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University Boulevard Corridor Public Meetings

From the Montgomery County Planning Department:

The Montgomery County Planning Department is starting a new comprehensive plan for University Boulevard (MD 193). The University Boulevard Corridor is identified as a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), which would link the Takoma Langley and Wheaton areas. The proposed BRT route would intersect with the existing FLASH service on Route 29. A broad overview on the project is attached.

As part of our outreach efforts for this corridor plan, we are reaching out to local organizations and community leaders to discuss and learn about community issues and concerns regarding University Boulevard.

The initial Public Open House for University Boulevard will take place on Wednesday, November 2, 7-9 p.m. at Blair High School. We will also host a virtual option on Monday, November 7 at 7 p.m.

University Boulevard Overview
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Next KMCA General Meeting – Monday September 19th, 2022 @ 7:30 PM

The next KMCA General Meeting will be held on Monday September 19th, 2022 at 7:30 PM via Zoom. We will have guest speakers from Montgomery Parks and from the Silver Spring Village at the meeting.

The speakers from Parks and Planning will be talking about maintenance issues with the Kemp Mill Urban Park, the status of planned upgrades to playground equipment at that park, and plans for repaving the multi-use path in Sligo Creek Park behind the Kemp Mill Shopping Center. If you have specific questions or concerns about the Parks that you haven’t already communicated to the KMCA, please email Jonathan Aghion at vicepresident@kempmillcivic.org as soon as possible so he can relay your concerns to the Parks representatives and they can look into them before the meeting.

Doug Gaddis, the Executive Director of the Silver Spring Village will be talking about what that organization does to help residents age in place in our community. See https://www.silverspringvillage.org/ for more information.

We’ll also have some updates on the upcoming Kemp Mill Community Day which will be held at the Kemp Mill Shopping Center on Sunday October 2nd, 2022 from noon until 4 PM. The full agenda is below. A link to the meeting will be sent out to all members later this week. Since we sometimes have issues with emails getting bounced or sent to spam folders, if you are a KMCA member and haven’t received the meeting link by Sunday September 18th, please email president@kempmillcivic.org to request the link.

Agenda:

7:30 PM
– Call to order
– Adoption of agenda
– Approval of minutes of previous meeting
– Treasurer’s report (membership / balances)

7:35 PM
– Montgomery Parks presentation

8:15 PM
– Silver Spring Village Presentation

8:35 PM 
 – Community Day updates

8:45 PM
– Committee Reports

8:55 PM
– New Business / Announcements

9:00 PM
– Adjourn

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Next KMCA General Meeting – June 27, 2022@ 7:30 PM

The next KMCA general meeting will be held on Monday, June 27th, 2022 at 7:30 PM. We will be meeting in-person but outdoors under the tent at the Chabad synagogue at the intersection of Lamberton Drive and Lovejoy Street. The agenda is below.

We will be having a presentation and question and answer session with the Montgomery County Police 4th District Community Services Officer. If you have questions about specific incidents or topics that you plan to ask, please send them to me prior to the meeting at president@kempmillcivic.org and I will pass them on to Officer Beard so she can research the incidents or issues in advance and be better able to address them.

In the event of severe weather on the 27th, please check the website and your email prior to coming to the meeting to confirm the meeting hasn’t been postponed.

Kemp Mill Civic Association
General Meeting
June 27th, 2022

Agenda

7:30 PM
– Call to Order
– Adoption of Agenda
– Approval of minutes of previous meeting
– Treasurer’s report (membership / balances)

7:35
– Guest Speaker – Montgomery County Police 4th District
– Officer Katie Beard, Community Services Officer

8:00
– KMCA Annual Election
– Presentation of nominees by Nominating Committee
– Nominees are:
– Vice President – Jonathan Aghion
– Treasurer – Anna Waller
– Directors – Gil Chlewicki, Chris Farrell, Maria Lopez
– Additional nominations from the floor
– Candidate introductions/speeches (up to 2 minutes each)
– Voting

8:10
– Committee Reports

8:20
– New Business / Announcements

8:30
– Adjourn

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MCDOT Proposed Changes to the Intersection of Kemp Mill Road and Monticello Avenue

KMCA Members,

The PDF below shows changes that the Montgomery County Department of Transportation is planning to make to the intersection of Kemp Mill Road and Monticello Avenue. They intend to remove the concrete bump-out on the southwest side of the intersection and install a center pedestrian refuge island in the crosswalk. This is in response to concerns about the difficulty for pedestrians to safely cross at this intersection with the current design. The center refuge will allow pedestrians to cross one lane of traffic at a time with a 5′ x 5′ protected space in the middle of the crosswalk, similar to the crosswalks on Arcola at Kersey, Kenbrook, and Hoyt.

The county is requesting comments from the community and since this is occurring between KMCA general meetings, the Board will act on behalf of the membership. Based on preliminary discussions, the majority of the Board supports the new design. If you have comments that you would like the board to consider before we vote on a motion to support the plan, please contact Alan @ president@kempmillcivic.org (or any other board member – contact information here) no later than April 21st. Barring negative feedback from the community, the county intends to proceed with the project sometime after the end of this month, but we haven’t been given a specific date yet.

Kemp Mill Road and Monticello Avenue- (1)

(Click here to view full size)

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Next KMCA General Meeting – March 29th, 2022 at 7:30 PM

The next Kemp Mill Civic Association general meeting will be held via Zoom on Tuesday March 29th at 7:30 PM. The agenda is below. A link to the meeting will be sent out to all current members by Sunday March 27th. If you are a current member and haven’t received the link by Monday the 28th, please contact president@kempmillcivic.org.

AGENDA
Kemp Mill Civic Association General Meeting
Tuesday, March 29th, 2022
via Zoom

7:30 PM
– Call to order
– Adoption of agenda
– Approval of minutes from the previous meeting
– Report on bank accounts and membership totals
7:40 PM
– Update on Maryland Legislative Session
– Invited speakers: Senator Ben Kramer, Delegate Bonnie Cullison, Delegate Charlotte Crutchfield, Delegate Vaughn Stewart
8:10 PM
– Presentation on County Recycling
– Guest speaker – Alan Pultyniewicz, Recycling Coordinator, Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection
8:40 PM
– Kemp Mill Elementary School Monthly Food Distribution
– Call for volunteers to assist at monthly events
– Next event: Friday April 8 from 6-7pm at the KMES parking lot. Volunteer sign-up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C44AAAD2CA5F8CE9-kmes1
8:45 PM
– Lamberton Tributary Cleanup on Northwest Branch, Sunday April 10th, 9:30 – 11:30
– Sign-up link: https://mcp.samaritan.com/recruiter/index.php?recruiterID=1491&class=OppDetails&oppGuid=%7B7358DCED-EC45-469F-878D-AE0308EE126B%7D&t=04-10-2022-Cleanup-at-Lamberton-Drive-Hosted-by-Neighbors-of-Northwest-Branch-Montgomery-Parks-Sunday-9-30-am-to-11-30-am
8:50 PM
– Nominating Committee for 2022 elections
– Committee Reports
9:00 PM
– New Business
9:05 PM
– Announcements
9:10 PM
– Adjourn

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KMCA General Meeting – Monday December 20th, 2021 @ 7:30 PM

The next KMCA general meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday December 20th, 2021 at 7:30 PM. The meeting agenda is below. A link to the meeting will be sent out to all members before December 19th. If you are a current member and haven’t received the meeting link by December 19th please email president@kempmillcivic.org to get the link.

If you aren’t sure if your membership is current you can check the status here: https://www.kempmillcivic.org/membership/

Agenda:
7:30
– Call to order
– Adoption of agenda
– Approval of minutes of previous meeting
7:35
– Treasurer’s report (account balances, current membership)
– Other committee reports
7:40
– Montgomery County Road Runners Club
Guest Speaker: Jeff Lunsford. Topic: 2022 Kemp Mill cHills event
7:50
– Neighbors of Northwest Branch
Guest Speaker: Anne Ambler. Topic: The NNWB organization
8:05
– University Boulevard Bike Lanes Pilot
Speaker: Gil Chlewicki, KMCA Transportation Committee Chair
8:45
– Vote on KMCA resolution on the bike lane pilot (see below for text of the resolution)
8:50
– Presentation of 2022 budget and vote
8:55
– New Business
– Announcements
9:00
– Adjourn

 

We will be voting on the following resolution that was adopted by the Board of Directors:

RESOLUTION:

WHEREAS The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA), a division of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) installed temporary bike lanes along University Boulevard between Arcola Avenue and Amherst Avenue without sufficient or timely outreach to affected communities, including Kemp Mill.

and WHEREAS The study included changes to the intersection of Arcola Avenue and University Boulevard that had a significant effect on Kemp Mill residents

and WHEREAS When the SHA did meet with the community the plans for the pilot were already finalized, leading to anger among members of the community that the SHA was not taking the community’s concerns into account

and WHEREAS The SHA made assurances that the changes related to the study were temporary, that the study results would be released to the public, and that there would be further opportunities for public input before any permanent changes would be made, but the Secretary of the MDOT later made public statements that the lanes would be left in place after the conclusion of the study, leading to further anger in the community.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE KEMP MILL CIVIC ASSOCIATION, that no permanent changes to University Boulevard involving the removal of lanes or reconfiguration of the intersection at Arcola Avenue should be made until:

The SHA releases the results of the bike lane study to the public and

The SHA allows significant opportunities for affected communities to provide input on any proposed changes. Such public input should be sought early enough in the process that it can be taken into account before any plans are finalized

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KMCA General Meeting – Monday September 13, 2021 @ 7:30 PM

KMCA Members,

The next KMCA general meeting will be held next week, on Monday September 13th at 7:30 PM and will be held virtually via Zoom. The meeting link will be available to KMCA members only and will be sent out later this week via email. If you are a current KMCA member, plan to attend the meeting, and haven’t received the meeting link by Saturday night, September 11th, please email me directly to request the link (president@kempmillcivic.org).

We will have a number of guest speakers joining us at the meeting. The full agenda is listed below. The two County Councilmembers have not yet confirmed their attendance, so the section of the agenda discussing Thrive Montgomery 2050 is tentative, pending confirmation from one or both of their offices.

Agenda
KCMA General Meeting
September 13, 2021, 7:30 PM
Meeting location: Virtual

Agenda:
7:30
– Call to order
– Adoption of agenda
– Approval of minutes of previous meeting
7:35
– Treasurer’s report (account balances, current membership)
– Other committee reports
7:40
– Recent crime trends and Q&A with MCPD (speaker: Ofc Katie Beard)
7:50
– SSCRC Food Pantry (speaker: Jennifer Renkema)
8:00
– Thrive Montgomery 2050 plan (Councilmembers Jawando and Navarro, invited)
8:25
– University Boulevard Shared Streets project (Gil Chlewicki, KMCA Transportation committee chair)
8:45
– New Business
– Announcements
8:50
– Adjourn

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Reminder: KMCA General Meeting 6/21/2021 @ 7:30 PM

Reminder: There will be a KMCA general meeting tonight, Monday June 21st at 7:30 PM under the tent outside the Chabad at Lamberton and Lovejoy. The original meeting notice and agenda are below.

Due to a last-minute emergency our Transportation Committee chair will not be able to attend the meeting. We will still have a brief discussion about the University Boulevard Shared Streets project and members are encouraged to contact him directly (gchlewicki@gmail.com) with any questions or concerns.

We will have some pizza available for attendees which was generously donated by Ben Yehuda Pizza. It’s probably still going to be hot outside after 7 PM  so please bring something to drink.

Due to the limited space available, the meeting is limited to KMCA members. That includes new members who join at the meeting. If you’re not currently a member and you live in the KMCA’s area you are welcome to join the Association and attend the meeting.

We will be starting the meeting at 7:30 PM. If you plan to join or renew your membership at the meeting please arrive at least 15 minutes early. You can also join or renew online at https://www.kempmillcivic.org/membership/ prior to the meeting. You can use the same link to check your membership expiration date.

If there are severe weather warnings in effect this evening, please check the KMCA website’s main page for updates before heading to the meeting. As long as there are no ‘take shelter inside’ warnings in effect for our area we will hold the meeting as scheduled.

If you are planning to attend the meeting, please take a minute to review the minutes from the previous meeting (https://www.kempmillcivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/KMCA-Meeting-minutes-3_16_2021.pdf) beforehand.
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KMCA General Meeting – Monday June 21st, 2021

Agenda
Kemp Mill Civic Association
General Meeting

June 21st, 2021 – 7:30 PM
Location: Chabad @ Lamberton Dr and Lovejoy St (outside under the tent)

  • 7:30 PM
    • Call to order
    • Approval of Minutes of previous meeting
    • Adoption of agenda
    • Treasurer’s Report
  • 7:35 PM
    • Elections
      • The Nominating Committee submitted the following slate of candidates:
        • President – Alan Felsen
        • Secretary – Marcia Rosenblum
        • Director at-large – Pete Lublin
        • Director at-large – Marion Felsen
      • Call for additional nominations
      • Statements from the candidates
      • Conduct Vote
  • 7:50 PM
    • Discussion of the Thrive Montgomery 2050 plan
    • Guest Speaker: Meredith Wellington
      • Meredith Wellington is the Land Use Planning Policy Analyst for the County Executive. She represents the County Executive on land use matters before the Montgomery County Planning Board and the County Council, including the Subdivision Staging Policy–the Growth and Infrastructure Policy for the County–and the new General Plan, called Thrive Montgomery 2050. She served on the Montgomery County Planning Board for eight years, and has been deeply involved with county land use issues for over 20 years. She ran unsuccessfully for County Council in District 1 in 2018.
  • 8:30 PM
    • Discussion of University Boulevard Shared Streets pilot project
    • KMCA Transportation Committee chair Gil Chlewicki will give an update on the project
  • 8:50 PM
    • Results of election
  • 8:55 PM
    • Other Committee Reports
  • 9:15 PM
    • New Business
  • 9:20 PM
    • Adjourn

County Executive's Comments on Thrive Montgomery 2050 amendment to the General Plan

[ Download PDF ]

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MDOT Press Release on University Boulevard Shared Street Pilot Project

https://www.roads.maryland.gov/mdotsha/pages/pressreleasedetails.aspx?newsId=3920&PageId=818

(June 9, 2021) – The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is launching a pilot project allowing bicycles and vehicles to safely share 1.35 miles of MD 193 (University Boulevard) from Amherst Avenue to Arcola Avenue in Wheaton, Montgomery County. Beginning Friday, June 11, weather permitting, and continuing through late fall, this Multi-Modal Shared Streets Pilot Project includes new traffic patterns and temporarily repurposed lanes, providing opportunities for motorists and bicyclists to share access to and from commercial, residential and recreational centers in Wheaton.

The temporary pilot project for MD 193 (University Boulevard) is part of a county-wide initiative to enhance safety and mobility for all roadway users.

The project includes:

  • Reducing the number of vehicular through-lanes on MD 193.
  • Repurposing MD 193 travel lanes adjacent to the curbs for use by bicyclists.
  • Modifying lane assignments to connect bicyclists to the MD 193 interim bike lanes.
  • Adding flexible posts – or “vertical delineators” – to separate vehicle and bike lanes.
  • Installing updated signage and striping.

Access to all businesses, driveways and bus stops will be maintained at all times during the pilot project. Bicyclists traveling along MD 193 should use the protected outside lanes. Pedestrians should use the existing sidewalk. All users share the responsibility to stay alert and undistracted on Maryland’s roadways.

At the conclusion of the pilot project, MDOT SHA will remove the flex posts and temporary line striping and restore the use of all lanes for vehicular traffic. MDOT SHA will then evaluate motorist, bicycle and pedestrian operations and safety to gauge the effectiveness of the pilot project.

MDOT SHA works hard to maintain safe traffic mobility in work zones for our crews as well as our customers. Drivers need to stay alert, focus on driving and, look for reduced speed limits as well as other driving pattern changes. Please drive like you work here and slow down in construction zones.

For a list of all major MDOT SHA projects, go to Project Portal. Visit our homepage at roads.maryland.gov. For a look at real-time traffic conditions, go to md511.maryland.gov.