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Supporters Keep Pushing MoCo For Pedestrian-Friendly Road Design

By WTOP Staff

The Friends of White Flint revealed these designs for Old Georgetown Road. Montgomery County officials say the design is far from complete, via Friends of White Flint

White Flint residents, property owners and developers are keeping up the pressure in their push for a more pedestrian-friendly design of Old Georgetown Road near Rockville Pike.

In a letter sent Monday to County Executive Isiah Leggett, a group of 15 organizations and two individual residents called for a review of the county Department of Transportation’s policies for White Flint, more cooperation between the department and local stakeholders and a letter to state transportation officials emphasizing the importance of a four-lane Old Georgetown Road.

The letter comes almost a week after Lindsay Hoffman, executive director of the Friends of White Flint, criticized MCDOT for presenting an Old Georgetown Road design that kept the existing six lanes and added two lengthy turning lanes that in some stretches make the road seem like eight lanes.

That set off a strong rebuke from county officials, who claimed that the “70 percent design” threshold for the road Hoffman referred to hadn’t even been completed.

“It’s very disappointing and frustrating to see that a community group have taken facts from I don’t know where that are inaccurate and made assumptions,” said county assistant chief administrative officer Ramona Bell-Pearson last week.

MCDOT did present some working designs for the road to Federal Realty during a meeting about traffic studies, according to Regional Services Director Ken Hartman. But Hartman said those designs did not constitute the more formal 70 percent designs that will be complete in late October or early November.

Federal Realty is building the Pike & Rose project along the section of Old Georgetown Road in question, between Rockville Pike and Executive Boulevard. The developer is also part of the Friends of White Flint and a member of the White Flint Partnership, a group of major landowners in the White Flint Sector area.

The Friends of White Flint displayed the designs next to what the Sector Plan recommended. Together with the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the Friends group encouraged supporters of a more pedestrian-friendly road design to write to county officials.

So far, more than 350 people have written emails calling for an Old Georgetown Road design that matches the Sector Plan, according to the group.

Meanwhile, county officials have said making Old Georgetown Road four lanes is in the hands of State Highway Administration officials, who have final authority over the road design. Bell-Pearson said Leggett moved up funding for an extension of Hoya Street to provide another way for drivers to connect to Rockville Pike, perhaps helping to convince the SHA that fewer lanes are needed on Old Georgetown Road.

According to Bethesda Magazine, SHA officials aren’t yet on board with the idea of fewer lanes.

County officials have also suggested that the section of road could be redesigned to four lanes later, when the amount of vehicle traffic decreases and the lanes are no longer needed.

On Monday, the Friends of White Flint, Coalition for Smarter Growth, White Flint Partnership and a number of local civic and condominium associations were among the groups to send the latest letter to Leggett:

We find ourselves in a difficult situation.  While we all want the infrastructure built as quickly as possible, we cannot accept a design which defeats the shared vision we’ve spent years working for.  Thus we ask you, as County Executive, to once again engage with us to help implement our shared vision in the White Flint Sector Plan.  This will be one of the most important legacies of your tenure as County Executive and we find ourselves at a critical juncture that will ultimately determine the success of the plan.  As County Executive, we ask you to take the following actions:

  1. Direct MCDOT to work collaboratively with MNCPPC, property owners, residents, civic leaders and other stakeholders in the White Flint area to design the Western Workaround and all other Sector road improvements in a way that reflects the Sector Plan’s vision for a multi-modal, mixed-use White Flint.
  2. Initiate a comprehensive review of MCDOT policies for White Flint, with regard totraffic projections, trip modeling and related methods that the agency employs to determine the character of roads within White Flint. These methods should reflect the dynamic, pedestrian-oriented environment that White Flint will become, rather than perpetuate the auto-oriented status quo.
  3. Send a letter to SHA, MDOT and Governor O’Malley communicating the importance of designing and implementing infrastructure under state control in accordance with the vision of the White Flint Sector Plan. Further, we ask that you work together with the Governor’s office to develop a strategy to allow SHA and MCDOT to jointly implement transportation projects in a way that reflects the multi-modal vision of the White Flint Sector Plan.

Casey Anderson, the new chair of the Planning Board, said he’s been following the issue closely. It first became apparent that county officials were considering the six-lane design last year, when they presented the 35 percent designs to a meeting of the White Flint Implementation Advisory Committee.

“I’m concerned about making sure that the road network in the White Flint area is consistent with the vision in the master plan,” Anderson wrote in an email response. “This is not just a question of making it easier and more attractive to walk or ride a bike — it’s about reorienting the way we design communities to make them more appealing places to live and work. If we don’t get this right it will make it much harder to achieve our economic development goals, because our competitive position depends on building high quality, livable places where people want to be.”

At the end of the letter, the group of local residents, property owners and developers suggested Leggett take a guided walking tour along the streets of White Flint.

“Please stand with your constituents and make this national model of best practices in economic development and community building a reality. We also invite you to stand with your constituents, literally, in taking a guided walking tour along the streets and sidewalks of White Flint to better understand our concerns from the pedestrian’s perspective.”

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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