Montgomery County, MD

IN THE NEWS

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June, 2015 News 

• 6-30-15 Greater Greater Washington blog:  Forest Glen residents and a state delegate want a MARC station in Forest Glen -- Supporters of the plan hope to convince the Montgomery County Planning Board to add the Linden station to the Lyttonsville Sector Plan.... The petition emphasizes that a station in Lyttonsville on MARC's Brunswick Line, would serve workers at the Walter Reed research institute and the Naval Medical Research Center as well as residents of the Linden, National Park Seminary and Forest Glen Park neighborhoods.
• 6-30-15 Washington Post:  What happens when the public can’t use — or find — public art, space -- Downtown Bethesda “is sort of sitting back there in the past,” said Leslye Howarton, a Montgomery planner. “It’s not competing with places like White Flint [in Montgomery] and Ballston. It needs a bit of a facelift.”
• 6-29-15 WAMU 88.5 FM:  How To Fund Purple Line? Questions Outnumber Answers
• 6-29-15 WAMU 88.5 FM:  Big Outdoor Parking Lots Look Like Something Else To Montgomery County -- A common suburban sight in Maryland's Montgomery County — the parking lot — is disappearing as parts of the county become more urban
• 6-29-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Capital Crescent Trail Congestion -- The popularity of the trail has created safety concerns
• 6-28-15 Associated Press:  Commuting Drives Highway Policies -- Fear of longer commutes puts pressure on US cities to act
• 6-27-15 Washington Post:  How Republican Gov. Larry Hogan made his first big mass transit decision
  • 6-25-15 WTOP 103.5 FM:  A glance at some Maryland transportation projects
  • 6-25-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Supporters, Opponents React to Purple Line Go-Ahead -- Reactions ranged from praise of the governor's decision to disappointment from opponents
  • 6-27-15 Baltimore Sun (Associated Press):  Decisions and debates taking place on Maryland traffic woes
  • 6-27-15 WTOP 103.5 FM:  Prince George’s County Exec: No new money for Purple Line
  • 6-27-15 Baltimore Sun:  With Red Line canceled, $288 million may be gone
• 6-26-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Hogan Announces $100 Million to Reduce I-270 Congestion -- Allowing motorists to drive in the shoulder is among options that may be tested in pilot project
• 6-25-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Developers Want More Out of Bethesda Downtown Plan -- Dozens of property owners asked Planning Board for more height, density
• 6-25-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Planning Board Approves Controversial North Bethesda Townhomes -- Neighbors at nearby high-rise claim project will mean more noise from I-270
• 6-25-15 Maryland Capital Gazette:  Hogan announces millions in Anne Arundel County construction funding -- Hogan said the state will spend about $1.97 billion on transportation projects that will benefit local jurisdictions — including reducing congestion near Fort George G. Meade
• 6-25-15 Baltimore Sun/Harford Aegis:  Aberdeen Proving Ground study has an eye on post's $4.3 billion economic impact
• 6-23-15 Washington Business Journal:  The suburban office park is a relic. Here's the damage it's doing to one D.C.-area county -- By mid-year 2014, 11 large Montgomery County office buildings totaling 2.25 million square feet stood almost or totally vacant, and another nine, totaling 1.4 million more square feet, were “almost totally available,” according to a new report prepared by D.C.-based Partners for Economic Solutions for the Montgomery County Planning Department. And all of those were located in office parks or independent campuses.
• 6-23-15 Association of Defense Communities:  OEA Plans to Support Communities Coping with Downsizing
  • 6-22-15 Roll Call:  Congressional Inaction Leaves Military Installations, Communities Stuck at Crossroads -- Commentary by Tim Ford, CEO of the Association of Defense Communities
• 6-22-15 BISNOW:  Massive Walter Reed Redevelopment to Break Ground Next Year
• 6-22-15 U.S. Department of Defense:  Armed with Science: Navy Tests Could Unlock Secrets of Wave Slams
• 6-19-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Overcrowding at Local High School Could Mean Development Moratorium in White Flint -- Walter Johnson is projected to reach moratorium mark, which could stall residential projects
• 6-19-15 Montgomery County Dept. of Transportation:  WMATA Invites Input at July 14 Public Hearing on Takoma Langley Crossroads Transit Center
• 6-19-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Arcing Insulator Incidents on the Rise at Montgomery County Metro Stations -- Early Friday morning incident was the 15th time this month firefighters have responded to a Metro station in the county
• 6-19-15 Bethesda Magazine:  After 11 Years, Apartment and Condo Project on Lot 31 Is Finally Finished -- At ribbon-cutting event, Leggett says drawn-out development process won’t happen again
• 6-18-15 Baltimore Sun:  MTA unveils new MARC plan with smaller fare hike -- After MARC riders complained about a hefty increase in the fares for seven-day passes, the Maryland Transit Administration has unveiled a new, less costly pass that can be used only on weekdays.
  • 6-15-15 Baltimore Sun:  Big MARC fare hikes cause riders to press Hogan for hearings
• 6-18-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Leggett Makes Case for Independent Transit Authority Amid Significant Opposition
• 6-18-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Documents Reveal Anti-Purple Line Lobbying Strategy -- Memo from lobbying firm to Town of Chevy Chase pitches ways to proceed after Gov. Larry Hogan decides on project
• 6-18-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Town of Chevy Chase Council Members Questioned About Their Knowledge of Secretive Write-In Campaign
• 6-18-15 Association of Defense Communities:  Senate Removes Commissary Privatization Program from Defense Bill
  • 6-12-15 Baltimore Sun:  Congress battles over cuts to military commissaries -- An effort to privatize commissaries used by service members at military installations such as Fort Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground is meeting with stiff resistance from a bipartisan group of lawmakers who say the proposal would lead to reduced benefits.... The Defense Commissary Agency operates seven commissaries in Maryland, located at Fort Meade, Aberdeen Proving Ground, the Forest Glen Annex in Silver Spring, the Naval Academy, Joint Base Andrews in Prince George's County, Fort Detrick in Frederick and Naval Air Station Patuxent River in St. Mary's County
• 6-17-15 Washington Post:  Editorial: A promising plan for bike lanes in Montgomery County -- If done well, the project could yield a dividend of benefits
• 6-17-15 U.S. Federal Transit Administration:  FTA Finds Serious Safety Lapses at WMATA, Implements NTSB Recommendation to Improve Subway Tunnel Safety
  • 6-17-15 Washington Post:  Metro train system’s operation center is understaffed and chaotic, federal investigators find -- A Federal Transit Administration identified major problems in Metro’s rail control center
• 6-17-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Building Owners, Residents Gear Up for Bethesda Downtown Plan Hearings
• 6-17-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Bethesda Named One of the Best Cities for College Grads
• 6-17-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Montgomery County Residents, Developers Want Marriott to ‘Pick the Pike District’
• 6-17-15 BISNOW:  The New Bethesda Development Hub -- The Woodmont Triangle area of Bethesda is humming with construction activity, with high-rises from JBG, Bainbridge, Donohoe Construction and StonebridgeCarras popping up left and right in the small neighborhood bounded by Woodmont Avenue, Old Georgetown Road and Rugby Avenue
• 6-17-15 Washington Post:  Dr. Gridlock -- Maryland business leaders look with envy at Virginia road, rail upgrades
• 6-17-15 Gazette.Net:  Commuters to see hike in bus fares
• 6-17-15 Gazette.Net:  Adams Publishing Group buys Southern Maryland Newspapers from Post
• 6-17-15 Reuters:  Baltimore light rail project gets new impetus after Freddie Gray death, riots
• 6-16-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Greater Washington Board of Trade Sends Letter to Hogan in Support of Purple Line -- The letter was signed by leaders of more than a dozen large regional businesses
• 6-16-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Montgomery County in the Dark about Possible Purple Line Changes -- Gov. Larry Hogan has not negotiated design or financing changes with the county, spokesman says
• 6-16-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Developer Pitches 46 Town Houses Near I-270 in North Bethesda -- ‘Grosvenor Place’ project would clear almost 2 acres of forest near Grosvenor Park
• 6-16-15 Association of Defense Communities:  Amendment Would Require OEA Report on Support for Army Communities
• 6-15-15 Military.com:  Army Could Cut 3,400 Contractor Jobs at Three Bases -- In a statement issued late last Friday, the Army said the impact of the job losses at base Logistical Readiness Centers (LRCs) would be felt first at Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Stewart, Ga.; and Fort Meade, Md.
• 6-15-15 Baltimore Sun:  Big MARC fare hikes cause riders to press Hogan for hearings
• 6-15-15 Washington Post:  Dr. Gridlock -- Not all Red Line riders happy about ending Grosvenor turnbacks
• 6-15-15 Washington Business Journal:  10 best D.C. suburbs for young professionals (Slideshow)
• 6-13-15 Washington Post: Robert McCartney Commentary -- Regional Memo: Hogan’s Purple Line choice could paint him as ideologue
• 6-12-15 Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA):  Next Phase of Old Georgetown Road Intersection Improvement Project Begins Sunday Night, June 14 -- Nighttime Double Lane Closures Possible Through Late June
• 6-12-15 WTOP 103.5 FM:  Purple Line 'light' could end up saving the line
• 6-12-15 Washington Post:  Making way for bicycles in a sprawling suburb where cars have always ruled
  • 6-12-15 WTOP 103.5 FM:  Planning for the future, by bike
• 6-12-15 Washington Post:  Gazette papers in Montgomery, Prince George’s to close
  • 6-12-15 Gazette.Net:  The Gazette bids farewell after decades in Maryland -- Final editions to be published June 17 and June 18
• 6-12-15 Baltimore Sun:  Congress battles over cuts to military commissaries -- An effort to privatize commissaries used by service members at military installations such as Fort Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground is meeting with stiff resistance from a bipartisan group of lawmakers who say the proposal would lead to reduced benefits.... The Defense Commissary Agency operates seven commissaries in Maryland, located at Fort Meade, Aberdeen Proving Ground, the Forest Glen Annex in Silver Spring, the Naval Academy, Joint Base Andrews in Prince George's County, Fort Detrick in Frederick and Naval Air Station Patuxent River in St. Mary's County
• 6-12-15 Fort Detrick Standard:  Fort Detrick Garrison Changes Command
• 6-11-15 Belvoir Eagle:  Route 1 lane transitions next month -- Drivers using U.S. Route 1 around Belvoir’s Tulley and Pence gates will be using new lanes soon, as construction on Route 1 continues
• 6-11-15 Belvoir Eagle:  Commuter fair provides resources for employees -- Fort Belvoir employees looking for better commuting opportunities came out to the Fort Belvoir Cmmuter Fair, June 2
• 6-11-15 Washington Business Journal:  Mosaic Realty Partners to revive plans to revive the Town Center at Aquia -- A Baltimore-based developer is planning to revive a mixed-use project in Stafford that was stalled by the recession after county leaders determined it was time to step in and give the project a boost.... The project had high hopes at the time, keying off the Pentagon's Base Realignment and Closure plan that shifted more than 3,000 military jobs to the Quantico Marine Corps. base less than three miles away.
• 6-11-15 Military Times:  DoD health officials: System reform is under way -- Defense health officials say they appreciate proposals from the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission to revamp military medicine, but believe the recommendations would hurt medical readiness and drive up costs if implemented
• 6-11-15 Montgomery Community Media:  Capital Crescent Trail Work Could Impact Access
• 6-11-15 Sputnik International (Russia):  US Secret Military Biolabs at Russian Border Arouse Grave Concern - Moscow -- Washington is trying to conceal the work of its military medical-biological facilities located close to the Russian borders
• 6-10-15 Gazette.Net:  B-CC chamber installs new officers
• 6-10-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Partial Closure of Wisconsin Avenue Could Cause Traffic Headaches Saturday -- Part of road in downtown Bethesda will be closed for crane operation
  • 6-10-15 Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA):  Southbound Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda to Close Saturday for Crane Operation
• 6-10-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Construction-Related Lane Closures A Recurring Issue In Bethesda -- Double-lane closure Wednesday morning on Wisconsin Avenue prompted slew of complaints
• 6-10-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Huge Mural Planned for Concrete Wall In Bethesda -- Bethesda Urban Partnership will provide $15,000 to artist chosen to paint Capital Crescent Trail retaining wall along Arlington Road
• 6-10-15 Washington Post:  Md. transportation chief reportedly backs Purple Line if cost is lowered
• 6-10-15 Washington Business Journal:  A successor to Jim Clark is named as CEO of Clark Enterprises
• 6-10-15 Montgomery Community Media:  WMATA to Get Silver Spring Transit Center by Mid-July
  • 6-8-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Montgomery County Gearing Up For Legal Battle Over Troubled Silver Spring Transit Center -- County Council could vote Tuesday to appoint ‘Big Dig’ law firm to advise county attorney
  • 6-5-15 Washington Post:  Montgomery to hire ‘Big Dig’ law firm to help with likely Transit Center suits
• 6-10-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Developer Could Be Required to Make Big Contribution to Local Park -- To get extra density, developer of 8008 Wisconsin project likely will have to pay $717,000 for renovations at Battery Lane Urban Park
• 6-10-15 Association of Defense Communities:  States Race to Offer Tax Relief to Military Retirees -- Maryland recently increased its $5,000 tax exemption on military retirement pensions for those 65 and older to $10,000
  • 6-5-15 Fiscal Times:  Why States Are Rushing to Give Tax Breaks to Military Retirees
• 6-9-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Executive Director of Bethesda Urban Partnership to Retire Next Year -- David Dabney, who has led organization since 1999, will officially step down in November 2016
• 6-9-15 Gazette.Net:  Incongruent Purple Line ridership figures raise questions -- Governor expected to make decision on rail project’s future soon
• 6-9-15 Gazette.Net:  CCT conversations continue in Gaithersburg -- County leaders meet with concerned residents
• 6-9-15 Gazette.Net:  HHS plans expansion of Twinbrook facility -- Health and Human Services plan consolidates offices around Rockville
• 6-9-15 Washington Post:  Toll cuts won’t hurt road projects, Md. transportation secretary tells lawmakers
• 6-9-15 Baltimore Business Journal:  Corridor-based development plan touts Red Line as a solution to regional problems
  • 6-8-15 Baltimore Business Journal:  New development plan calls for Baltimore area to build around corridors
• 6-8-15 Congressional Quarterly:  Battle Plans: Preemptive Strikes -- Preparing for the Next BRAC  (9 pp)
• 6-8-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Montgomery County Gearing Up For Legal Battle Over Troubled Silver Spring Transit Center -- County Council could vote Tuesday to appoint ‘Big Dig’ law firm to advise county attorney
  • 6-5-15 Washington Post:  Montgomery to hire ‘Big Dig’ law firm to help with likely Transit Center suits
• 6-8-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Optimism About Bicycling Abounds at ‘MoCo Bicycle Summit’ -- Official says it’s a ‘once in a generation opportunity’ for expanded bicycling options in largely suburban county
• 6-8-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Demolition to Start ‘Any Day’ at Battery Lane Condo Project -- Stonehall, formerly known as Woodmont View, will have 46 units and a restaurant
• 6-5-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Task Force Will Host Public Forum On Independent Transit Authority
• 6-5-15 PBS:  Inside the $105 million lab that wants to wipe out MERS and Ebola -- Ripe with high-tech, high-security labs, the Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Maryland is one of few places in the world hunting for vaccines for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Ebola
• 6-5-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Bethesda Developer Has Big Hopes For Townhome Project In Rock Spring Office Park -- EYA hopes project will signal transformation for Rock Spring
• 6-5-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Warning Lights Coming to Chevy Chase Crosswalk, Though Chevy Chase Village Wants More -- Chevy Chase Village has fought the State Highway Administration for more than a year on Connecticut Avenue crossing
• 6-4-15 Military.com:  Carter Calls for Another BRAC Round Despite Opposition In Congress -- The Pentagon initially had projected that the 2005 BRAC round would save about $3.9 billion annually, but a Government Accountability Office report in 2009 said the savings would not begin to materialize until 2018. Lawmakers consistently use this as their defense for not allowing the Defense Department to pursue another BRAC. The GAO report said that the Defense Department miscalculated the costs of re-aligning some bases. For example, the move of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center from Washington, D.C., to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., cost about $1.7 billion more than expected, the GAO said.
• 6-4-15 Washington Business Journal: Gov. Hogan, unsure on the Purple Line, wants to look at high-speed maglev
  • 6-4-15 Baltimore Business Journal:  Larry Hogan just asked for $28M to develop a maglev train line between Baltimore and D.C.
  • 6-4-15 Washington Post:  In Japan, Md. governor is wowed by super-fast trains — with big price tags
  • 6-4-15 Washington Post:  Virginia bets on higher-speed rail by 2025
• 6-4-15 Ft. Meade Soundoff:  New security gate to be built at Rockenbach Road
• 6-4-15 Association of Defense Communities:  White House Objects to Language Mandating Personnel Cuts in Senate Bill
• 6-3-15 Bethesda Magazine:  UPDATED: Residents Sign Petition Against Road Next To Bethesda Park -- By Wednesday morning, almost 30 people had signed online petition against extending Norfolk Avenue
• 6-3-15 Washington Post:  Dr. Gridlock: Hey, Maryland. It’s your turn to ease congestion on the Capital Beltway -- Lately, all the action has been on the Virginia side of the Potomac
• 6-3-15 Washington Post:  Dr. Gridlock: What’s up with the road work by I-395 in Alexandria -- VDOT is building an HOV ramp between I-395 and Seminary Road, but a new pedestrian bridge also is in the works -- This is a busy zone for road work, as the Virginia Department of Transportation continues with a set of projects designed to ease congestion stemming from the realignment of federal offices in the BRAC program. That sent many more federal workers to the Mark Center
• 6-3-15 Fredericksburg (VA) Free Lance-Star:  U.S. 1 may get four additional lanes near Quantico
• 6-3-15 Association of Defense Communities:  White House Highlights Need for BRAC in Veto Threat over Senate Measure
• 6-2-15 Gazette.Net:  State funding will help build a Bethesda community center -- Church and nonprofit plan to build center downtown
• 6-2-15 Bethesda Magazine:  County Planners to Take Bike Tour Through Bethesda to Find Gaps In Network -- Casey Anderson and Planning Department officials will ride through Lyttonsville, downtown Bethesda and Westbard to get better picture of what’s missing when it comes to bicycle facilities
• 6-1-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Montgomery County’s Transportation Department Will Restructure to Expedite Development Process -- Team that reviews development proposals will now report directly to agency’s deputy director
  • 6-1-15 Montgomery County Government:  MCDOT Acting Director Al Roshdieh Makes Organizational Changes to Place Greater Emphasis on Priorities
• 6-1-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Metro Can’t Move Up Repairs of Problematic Red Line Tunnel -- Monday’s latest arcing insulator was at least the fifth time since April that firefighters have been called to the tunnel near the Bethesda station
• 6-1-15 Bethesda Magazine:  Montgomery County Planners Want Feedback on ‘White Flint 2’ -- Plan could be impetus for major redevelopment north of Montrose Parkway; open house set for June 17
• 6-1-15 Washington Post:  Don’t drink the (toilet) water at Walter Reed
• 6-1-15 Federal News Radio 1500 AM: Inside the Reporter's Notebook: Sequestration costs won't be known for years, GAO says
  • 5-28-15 Federal News Radio 1500 AM:  Sequestration's lessons prove elusive at DoD
     
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