Well designed “Town Center” ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The faux "town centers" pale in comparison to any average new england village with a town green built on a solid grid network of streets.

It is so sad what we have come to "appreciate" with public gathering spaces in our society.

Can you name some of this New England Villages, for visiting purposes.

Bar Harbor, ME is the most common and accessible.

[Anonymous]

We don’t have towns so you can’t really have a town center. They’re just mini malls.

[Anonymous]

In addition to the (now old) renovation of downtown Silver Spring, they've done a nice job with downtown Rockville, which offers a good combination of housing and offices (including the county offices) and restaurants and public space and amenities (the library) and a little retail and Metro access, and isn't just a new-format shopping mall with a faux town built around it.

Pike and Rose falls into the latter category. Lots of chain shopping and restaurants (not that i'm turning up my nose at that....), but limited public space and (unlike Rockville) poor access to public transportation. It's incredible that Montgomery County would allow the developers to increase the density of that land so dramatically without improving the (life-threatening) access across Rockville Pike to the "North Bethesda" Metro stop. Auto-only access also limits the appeal of otherwise decent Crown/Rio and Kentlands "town centers" in Gaithersburg.

Does Montgomery County have any plans to revamp downtown Wheaton more comprehensively? There's lots of commercial activity there, but man it looks shabby ....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In addition to the (now old) renovation of downtown Silver Spring, they've done a nice job with downtown Rockville, which offers a good combination of housing and offices (including the county offices) and restaurants and public space and amenities (the library) and a little retail and Metro access, and isn't just a new-format shopping mall with a faux town built around it.

Pike and Rose falls into the latter category. Lots of chain shopping and restaurants (not that i'm turning up my nose at that....), but limited public space and (unlike Rockville) poor access to public transportation. It's incredible that Montgomery County would allow the developers to increase the density of that land so dramatically without improving the (life-threatening) access across Rockville Pike to the "North Bethesda" Metro stop. Auto-only access also limits the appeal of otherwise decent Crown/Rio and Kentlands "town centers" in Gaithersburg.

Does Montgomery County have any plans to revamp downtown Wheaton more comprehensively? There's lots of commercial activity there, but man it looks shabby ....

The Crown / Rio is infinitely more appealing than Rockville Town Center or Silver Spring. It’s lack of proximity to Metro is more than made up by its walkability, integration of green spaces, etc.

One Loudoun is actually not as objectionable as I would have assumed. Some of those townhomes around there that look like Brownstones are legitimately nice. Park Potomac in Maryland has similar high end townhomes and is also really well done and not overbearingly cheesy like some town centers are. It has a decent mix of restaurants and retail as well.

[Anonymous]

Silver Spring town center has a fine design, the problem is that the socioeconomic and demographics of SS can't support it actually being good (like all the restaurants are subpar, stores tend to be trashy and constantly rotating, random crime in the afternoon, etc).

Mosaic definitely does a better job as a town center, which is ironic because it is not really a town center at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Silver Spring town center has a fine design, the problem is that the socioeconomic and demographics of SS can't support it actually being good (like all the restaurants are subpar, stores tend to be trashy and constantly rotating, random crime in the afternoon, etc).

Mosaic definitely does a better job as a town center, which is ironic because it is not really a town center at all.

Mosaic needs to be just expanded a lot all the way to the metro so it starts feeling cohesive. Right now that area remains a mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In addition to the (now old) renovation of downtown Silver Spring, they've done a nice job with downtown Rockville, which offers a good combination of housing and offices (including the county offices) and restaurants and public space and amenities (the library) and a little retail and Metro access, and isn't just a new-format shopping mall with a faux town built around it.

Pike and Rose falls into the latter category. Lots of chain shopping and restaurants (not that i'm turning up my nose at that....), but limited public space and (unlike Rockville) poor access to public transportation. It's incredible that Montgomery County would allow the developers to increase the density of that land so dramatically without improving the (life-threatening) access across Rockville Pike to the "North Bethesda" Metro stop. Auto-only access also limits the appeal of otherwise decent Crown/Rio and Kentlands "town centers" in Gaithersburg.

Does Montgomery County have any plans to revamp downtown Wheaton more comprehensively? There's lots of commercial activity there, but man it looks shabby ....

Pike and Rose seems more successful redevelopment than Rockville Town center when you compare how many people it attracts.
I think another exit is proposed for North Bethesda metro stop near Pick and Rose.

[Anonymous]

Pike and Rose seems more successful redevelopment than Rockville Town center when you compare how many people it attracts.

No, you're confusing what makes a 'town center' successful as a shopping mall (which Pike and Rose essentially is, and Rockville definitely isn't) with what makes one a successful and sustainable community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Pike and Rose seems more successful redevelopment than Rockville Town center when you compare how many people it attracts.

No, you're confusing what makes a 'town center' successful as a shopping mall (which Pike and Rose essentially is, and Rockville definitely isn't) with what makes one a successful and sustainable community.

Define “sustainable.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Pike and Rose seems more successful redevelopment than Rockville Town center when you compare how many people it attracts.

No, you're confusing what makes a 'town center' successful as a shopping mall (which Pike and Rose essentially is, and Rockville definitely isn't) with what makes one a successful and sustainable community.

Pike and Rose developers received the highest “green” award.
Forgive me, I forgot the name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In addition to the (now old) renovation of downtown Silver Spring, they've done a nice job with downtown Rockville, which offers a good combination of housing and offices (including the county offices) and restaurants and public space and amenities (the library) and a little retail and Metro access, and isn't just a new-format shopping mall with a faux town built around it.

Pike and Rose falls into the latter category. Lots of chain shopping and restaurants (not that i'm turning up my nose at that....), but limited public space and (unlike Rockville) poor access to public transportation. It's incredible that Montgomery County would allow the developers to increase the density of that land so dramatically without improving the (life-threatening) access across Rockville Pike to the "North Bethesda" Metro stop. Auto-only access also limits the appeal of otherwise decent Crown/Rio and Kentlands "town centers" in Gaithersburg.

Does Montgomery County have any plans to revamp downtown Wheaton more comprehensively? There's lots of commercial activity there, but man it looks shabby ....

Yes: https://montgomeryplanning.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023_Wheaton-Downtown-Study_FINAL.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In addition to the (now old) renovation of downtown Silver Spring, they've done a nice job with downtown Rockville, which offers a good combination of housing and offices (including the county offices) and restaurants and public space and amenities (the library) and a little retail and Metro access, and isn't just a new-format shopping mall with a faux town built around it.

Pike and Rose falls into the latter category. Lots of chain shopping and restaurants (not that i'm turning up my nose at that....), but limited public space and (unlike Rockville) poor access to public transportation. It's incredible that Montgomery County would allow the developers to increase the density of that land so dramatically without improving the (life-threatening) access across Rockville Pike to the "North Bethesda" Metro stop. Auto-only access also limits the appeal of otherwise decent Crown/Rio and Kentlands "town centers" in Gaithersburg.

Does Montgomery County have any plans to revamp downtown Wheaton more comprehensively? There's lots of commercial activity there, but man it looks shabby ....

Pike and Rose seems more successful redevelopment than Rockville Town center when you compare how many people it attracts.
I think another exit is proposed for North Bethesda metro stop near Pick and Rose.

where will that be?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there any around here ?
What do you think about Pike and Rose or Silver Spring.

I try to stay away from Pike and Rose. The parking garages are awful and the streets are always congested with double parkers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In addition to the (now old) renovation of downtown Silver Spring, they've done a nice job with downtown Rockville, which offers a good combination of housing and offices (including the county offices) and restaurants and public space and amenities (the library) and a little retail and Metro access, and isn't just a new-format shopping mall with a faux town built around it.

Pike and Rose falls into the latter category. Lots of chain shopping and restaurants (not that i'm turning up my nose at that....), but limited public space and (unlike Rockville) poor access to public transportation. It's incredible that Montgomery County would allow the developers to increase the density of that land so dramatically without improving the (life-threatening) access across Rockville Pike to the "North Bethesda" Metro stop. Auto-only access also limits the appeal of otherwise decent Crown/Rio and Kentlands "town centers" in Gaithersburg.

Does Montgomery County have any plans to revamp downtown Wheaton more comprehensively? There's lots of commercial activity there, but man it looks shabby ....

Pike and Rose seems more successful redevelopment than Rockville Town center when you compare how many people it attracts.
I think another exit is proposed for North Bethesda metro stop near Pick and Rose.

where will that be?

At the northern end of the platform by Old Georgetown Rd.

https://apps.montgomerycountymd.gov/BASISCAPITAL/Common/Project.aspx?ID=P501914

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boulder, Colorado

https://boulderdowntown.com/visit

Man, I love Boulder so much. I thought it was expensive 10 years ago - it's next level now.