Depending on your personal perspective, shopping preferences, environmental outlook, and general view of the county, you may answer this question differently than your neighbor, the business man or woman up the street from you, or even your family members.  I do not have a strong reaction to big box stores in and of themselves like some do.  I shop at Costco, PetSmart, and Best Buy just like many of you, and while I recognize the value of Walmart, I am not a fan of theirs.  

But when we think about smart growth and the limited land available in our county for development and/or redevelopment, and for how long a large project defines an area, I do believe we have an imperative to think carefully about how best to use the precious land resources we have -- especially in close proximity to transit opportunities like Metro.  We must plan for our future by making wise land use decisions in order to mold the kind of communities that will best serve our existing residents as well as the generations to come.

I do not have any intention of blocking big box stores from coming to the County or of delegating to community organizations matters that I believe are fundamentally government decisions and are currently addressed by government.  On the contrary:  I believe many big retailers are desirable for our county and are an essential part of a thriving economy. 

However, not all big box stores come in the same shapes and sizes.  The sprawling, expansive box stores of old are undergoing transformations all over the country as they try to fit in with an urbanizing landscape.  There are fine examples of retailers building two and even three story retail establishments in order to better adapt to their surroundings.  Some include structured underground parking and are incorporated into larger mixed use projects in order to limit adverse environmental impacts and reduce the overall footprint or impact on a given neighborhood.

I have been thinking a great deal about this issue in light of a proposed redevelopment project on Rockville Pike that would bring an 80,000 square foot Wal-Mart very close to the recently-approved White Flint Sector Plan which will transform the White Flint area into a more lively, pedestrian and bike friendly place.  This project is only three tenths of a mile from a metro station which makes the property perfect for transit oriented development - commonly thought of as mixed use development or a combination of residential and commercial use - as opposed to a project that would be so car-centric in nature.  This project is, to my way of thinking, a throw-back to the suburban model we are trying to move beyond.  As a result, I am exploring with the Planning Board staff ways in which we could set forth in our zoning ordinance exactly what we expect of development that is this close to a metro.    

I shared my thoughts last week in a letter to JBG Rosenfeld in response to their proposed retail project on Rockville Pike.  I welcome your thoughts on this topic as well.

One of the major land use changes that our county is undergoing is making sure that in our currently zoned commercial areas, we allow for mixed use development that will include residential uses.  These so-called CR Zones were first approved for use in the White Flint Sector Plan when the Council approved the new master plan for that area. 

Afterward, it became clear that while the new CR Zone worked in White Flint, it was not as fine tuned as necessary to work for other communities, such as Kensington, Wheaton, and Takoma Langley.  So, the Planning Board, in Zoning Text Amendment 11-01, recommended creation of two new CR Zones - the CR Town zone (CRT) and the CR Neighborhood Zone (CRN).  And while there is always a great deal of confusion with what a zone allows and what a master plan allows, it is important to remember that zones focus primarily on allowed uses and maximum densities, while the master plans sets forth the specifics, block by block.    

The biggest change the CR Zones will bring to these master plans is redevelopment that allows both commercial and residential in places where only commercial use was allowed previously.  What does this accomplish you may ask?  Mixed use development is an appealing land use goal in places where residents want the convenience of amenities at their doorstep.  It can help create places where people can work, live and play all in the same area and therefore, potentially use their car a lot less.  Mixed use zones can also help revitalize areas that are economically stagnant by creating walkable, pedestrian friendly areas that draw in new residents.

But we already had some mixed zones in our county's land use toolbox.  "Why did we need a new zone?" some have asked.  There were several reasons - first, the existing mixed use zones weren't producing mixed use results; second, the existing process was not as transparent or predictable as desirable.  Under the new system, developers can earn the right to build to the maximum density permitted by the master plan if they agree to provide public benefits and amenities carefully selected from a defined list of options in consultation with the Planning Board.  Another benefit of this family of zones is the ability to differentiate core development areas in a master plan by designating CR or CRT and the transitional areas of development adjacent to existing residential neighborhoods where the CRN Zone can be utilized.

While no zone is perfect, the Council determined on an 8-1 vote that the this new family of CR Zones will serve as a useful tool for advancing our smart growth policy goals, enlivened communities, while at the same time protecting our lovely residential neighborhoods.

The County is currently in the process of rewriting our Zoning Ordinance, or Zoning Code.  For those of you wondering what a zoning code is, it can generally be described as a  set of local rules regulating the use and development of property. Zoning ordinances typically divide a community into land use districts or "zones" and specify the allowable uses within each of those zones. For example, some communities, like Montgomery County, divide land into industrial zones, commercial zones, and one or more residential zones.