S/O purple line?

[Anonymous]

I love the ICC, as it's often my own personal road! LOL

great use of tax money . . . And to think that they used some school funds to help build it.

Anonymous wrote:Whatever it is rated, it is a better investment than the ICC - a white elephant from the day it was conceived to the present. MD taxpayers will be footing that bill for generations to come.

The Purple Line, on the other hand, will actually take cars off the road and provide a real service where people already live, work and play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm really surprised to see how much resistance there is to this from Bethesda. I understand anyone who is either displaced from their property or directly in the path of the purple line (such as certain roads in silver spring, where for a long time you'd see anti-purple line signs) objecting to it, but the idea that it's going to fundamentally alter the quality of life in Bethesda seems kind of silly.

You are?

Where have you been, PP!?

If crime increases b/c more and more people have access to snotty Bethesda, property taxes will decline and you'll start seeing people flee. Doesn't that happen everywhere?

So many of these peeps paid top dollar for their little cubes and are freaking out about resale if the area goes downhill.

It's only a matter of time before the "poors" come in!

sound ridiculous - But I know it's true! That's Bethesda for you!

[Anonymous]

There are good reasons for objecting to the current route for the Purple Line. One is the number of mature trees that will be lost and the consequential increase in air pollution, excessive heat, and the loss of shelter for wildlife. Especially with developers allowed to clear-cut as long as they plant a few saplings elsewhere, downcounty needs all the forested land it can get, even in strips.

Another is the increased density of development at Connecticut Avenue and Manor Road. At rush hour, Connecticut Avenue already carries more traffic than it can handle.

Trail users are also disappointed by the proposal to substitute a street-level crossing for the tunnel under Wisconsin Avenue.

For myself, I don't believe the fares will be low enough for "the poors". They'll use buses, as they do now, and will, as usual, be ignored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another is the increased density of development at Connecticut Avenue and Manor Road. At rush hour, Connecticut Avenue already carries more traffic than it can handle.

All the more reason for development near transit, instead of development away from transit.

And you can't have development near transit unless there is transit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
And you can't have development near transit unless there is transit.

Yes, exactly. That's why the Chevy Chase Land Company pushes so hard for the southern route for the Purple Line. It's just odd that so many people fell for the propaganda.

[Anonymous]

The Chevy Chase Land Co. pushed hard for this route of the purple line because the state had already spent money purchasing the Georgetown Branch rail line for the purposes of transit. It therefore makes sense that the transit would be along that route and not another one. As a different PP said above, just because a developer wanted it doesn't make it automatically a bad thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
And you can't have development near transit unless there is transit.

Yes, exactly. That's why the Chevy Chase Land Company pushes so hard for the southern route for the Purple Line. It's just odd that so many people fell for the propaganda.

The "southern route"? I call that "the Georgetown Branch, which Montgomery County specifically bought for the purpose of building rail transit between Bethesda and Silver Spring".

And, just as the fact that a developer supports something doesn't mean it's a good idea, the fact that a developer supports something doesn't mean it's a bad idea either. The population of the region is growing. You can't stop that. All those people have to live somewhere, and get from here to there somehow. Which will add more to traffic on Connecticut Avenue -- transit-oriented development centered around Purple Line stops (and other transit), or car-dependent development in Frederick County?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Well since we live here and pay a shitload in taxes I think we should have a say; you may use the Purple Line but we have to live with it and it's going to adversely affect quality of life. And honestly, why would I want to go to New Carrolton or Lanham or pretty much anything east of Grubb road? Parkway Deli is far enough east for me.

Great, here is a challenge for you while you're deciding which lululemon cami to wear today:

Please give a compelling reason why the county taxes you paid should give your opinion more weight than the opinion of the all the taxpaying Montgomery County residents who support this project.

Also, the lion's share of the funding is federal, state and now maybe private.

Because I will continue to have to pay sky high taxes even though the quailty of life in my neighborhood will be adversely affected by the PL.

God, I'm so sick of this attitude.

News flash: you live in a county that is also a democracy. Your rights are not determined by the amount of taxes you pay. People's opinions and viewpoints are not less valid because they may pay less tax than you.

If you choose to purchase an expensive home, you are making an investment, not getting a guarantee. The county makes decisions based on what's good for all residents, not just a chosen few.

If you want to get away from this, move to Connecticut or New Jersey, where the township model exists and where you can pay REALLY sky high taxes in exchange for the right to have all decisions made on behalf of a small, homogenous group of people.

[Anonymous]

No, the county makes decisions based on political pressure, depending largely on campaign contributions. That's why the developers have so much influence and the people so little.

Sorry to disillusion you, but it's a hard world out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Well since we live here and pay a shitload in taxes I think we should have a say; you may use the Purple Line but we have to live with it and it's going to adversely affect quality of life. And honestly, why would I want to go to New Carrolton or Lanham or pretty much anything east of Grubb road? Parkway Deli is far enough east for me.

Great, here is a challenge for you while you're deciding which lululemon cami to wear today:

Please give a compelling reason why the county taxes you paid should give your opinion more weight than the opinion of the all the taxpaying Montgomery County residents who support this project.

Also, the lion's share of the funding is federal, state and now maybe private.

Because I will continue to have to pay sky high taxes even though the quailty of life in my neighborhood will be adversely affected by the PL.

God, I'm so sick of this attitude.

News flash: you live in a county that is also a democracy. Your rights are not determined by the amount of taxes you pay. People's opinions and viewpoints are not less valid because they may pay less tax than you.

If you choose to purchase an expensive home, you are making an investment, not getting a guarantee. The county makes decisions based on what's good for all residents, not just a chosen few.

If you want to get away from this, move to Connecticut or New Jersey, where the township model exists and where you can pay REALLY sky high taxes in exchange for the right to have all decisions made on behalf of a small, homogenous group of people.

This is why we can't have nice things (like Bethesda).

[Anonymous]

b/c Bethesda is obviously THE only nice place around



What? Are you THAT stupid?




This is why we can't have nice things (like Bethesda).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:b/c Bethesda is obviously THE only nice place around



What? Are you THAT stupid?

This is why we can't have nice things (like Bethesda).


Bethesda is very nice and it's safe too. This my change as the PL makes it more accessible to drunk UMD students and youth gangs. How is this a good thing?

[Anonymous]

UMD students are actually a pretty nice bunch; I live right next door to them and have never had any problems. Most, when not studying, are working to pay off their education.

What I worry about is this: if that train comes in, more people will be able to live near UMD and commute to Bethesda, NIH, etc. Then our traffic and lifestyle and road conditions (why is Mont Co so full of pot holes!) will become as bad as over there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:b/c Bethesda is obviously THE only nice place around



What? Are you THAT stupid?

This is why we can't have nice things (like Bethesda).

Bethesda is very nice and it's safe too. This my change as the PL makes it more accessible to drunk UMD students and youth gangs. How is this a good thing?

Do you idiots realize that the Metro is in Bethesda right now? That people from all over can take the Metro there as we speak? And drive there?

[Anonymous]

Bethesda peeps, explain to me how having the purple line will increase crime. I mean, are people going to commit a robbery and then wait around for a train to make their getaway?

This is such a false argument.

And the one about trees...I mean trees are very important, but so is not paving under arable land in the rural areas for more cul de sacs. The focused density and transit use will more than offset the trees that will be (sadly) lost...and I would expect new trees to be planted anyhow.