Dear Washington Grove Friends and Neighbors,
A pedestrian/bicycle connection to the Shopping Center at Crabbs Branch Way and Shady Grove Road has been in the works for Washington Grove, since at least 1994. A Washington Grove Town Council resolution from that year designated the newly annexed plot at the end of Brown St. as a future connection point for a path that would provide a route from the town border to the metro without the need to walk or bike along the heavily trafficked Oakmont Rd. or Shady Grove Rd.
As a long-time bicycle commuter, I was hopeful that the connection would soon be realized when my wife, Barbara Raimondo, and I moved into Washington Grove in July of 1999 with our young children.
Alas, the path did not come to pass quickly. For many years, I biked in rush hour traffic down Oakmont, along Shady Grove Rd. and 355 to reach the Metro. Eventually, after a few too many close calls with cars and many flat tires caused by the glass and nails on those roads, I stopped biking to Metro and began driving like many other people in the county, sacrificing the health and environmental benefits that bike commuting afforded both me and the planet.
This year, there were two important developments toward the realization of this decades long vision.
The Washington Grove Town Council voted in March at an open meeting to recommend to the County that the end of Brown St. be the site of the connection point for the path that the County would build to Crabbs Branch Way.
The Montgomery County Planning Commission voted in April to move forward and fund the same connection point approved by our Town Council.
However, some of our neighbors and friends in town felt that more study was needed and that not everyone had had the opportunity to make their views heard and understood. Barbara who had been elected to the Town Council after the March vote, thought that those who wanted to explore alternatives to a connection at the end of Brown St. deserved a further bite at the apple and supported the idea of a Task Force to examine all options in detail and to give everyone in town an opportunity to present evidence.
Barbara made a motion at the June 30, 2021 Special Town Council Meeting for the Mayor to appoint a Task Force to study the matter and to write a report that would be presented to the entire community at a town meeting. The motion further called for the Town Council to take a new vote after the town meeting on what to recommend to the County. The idea was well received and the Town Council voted unanimously for this course of action.
If you attended almost every meeting of the task force as I did, then you know that the process was thorough, transparent, and fair. There were weekly meetings between July 19 and November 15, including two where town residents could present information and evidence.
Over the past four months, the Task Force:
conducted 18 meetings open to public view, including two open to Town questions and comments. Residents were also invited to submit written evidence throughout the process.
received at least 55 comments and documents from Town residents;
made more than 35 contacts with external specialists including MC DoT;
conducted six pathway walks for interested residents through the Conservation (Upper) Meadow and Piedmont (Lower) Meadow;
reached out to multiple bicycling groups in this area for their insights;
analyzed nearly 100 documents from academic, government, and other sources related to pathway design and safety; and
created a public database of its documents accessible to all.
If you have not yet had the opportunity to do so, I encourage you to read the report and make your own assessment of their diligence. You can find it here on the Town Website. If you only wish to read the highlights, I’ve reproduced them here.
The main two alternatives to the end of Brown St. that were examined were:
An entry point at Railroad St. and Ridge Rd. through the land that is owned by Robert’s Oxygen and continuing through a corridor near the county salt barns.
Across the County’s Conservation Meadow Park.
Although the Task Force was only asked to report findings, not recommendations, the evidence reveals that indeed the only viable option for a connection point is the bottom of Brown St. Here’s why:
Two of the examined options cross the Conservation Meadow which is a Montgomery County park. The County has indicated that it will not consider a paved path across the meadow nor, frankly, should we view such an option with favor after having worked so hard to preserve our beautiful meadow.
The other option the ‘Railroad St./Salt Barn’ option, would direct walkers and cyclist through an extremely dangerous intersection at Ridge and Railroad St. where cars and the No. 61 bus pass in large numbers on a narrow curving street throughout the day. Of all the options, Railroad St. would be the least safe that could be built. In addition, this option would require the county to purchase or seize private land from Roberts Oxygen.
The Brown St. connection point was determined by both our Task Force and Montgomery County to be the best for the environment and sensitive areas, the most direct, and it happens to be the only point that the County has funded and appears willing to build. In fact, as the Task Force Report suggests, if the Brown St. connection point is rejected by the town the connection will likely never happen because the other options are so problematic.
For better or for worse my daily commutes into DC are likely behind me. Today, however, I have another reason to want the connection. I often find myself walking through the scrub brush from the end of Brown St. to the shopping center to pick up a few things at the Giant. It’s less than 1,000 feet from the end of Brown until you emerge on Crabbs Branch. I am thrilled that I can walk to the store without getting in my car but I also understand that not everyone is willing to navigate the bramble, ticks, and occasional downed trees to do so. Also, as I advance into my 60s, I understand that a day may come when I am no longer sure enough of foot to manage a herd path through the woods. However, I hope that I will be able to walk along a smooth bit of asphalt for many years to come, even when I may no longer be able to drive (glaucoma runs in my family). In short, a walking path to the grocery store may enable Barbara and me to remain in our home longer and to remain in our beloved town as long as possible as we age.
In addition, I also know that such a connection will be great for the future of our community and for the earth. Younger residents may bike or walk to metro benefiting their health, saving money on parking, and decreasing use of polluting fuels.
Many will choose to walk to the store sometimes instead of driving and the path will provide yet another opportunity for recreation for people with children in strollers, people in wheelchairs and others who are not able walk on an unpaved path or would prefer to travel on a pathway where cars are not permitted.
The December 4 Town Meeting will be among the final opportunities to weigh in on this important benefit to our town.
It is my hope that if you have made it this far, you join the meeting and let the Council hear your voice in favor of the Brown St. connection point. Even if we don’t see eye to eye on the matter, I still hope that you will join the meeting and speak your mind, because that is what democracy is all about. If you’d like to comment below, please do. I only ask that you keep comments respectful of everyone.
The path connection will offer residents of Washington Grove access to the metro and shopping center in a car free way that will be far safer and more enjoyable than the routes available today. It is an investment in both the future of our town and this pale blue dot we all call home.
I look forward to celebrating with you soon at the ribbon cutting!
With Friendship and Love of Our Community,
Dennis M. Kirschbaum
Center St.