Taylor's Feb Rec for Crown Boundary Study

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why people keep fixating on Wootton parkway, it’s old layout, one way traffic, certainly not what modern school campus about.

And building a high capacity school in an urban, highly congested traffic area makes sense? At least Wootton is in a residential neighborhood.

Wootton is currently on Wootton Parkway which gets backed up all the way to Darnestown Road every morning and is about to have a bunch of new commuters from the high density new homes being built across the street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why people keep fixating on Wootton parkway, it’s old layout, one way traffic, certainly not what modern school campus about.

And building a high capacity school in an urban, highly congested traffic area makes sense? At least Wootton is in a residential neighborhood.

So people at downtown just can’t operate a normal school environment, have you ever heard any complaints from people living at manhattan nyc? lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why people keep fixating on Wootton parkway, it’s old layout, one way traffic, certainly not what modern school campus about.

And building a high capacity school in an urban, highly congested traffic area makes sense? At least Wootton is in a residential neighborhood.

Crown is also a residential neighborhood. Many students will be able to walk there.

You know this isn’t a proper comparison. Crown is basically a huge shopping center that has some apartments and townhouses-No normal person would describe it as a residential neighborhood. The neighborhoods adjacent to Wootton aren’t also adjacent to Harris Teeter etc…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well there you have it... Dr. T was asked pointedly about the FAKE "Rockville Recommendation" (aka Option G) during the Jawando Education Budget Forum tonight and if he was reconsidering it for his recommendation and he said "absolutely not". It's giving... I appreciate the offer but I'm just not interested.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Taylor is never going to pursue Option G. The only chance it has is if the board itself takes the side of those who are arguing for it.

One of the big hurdles with Rockville’s argument is that it suggests Crown be filled/opened as a full school upon inauguration of a new Wootton building on Wootton parkway. If done that way, it would leave the county with no holding school for subsequent high schools which need renovation after Magruder/Wootton. So the superintendent won’t be too thrilled about that.

Wrong. The hurdle is money. Lack of.

Two things happened contributing to Wootton closure:
1. Building crown with the money to renovate Wootton.
2. Regional programs which take away the operational cost for crown as 27th high school.

Wootton is the one being hurt here. But the resentment toward W schools is making people lose perspective and react irrationally.

Correct. But they are hiding behind fiscal responsibility to excuse their prejudice. It’s yet another example of selective scrutiny (or criticism). They turn a blind eye towards the EV buses shenanigans because they’re pro-green energy (I.e., the ends justify the means).

Most recently on the Wootton closure, they’re turning a blind eye to the enrollment projection data used to justify building Crown, as well as to support Option H. Here’s the problem for them. If the BOE votes to adopt Option H in the face of serious questions about the underlying data, then it’s setting itself up for a smack down by the MD State BOE and/or an court injunction. The smart move for the BOE would be to hold a hearing, calling for experts from both sides, which would demonstrate appropriate due diligence. But this would mean a delay in transplanting Wootton to Crown for the 2027-2028 school year and force MCPS to either fill it with Gaithersburg kids or use it primarily as a holding school. Either way, Option H will be dead or delayed for a few years at least. A delay in Option H and using Crown as a holding school for a few years wouldn’t be a bad outcome for right now, especially since there is precedent with how MCPS used the new Woodward building. It would also give everyone time to cool off.

lol. Oh yeah. I'd love to hear that testimony..

"Uh, um. I know we just spent 220 million to build this really cool HS, but we want to use it as a temp facility for a few years. And we want to keep it empty another year and pay for the utilities and maintenance because we want people to take time to cool off..."

I mean you probably will hear it - that’s basically every testimony. Just add “It’s not fair because you didn’t give us what we want. I bought my house here and nobody else ever buys houses anywhere.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why people keep fixating on Wootton parkway, it’s old layout, one way traffic, certainly not what modern school campus about.

And building a high capacity school in an urban, highly congested traffic area makes sense? At least Wootton is in a residential neighborhood.

Crown is also a residential neighborhood. Many students will be able to walk there.

You know this isn’t a proper comparison. Crown is basically a huge shopping center that has some apartments and townhouses-No normal person would describe it as a residential neighborhood. The neighborhoods adjacent to Wootton aren’t also adjacent to Harris Teeter etc…

This is a weird take. As many if not more people live in close proximity to Crown than do Wootton. It is a residential neighborhood with walkable retail.

It is a "leafy suburb"? No, but it is absolutely residential. Just because you drive there for shopping doesn't mean people don't live there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why people keep fixating on Wootton parkway, it’s old layout, one way traffic, certainly not what modern school campus about.

And building a high capacity school in an urban, highly congested traffic area makes sense? At least Wootton is in a residential neighborhood.

Crown is also a residential neighborhood. Many students will be able to walk there.

You know this isn’t a proper comparison. Crown is basically a huge shopping center that has some apartments and townhouses-No normal person would describe it as a residential neighborhood. The neighborhoods adjacent to Wootton aren’t also adjacent to Harris Teeter etc…

I think you kind of missed the whole point of Crown.

Where it was supposed to be pseudo urban living in a suburban area. And Wootton used to have that shopping center with the Giant down the street that was vacant for a long time. So those neighborhoods had a Giant right next to it.

Personally I'm not a fan of the move because thought that the current Wootton location served it's community great with it's location being central to several neighborhoods, ease of public transit, walking trail, proximity to it's feeder elementary schools and right next to it's feeder middle school.

And while I'm not a fan of the type of place Crown is, where I see it more of a place for either younger people starting out or retirees who prioritize convenience and easy access, you can't say it's not a residential neighborhood. As the other poster mentioned, maybe not the stereotypical suburban residential neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why people keep fixating on Wootton parkway, it’s old layout, one way traffic, certainly not what modern school campus about.

And building a high capacity school in an urban, highly congested traffic area makes sense? At least Wootton is in a residential neighborhood.

Crown is also a residential neighborhood. Many students will be able to walk there.

You know this isn’t a proper comparison. Crown is basically a huge shopping center that has some apartments and townhouses-No normal person would describe it as a residential neighborhood. The neighborhoods adjacent to Wootton aren’t also adjacent to Harris Teeter etc…

I think you kind of missed the whole point of Crown.

Where it was supposed to be pseudo urban living in a suburban area. And Wootton used to have that shopping center with the Giant down the street that was vacant for a long time. So those neighborhoods had a Giant right next to it.

Personally I'm not a fan of the move because thought that the current Wootton location served it's community great with it's location being central to several neighborhoods, ease of public transit, walking trail, proximity to it's feeder elementary schools and right next to it's feeder middle school.

And while I'm not a fan of the type of place Crown is, where I see it more of a place for either younger people starting out or retirees who prioritize convenience and easy access, you can't say it's not a residential neighborhood. As the other poster mentioned, maybe not the stereotypical suburban residential neighborhood.

You are free to call Crown whatever you want. But it’s not a “neighborhood” by any stretch of the imagination. It’s a retail space that happens to have some housing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why people keep fixating on Wootton parkway, it’s old layout, one way traffic, certainly not what modern school campus about.

And building a high capacity school in an urban, highly congested traffic area makes sense? At least Wootton is in a residential neighborhood.

Crown is also a residential neighborhood. Many students will be able to walk there.

You know this isn’t a proper comparison. Crown is basically a huge shopping center that has some apartments and townhouses-No normal person would describe it as a residential neighborhood. The neighborhoods adjacent to Wootton aren’t also adjacent to Harris Teeter etc…

I think you kind of missed the whole point of Crown.

Where it was supposed to be pseudo urban living in a suburban area. And Wootton used to have that shopping center with the Giant down the street that was vacant for a long time. So those neighborhoods had a Giant right next to it.

Personally I'm not a fan of the move because thought that the current Wootton location served it's community great with it's location being central to several neighborhoods, ease of public transit, walking trail, proximity to it's feeder elementary schools and right next to it's feeder middle school.

And while I'm not a fan of the type of place Crown is, where I see it more of a place for either younger people starting out or retirees who prioritize convenience and easy access, you can't say it's not a residential neighborhood. As the other poster mentioned, maybe not the stereotypical suburban residential neighborhood.

You are free to call Crown whatever you want. But it’s not a “neighborhood” by any stretch of the imagination. It’s a retail space that happens to have some housing.

You really do no understand urban design. It is absolutely a neighborhood with an incredibly high ratio of housing to retail. It is designed for people to live there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why people keep fixating on Wootton parkway, it’s old layout, one way traffic, certainly not what modern school campus about.

And building a high capacity school in an urban, highly congested traffic area makes sense? At least Wootton is in a residential neighborhood.

Crown is also a residential neighborhood. Many students will be able to walk there.

You know this isn’t a proper comparison. Crown is basically a huge shopping center that has some apartments and townhouses-No normal person would describe it as a residential neighborhood. The neighborhoods adjacent to Wootton aren’t also adjacent to Harris Teeter etc…

Of course its residential.

[Anonymous]

It’s clear the naysayers on this thread are likely residents of Crown or its environs whose kids don’t or wouldn’t go to Wootton where it is today. They’re excited about opening a new school (built for someone else) and calling it Wootton (a lie) to boost their property values and improve the Gaithersburg tax base.

The fact that Wootton families are almost universally opposed to closing Wootton and transplanting some of its students to Crown should speak volumes to the BOE. Unfortunately, political deals have been cut to cover up MCPS’ incompetence and reward Gaithersburg with a “W” school (which used to have a well-performing school in QO, but no longer). I guess it’s equity at work once again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s clear the naysayers on this thread are likely residents of Crown or its environs whose kids don’t or wouldn’t go to Wootton where it is today. They’re excited about opening a new school (built for someone else) and calling it Wootton (a lie) to boost their property values and improve the Gaithersburg tax base.

The fact that Wootton families are almost universally opposed to closing Wootton and transplanting some of its students to Crown should speak volumes to the BOE. Unfortunately, political deals have been cut to cover up MCPS’ incompetence and reward Gaithersburg with a “W” school (which used to have a well-performing school in QO, but no longer). I guess it’s equity at work once again.

Can you elaborate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s clear the naysayers on this thread are likely residents of Crown or its environs whose kids don’t or wouldn’t go to Wootton where it is today. They’re excited about opening a new school (built for someone else) and calling it Wootton (a lie) to boost their property values and improve the Gaithersburg tax base.

The fact that Wootton families are almost universally opposed to closing Wootton and transplanting some of its students to Crown should speak volumes to the BOE. Unfortunately, political deals have been cut to cover up MCPS’ incompetence and reward Gaithersburg with a “W” school (which used to have a well-performing school in QO, but no longer). I guess it’s equity at work once again.

Is this true? It might be, but as far as I can tell no one has any idea. People who are angry about the move are quite vocal. But there could easily be a large chunk of people who favor moving to a better building that is closer to where they personally live. The move seems to flip which neighborhoods will be happiest. Walkers become bus riders and bus riders become either walkers or at least people with a shorter commute. If I lived north of Wootton's current location, I think I'd be at least neutral on the move and probably in favor of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s clear the naysayers on this thread are likely residents of Crown or its environs whose kids don’t or wouldn’t go to Wootton where it is today. They’re excited about opening a new school (built for someone else) and calling it Wootton (a lie) to boost their property values and improve the Gaithersburg tax base.

The fact that Wootton families are almost universally opposed to closing Wootton and transplanting some of its students to Crown should speak volumes to the BOE. Unfortunately, political deals have been cut to cover up MCPS’ incompetence and reward Gaithersburg with a “W” school (which used to have a well-performing school in QO, but no longer). I guess it’s equity at work once again.

Oh boy, not this again.

The DuFief community, the Rio apartments, and the Grove were going to be re-districted to Crown; the Superintendent's recommendation to move Wootton keeps the Wootton cluster together, outside of Cold Spring, who wanted to move to Churchill.

Reading the testimonials, there is a group of current Wootton parents who want to move the school (mostly at DuFief), along with a group of Wootton parents who don't want to move the school (mostly in Rockville). It's based on geography and how close they are to the current Wootton site.

My guess is that a lot of current Wootton parents are like my friend, who has a kid at Frost. His kid has to ride a bus either way, so he doesn't really care that it's moving to Crown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why people keep fixating on Wootton parkway, it’s old layout, one way traffic, certainly not what modern school campus about.

And building a high capacity school in an urban, highly congested traffic area makes sense? At least Wootton is in a residential neighborhood.

Crown is also a residential neighborhood. Many students will be able to walk there.

You know this isn’t a proper comparison. Crown is basically a huge shopping center that has some apartments and townhouses-No normal person would describe it as a residential neighborhood. The neighborhoods adjacent to Wootton aren’t also adjacent to Harris Teeter etc…

You've been to Crown right? It's like Kentlands / Lakelands.

The Crown Farm shopping center is on one end; the school is on the other end. Between them is half a mile of dense housing (townhouses, single family houses) with no shopping. It is very residential.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why people keep fixating on Wootton parkway, it’s old layout, one way traffic, certainly not what modern school campus about.

And building a high capacity school in an urban, highly congested traffic area makes sense? At least Wootton is in a residential neighborhood.

Crown is also a residential neighborhood. Many students will be able to walk there.

You know this isn’t a proper comparison. Crown is basically a huge shopping center that has some apartments and townhouses-No normal person would describe it as a residential neighborhood. The neighborhoods adjacent to Wootton aren’t also adjacent to Harris Teeter etc…

And for decades Wootton (including when I attended Wootton in the 90s) had a huge Giant, chinese takeout restaurant, video rental store, medical and dental offices, a hair dresser, a bank (I think at one point it was 2 banks one with a drive through teller, movie rental place, and gift store all across the street.

I really don't understand this argument about retail especially since Wootton used to be right across from a shopping center and the new houses going up on the old shopping center site across from the current Wootton are going to include multiple RETAIL businesses there, too - you are grasping at straws here. Crown is a mixed use development which is what almost all new developments are - a combination of retail and housing. And the new development directly across the street from the current Wootton location will be very similar mixed use housing and commercial/retail.