut lines and close stops? Tell your state legislators to fund Metro.

+1. And for MoCo the Metro needs to expand. The last train stop is Shady Grove, yet half the county lives above that. Bus service is those areas is not the same frequency as lower MoCo.

I'm skeptical that anyone lives out there. As to the shortfall, just stop people from gate jumping. Half the people I see don't even pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The county needs more housing without more traffic; this is a win. MCPS needs to better use the capacity they have; that's on the BOE. Or something like that.

This is either a troll response or someone with no kids in MCPS. First of all, there is a baked-in assumption that mixed-income and low-income housing residents don't own cars if they are walking distance to public transportation. As a result, new buildings often have far fewer parking spaces than they do units. However, the assumptions here are not actually true, particularly post-covid. All of the amenities that make it possible for white collar professionals to comfortably work from home and have their take-out, groceries, and office supplies delivered to their door? Those are all brought by residents of multi-family dwellings using their own personal vehicles. In the gig economy, a working class family needs a car, and needs somewhere to park it.

Further, in most of these neighborhoods, there is no capacity to use. Schools at all levels are giving up playground and outdoor space to make room for portable classrooms. The failure of our municipal/county leadership to work with MCPS to deal with these issues is not only troubling, but ultimately will damage any nascent YIMBY movement that would have otherwise developed.

Basically, the YIMBY approach in MoCo is one of "heightening the differences." Rather than making things better for everyone by building enough parking or working with the school district to absorb capacity, the approach is to make everyone so miserable that they start riding public transportation because the roads are so gridlocked with InstaCart drivers that regular residents can't get out of the neighborhoods.

Right because no MCPS parent could possibly have a different opinion from your own. Must be a troll.

How old are your kids? We have many neighbors who are very pro-development, partly because they truly are concerned about the lack of affordable housing, partly because they’re desperate to walk to a coffee shop. But I noticed they all have kids that are either in high school or college already. They won’t be affected by the lack of new school infrastructure. My kids are young and our ES is 10 years old and already over capacity. MS is similarly overcrowded, and we all know it’s a problem at most of the DCC high schools. When the new proposed development adjacent to our neighborhood is built, and others like it, where are the kids supposed to go?

My kids are in early elementary. I just have a different view from you. My neighborhood is near a metro and will be affected. I still think it's the right thing to do.