Purple Line NOW News - June 19, 2019
In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:
- A Reminder to Reserve Your Seat for the Next Purple Line NOW Forum - Completing the Capital Crescent Trail!
- A Wrap-Up of the Silver Spring and University Boulevard Community Advisory Team Meetings (CATs)
- Become a Sponsor of Purple Line NOW - All Levels Welcome!
Reserve Your Seat for the Next Purple Line NOW Forum
When: Thursday, July 25, 2019 from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Where: Lawton Community Center in Chevy Chase, 4301 Willow Lane, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
How: RESERVE MY SEAT! Your Seat Must Be Reserved in Advance
We are working on a terrific panel for you. By the number of seat reservations rolling in, this promises to be a jam-packed evening full of good information from Purple Line and Trail experts!
- The new CEO of the Purple Line Transit Partners, Peter van der Waart van Gulik
- Board Member of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Peter Gray
- Montgomery County At-Large Councilmember, Hans Riemer
- Montgomery County District 1 Councilmember, Andrew Friedson
- Montgomery County Planning Board Chair, Casey Anderson
- Representative from Montgomery County Department of Transportation
The event, as always, is free and open to the public, but seats must be reserved in advance due to space limitations – we have about 75 seats for both the public and the media and we are currently about two-thirds full.
Please forward this email to anyone who may be interested in attending - trail users, community groups, and transit lovers alike! Please contact us at [email protected] with any questions.
Share This Newsletter
Please feel free to share this newsletter - no permission from us needed! You can always find a link to our newsletter on our Purple Line NOW website which makes it easy to share with your friends, neighbors, constituents, customers, and employees.
CONSTRUCTION NEWS TO KNOW |
Highlights from the Silver Spring Community Advisory Team Meeting
The most recent Silver Spring CAT meeting was held on June 11, 2019 at Silver Spring International Middle School.
The Purple Line Transit Partners (PLTP) team debuted their new website (which we profiled in the May 9, 2019 edition of the Purple Line NOW News). During the meeting, PLTP highlighted the very informative aerial maps of how the stations will fit into the surrounding roadways and trail, and the introduction of the art projects for the Transit Center, the Library, and the Dale Drive stations.
Image courtesy of Purple Line Transit Partners
Work will begin that will connect the Capital Crescent Trail and Purple Line to the Silver Spring Transit Center. Bonifant Street on both sides of Georgia will be essentially closed to vehicular traffic (other than delivery vehicles for the shops), though details will be worked out for service and parking garage access.
Utility work on Wayne Avenue and parking lot work at Silver Spring International Middle School will also continue this summer. Clearing will begin at the new Sligo Creek Bridge in the next six months or so.
One of the questions asked concerned the cutting of mature trees, most noticeable on the west side of Wayne Avenue, especially at the tunnel. Representatives from the concessionaire explained that for the required tree replacement, 48 acres of trees will be planted in outer Montgomery County and 13 acres will be replanted at various locations on the route.
Other questions:
- Will parking lot on south side of Bonifant remain accessible? Yes.
- When will track work be started? Six months at the soonest.
- Will buses along Wayne continue after the Purple Line is operational? Yes. Eighty percent of people will arrive at Purple Line stations by walking, biking, or by bus and therefore likely will need buses to get folks to stations. Remember, Purple Line stations are farther apart, bus stations are closer together.
Highlights from the University Boulevard Community Advisory Team Meeting
The University Boulevard section of the CAT includes three stations, Takoma-Langley Transit Center on New Hampshire, Riggs Road, and Adelphi Road-UMUC (the Piney Branch Station is also on University Blvd, but falls under the Long Branch CAT).
The CAT, held on May 29, covered a Planning Assistance to Municipalities and Communities (PAMC) grant to make streetscape improvements for pedestrians safety and comfort in the Northern Gateway CDC ( https://www.northerngatewaycdc.org/what-is-the-corridor ) which includes much of the International Corridor between New Hampshire and Adelphi. This serves an important "last mile" need because it extends beyond the area of the line to surrounding neighborhoods with the intention of adding signs to make it easier to accessibly find your way to transit.
Relatedly, during construction there is an "open for business" effort to help local restaurants, stores, and other workplaces stay visible in the community. Local businesses wishing to participate in the program should contact [email protected] or by phone 240-424-5325.
Image courtesy of Purple Line Transit Partners
Representatives on hand also reported on the art installations - an exciting aspect to the project!
The Takoma-Langley station will have art fences on both sides of the station. It will depict a community in motion "through photographs of local individuals and families" made into "a large scale collage."
Image courtesy of Purple Line Transit Partners
The Riggs Road artwork is also focused on art fences, but will not rely on photos. Instead, there will be patterns and symbols in "bright uniform color" drawing inspiration from the diverse mix of cultures in the surrounding communities.
Image courtesy of Purple Line Transit Partners
Finally, the Adelphi Road-UMUC-UMD station has a theme of "global campus and growing minds" and depicts data associated with the University of Maryland University College, for example, the origins of their students. These panels of data visualization will be topped by "metal flag-like structures" above the station.
Image courtesy of Purple Line Transit Partners
Work on University boulevard has included median demolition, relocating utilities, reconstructing traffic signals, and upgrading drainage, which involved the closure of Guilford Road. Upcoming construction falls in similar categories and will include the replacement of the Northwest Branch Bridge over three phases across multiple years that will keep two lanes open in each direction during construction. The reconstructed bridge keeps sidewalks and bike lanes in mind, in addition to allowing rooms for cars and the Purple Line.
For those interested in the landscaping plans, click on this link to see what is in store: https://www.purplelinemd.com/construction/plans
* A reference to sidewalk widening on Bonifant which was included in our newsletter email was incorrect and has been deleted
PURPLE LINE NOW NEWS AND EVENTS |
Next Forum: Completing the Capital Crescent Trail
Don't forget to reserve your seat for this informative evening (see above). This is the first time we will be focusing solely on the Capital Crescent Trail! And, we have a brilliant panel of experts to get us up to speed on what is currently happening on the trail and what we can expect down the road (or, in this case, trail...!)
Upcoming Community Advisory Teams
- June 19, 2019 (TONIGHT - WEDNESDAY!)
Long Branch
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Oak View Elementary School (All Purpose Room)
400 E. Wayne Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20901
- June 25, 2019
Greater Lyttonsville/Woodside
7 – 8:30 p.m.
Rosemary Hills Elementary School
2111 Porter Road (All Purpose Room)
Silver Spring, MD 20910
PURPLE LINE NOW ACTION |
Purple Line NOW Needs Your Sponsorship Today
Sponsorship is another way to help Purple Line NOW continue our efforts to bring you important Purple Line related news and information via our newsletters, outreach, and public events. Our organization has been around for a long time and is almost entirely run by dedicated volunteers. We don't hold big fundraisers and we do not receive underwriting grants from any source, government (local or otherwise), nor are we a membership organization (we do not ask for annual dues). We operate solely on donations from individuals and businesses who care about the Purple Line and whose generosity allow us to continue our work.
If you need more information before you push the donate button, we sent out a request a few weeks ago that will give you a good, in-depth idea of how hard we make your donations dollars work. Click here to read all about what we do with your donations!
All levels of sponsorships are welcomed and appreciated!
As always, we are happy to share financial information about our operating expenses and our income. Just shoot us an email or give us a call. When we say we do a lot on a skinny budget, we mean it. We try to only ask for donations when our bank account gets low enough to make our treasurer nervous - and that is usually around the $3,000 mark.
We hope you will consider joining the sponsors already on board (you can see these awesome folks here) – and remember, with your donation, your name (or your business name) will be listed on our website and in event literature and signage for a year following your donation.
RSVP NOW: Completing the Capital Crescent Trail Forum
You are invited: Forum Seven | Completing the Capital Crescent Trail
When: Thursday, July 25, 2019 from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Where: Lawton Community Center in Chevy Chase, 4301 Willow Lane, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
How: RESERVE MY SEAT! Your Seat Must Be Reserved in Advance.
We are working on a terrific panel - and by the number of seat reservations rolling in, this promises to be an informative evening for the community! Our panel will include:
- The new CEO of the Purple Line Transit Partners, Peter van der Waart van Gulik
- Board Member of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Peter Gray
- Montgomery County At-Large Councilmember, Hans Riemer
- Montgomery County District 1 Councilmember, Andrew Friedson
- Montgomery County Planning Board Chair, Casey Anderson
- Representative from Montgomery County Department of Transportation
Please reserve your seat today.
The event, as always, is free and open to the public, but seats must be reserved in advance due to space limitations – we have about 75 seats for both the public and the media.
Please feel free to forward this email to anyone who may be interested in attending - trail users, community groups, and transit lovers alike! Please contact us at [email protected] with any questions.
Thanks to our many sponsors who make our work possible! (Scroll down to see the list of these generous folks.)
If you have a moment, we hope you'll consider a donation to Purple Line NOW. We rely on your donations to host this popular and educational series and your sponsorship of this signature series is an ideal opportunity to support us and the work that we do. If you support the Purple Line - this is a terrific way to let the community know it!
As you know, Purple Line NOW operates on a bare bones budget - and we spend every dime we raise to make sure the project is the best it can be by providing educational opportunities like this for those communities along the Purple Line route, by testifying before local, state, and federal entities, and by providing regular information regarding the progress and any major project developments through our website, Twitter, and Facebook. Please take a moment, especially if you haven't given this year, to become a sponsor.
Your name or your business name will be highlighted at all of the fora in the Envisioning the Purple Line series, as well on our website.
WE APPRECIATE THE GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM OUR SPONSORS!
FEATURED SPONSORS
CHEVY CHASE LAND COMPANY
THE MALLOY AND SANDERS FAMILY
TINA, DON, AND JESSIE SLATER
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE (UMUC)
SUPPORTING SPONSORS
ATU Local 689
ENGINEERS
Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce
Bee and Brian Ditzler
Nancy and Rob Soreng
CONDUCTORS
Action Committee for Transit
Anne Ambler
John Carroll
Dr. Troy Jacobs and Dr. Kawsar Talaat
Landmark Realty, Inc.
Ben Ross
Christine Scott and JohnR Llewellyn
Sam Statland
COMMUTERS
Dave and Linda Anderson, Elizabeth Barbehenn, Glen Bottoms, Jonathan Elkind, Neil Greene, Virginia Haufler, Melanie Isis, Kevin Kirby, Mary Lanigan, Rhonda Long, William Mallari, Anita Morrison, Gareth Rosenau, Bill Strein, Eric Talbot
PASSENGERS
Tim Anderegg, Charles Bell, Douglas Bowen, Casey Brennan, Jeff Cronin, Ronit Dancis,
Joseph Fainberg, Miti Figueredo, Patrick Flaherty, Cody Goebel, David Hondowicz, Greg Madde, Judith Morenoff, Rodolfo Perez, Mark Posner, Jason Poteat, Dan Reed, Frederick Schultz, Elizabeth Shannon, Jerry Withers, William Young
You Are Invited: Forum Seven | Completing the Capital Crescent Trail
We are pulling together a fantastic panel which will include Peter Gray, Board Member of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Montgomery Councilmembers Hans Riemer and Andrew Friedson, as well as a representative from the Purple Line Transit Partners (the folks who are building the project) and the Montgomery County Planning Board. The event will be on Thursday, July 25, 2019 from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm at the Lawton Community Center in Chevy Chase (4301 Willow Lane, Chevy Chase, MD 20815).
Please reserve your seat today.
The event, as always, is free and open to the public, but seats must be reserved in advance due to space limitations – we have about 75 seats for both the public and the media.
Please feel free to forward this email to anyone who may be interested in attending this very informative evening - trail users, community groups, and transit lovers alike! Please contact us at [email protected] with any questions.
Thanks to our many sponsors who make our work possible! (Scroll down to see the list of these generous folks.)
If you have a moment, we hope you'll consider a donation to Purple Line NOW. We rely on your donations to host this popular and educational series and your sponsorship of this signature series is an ideal opportunity to support us and the work that we do. If you support the Purple Line - this is a terrific way to let the community know it!
As you know, Purple Line NOW operates on a bare bones budget - and we spend every dime we raise to make sure the project is the best it can be by providing educational opportunities like this for those communities along the Purple Line route, by testifying before local, state, and federal entities, and by providing regular information regarding the progress and any major project developments through our website, Twitter, and Facebook. Please take a moment, especially if you haven't given this year, to become a sponsor. Your name or your business name will be highlighted at all of the fora in the Envisioning the Purple Line series, as well on our website.
WE APPRECIATE THE GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM OUR SPONSORS!
FEATURED SPONSORS:
THE CHEVY CHASE LAND COMPANY
THE MALLOY AND SANDERS FAMILY
TINA, DON, AND JESSIE SLATER
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE (UMUC)
SUPPORTING SPONSORS:
ATU Local 689
Bee and Brian Ditzler
ENGINEERS:
Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce
Nancy and Rob Soreng
CONDUCTORS:
Action Committee for Transit
Anne Ambler
John Carroll
Dr. Troy Jacobs and Dr. Kawsar Talaat
Christine Scott and JohnR Llewellyn
Sam Statland
Patrick Wojahn
PASSENGERS:
Tim Anderegg, Dave and Linda Anderson, Elizabeth Barbehenn, Charles Bell, Ralph Bennett, Glen Bottoms, Douglas Bowen, Casey Brennan, Jeff Cronin, Ronit Dancis, Jonathan Elkind, Joseph Fainberg, Miti Figueredo, Patrick Flaherty, Cody Gebel, Virginia Haufler, David Hondowicz, Melanie Isis, Kevin Kirby, Mary Lanigan, Rhonda Long, Greg Madde, William Mallari, Judith Morenoff, Anita Morrison, Rodolfo Perez, Mark Posner, Jason Poteat, Dan Reed, Gareth Rosenau, Ben Ross, Frederick Schultz, Elizabeth Shannon, Bill Strein, Eric Talbot, Jerry Withers, William Young
Purple Line NOW News - May 22, 2019
In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:
- An Announcement for the Next Purple Line NOW Forum - Completing the Capital Crescent Trail
- An Update on New Development Around the Purple Line Corridor
- An Appeal to Help Purple Line NOW Continue Its Work - All Levels Welcome!
Save the Date for the Next Purple Line NOW Forum
We are excited to announce the next forum in our Envisioning the Purple Line series will be on July 25 from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at the Lawton Community Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The long-requested topic will be: Completing the Capital Crescent Trail.
We are busy pulling together a fantastic panel with representatives from Montgomery County Council, Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Purple Line Transit Partners (the folks who are building the project), and the Montgomery County Planning Board. Stay tuned for more details coming soon.
An official invitation will arrive in your email box next week – make sure you click on the link in the invitation to reserve your seat. The event, as always, is free and open to the public, but seats must be reserved in advance due to space limitations.
Share This Newsletter
Please feel free to share this newsletter - no permission from us needed! You can always find a link to our newsletter on our Purple Line NOW website which makes it easy to share with your friends, neighbors, constituents, customers, and employees.
CONSTRUCTION NEWS TO KNOW |
Development Spurred by the Purple Line
Last Friday, a multidisciplinary and cross-regional panel at the Urban Land Institute discussed changes spurred by the Purple Line and why those changes will matter for our communities. Panelist and Montgomery County Planning Board Chair, Casey Anderson observes, “Even those that won’t use the Purple Line will still benefit from a focus [on] the neighborhood... It creates places that are affordable, but also a good quality of life because they have services and amenities that are convenient.”
American University Radio WAMU 88.5 reported that the panelists expect "communities on the eastern side of the corridor, between College Park and New Carrollton, are likely to see the greatest growth opportunities. Areas like Riverdale have more room to add new development without disrupting existing neighborhoods."
The panel also discussed affordable housing, a topic this newsletter intends to delve into more detail about in a future edition. You can read more in WAMU's article, As The Purple Line Moves Forward, When And Where Will Development Take Off?
This past month has also brought concrete examples of new projects currently under construction, just broke ground, or planned for future construction around the Purple Line.
On May 7, Maryland Today, a publication from the University of Maryland’s Office of Strategic Communications, announced they were breaking ground on a 105,000-square-foot office building located at 4600 River Road. This project is a joint venture between Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT) and the University of Maryland. The building will have four stories of office space and will be located in the UMD’s Discovery District in College Park. The Discovery District is, according to the University’s website, “the epicenter of academic, research and economic achievement and will strengthen existing research partnerships, retain a pipeline of talent locally and offer more experiences for residents, faculty, staff and students.” The Purple Line, once completed, will be nearby and provide a direct link to the main UMD campus.
Rendering Courtesy of COPT
According to the same Maryland Today article, the building will have a courtyard, outdoor gathering spaces, and even a café. A tech company which offers online security training, Cybrary, will anchor the building.
The aforementioned panel discussion also brought news of a new $150 million project which will be a mixed-use development in the works along Route 1 in College Park planned by Bozzutto Development. According to WAMU, this will be the "first major non-student housing project in the area, with housing for nearly 400 residents.”
Chevy Chase Lake, a development being planned on Connecticut Avenue will have a Purple Line station right at its location. Nearly 750,000 square feet of residential and retail space will be housed in the development. The development is scheduled to be finished before the Purple Line opens.
If you know of more development along the route, send them our way and we’ll make note of it in a future email.
PURPLE LINE NOW NEWS AND EVENTS |
Next Forum: Completing the Capital Crescent Trail
We are busy pulling together a fantastic panel with representatives from Montgomery County Council, Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Purple Line Transit Partners (the folks who are building the project), and the Montgomery County Planning Board. Stay tuned for more details coming soon.
An official invitation will arrive in your email box next week – make sure you click on the link in the invitation to reserve your seat. The event, as always, is free and open to the public but seats must be reserved in advance due to space limitations.
Upcoming Community Advisory Teams
May 29, 2019
University Boulevard
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Langley Park-McCormick Elementary School (Multi-Purpose Room)
8201 15th Avenue
Langley Park, MD 20783
June 5, 2019
Bethesda/Chevy Chase
7 – 8:30 p.m.
North Chevy Chase Elementary School
3700 Jones Bridge Road (All Purpose Room)
Bethesda MD, 20815
PURPLE LINE NOW ACTION |
Purple Line NOW Needs Your Sponsorship Today
Sponsorship is another way to help Purple Line NOW continue our efforts to bring you important Purple Line related news and information via our newsletters, outreach, and public events. Our organization has been around for a long time and is almost entirely run by dedicated volunteers. We don't hold big fundraisers and we do not receive underwriting grants from any source, government (local or otherwise), nor are we a membership organization (we do not ask for annual dues). We operate solely on donations from individuals and businesses who care about the Purple Line and whose generosity allow us to continue our work.
If you need more information before you push the donate button, we sent out a request a few weeks ago that will give you a good, indepth idea of how hard we make your donations dollars work. Click here to read all about what we do with your donations!
All levels of sponsorships are welcomed and appreciated!
As always, we are happy to share financial information about our operating expenses and our income. Just shoot us an email or give us a call. When we say we do a lot on a skinny budget, we mean it. We try to only ask for donations when our bank account gets low enough to make our treasurer nervous - and that is usually around the $3,000 mark.
We hope you will consider joining the sponsors already on board (you can see these awesome folks here) – and remember, with your donation, your name (or your business name) will be listed on our website and in event literature and signage for a year following your donation.
Get Connected
Make sure you are signed up for timely alerts from Purple Line NOW via our Twitter and Facebook pages, and at our website Purple Line NOW.