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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Starr's Recommendation on Farquhar Middle School Modernization

Farquhar Modernization

10 comments:

  1. Wow Janis - where on earth do you find all of this stuff!

    This letter is pretty important because it confirms the parents' position that the land-swap in in conformance with the Olney Master Plan.

    The land-swap is a unique opportunity to do what's right for the students, current and future, and gets the community badly-needed ballfields sooner than expected.

    -Troy Kimmel-

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  2. Where did she find it? In an MCPS press release

    http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?page=showrelease&id=3028

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  3. @11:03 No, that is an altered Press Release. When that Press Release came out on September 1st it linked to the Feasibility Studies for these 2 projects. It didn't link to the Recommendations. Only today is the Press Release now linking to the actual recommendations.
    This blog post went up before MCPS made the recommendation public on their website.

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  4. I'm confused. The date on the letter is Sept 13, 2011 - that's next week???

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  5. It confirms that some "unnamed" member of P&P's "staff" believes it is in conformance with the Master Plan. It does not mean that it is in conformance with the Master Plan or that the Planning Board itself believes it is in conformance with the Master Plan.

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  6. Could it be that the parks and schools will work together to give the greater Brookeville, Sandy Spring, Olney, and Ashton area will get a new park and a modernized school? This supports the recognized needs to the community!

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  7. parks will not have a choice in this plan because the new school won't have a driveway. the only way to the school will be through the park.

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  8. MCPS had the opportunity to request the site at each step along the Master Plan and subdivision process for the Batchellors Forest Subdivision.

    Instead the simply requested a sidewalk from the new subdivision to the school.

    The reason they didn't request it? Because it would have resulted in a loss of density on the approved subdivision because it is not a permitted use in the ROS or they would have been required to purchase the site from the developer.

    There is a reason that there is a spot reserved for FMS in the Tilden queue and a reason that this was an on-site modernization.

    If MCPS wants to move the school, open up the Site Selection process and maybe the new school will end up located within the cluster and walkable for the students that attend.

    The fact that this property is adjacent to an existing school doesn't necessarily make it an appropriate location.

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  9. MCPS had the opportunity to request the proposed site at the Master Plan and Subdivision level.

    Instead, they only requested a sidewalk to the proposed Batchellors Forest subdivision.

    The reason? A school is not permitted in the ROS residual of a RNC subdivision. The dedication of a school site would have required an adjustment in the density of the subdivision or the acquisition of the property by MCPS.

    This is a case of too little too late. There is a reason that there are holding facilities and there are reasons for zoning code and subdivision law.

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  10. The Board of Education is discussing this now. MCPS doesn't want to tear down the old building? How does that create a park to leave an entire middle school on the site?

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