For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 17, 2006
1200 New Affordable Housing Units Coming…
The County Council today approved a “Smart Growth” sector plan for the Shady Grove area that will concentrate more housing around the Shady Grove metro station and boost the County’s supply of affordable housing.
Under the plan approved today, industrial land near Metro will be transformed to a mixed-use community with a residential focus at the Metro Station. The plan envisions an “urban village” that will provide housing, employment, and retail uses within walking distance of Metro. The development will include 6,340 new housing units, of which approximately 1,200 will be classified as affordable.
“This plan is a shining example of Smart Growth,” said Councilmember Steve Silverman, who chairs the Council’s Planning, Housing & Economic Development Committee. “It puts housing right where it ought to be – near the Metro Station. It represents an enormous boost in our supply of affordable housing units. And we have included in this plan the most stringent traffic mitigation requirements of any Master Plan in the entire Washington region.” The approved plan also keeps development at the same pace as the infrastructure needed to support it by requiring significant traffic improvements at the intersection of Maryland 355 and Gude Drive prior to the construction of the remaining housing units called for in Stage Two of the plan.
“This plan includes a new library, a new elementary school, and more parkland – all of which are required to be completed before development is finished,” said Council President George Leventhal. “We’ve worked with the community to craft a plan that’s good for Shady Grove and good for the whole County.”
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Release ID: 06-012