Answers to Frequently Asked Question
by Guy Semmes
(June 24, 2008)
Our hope, as you know, is that we can all agree to work together towards extending sewer to the Potomac Oak Center, the only means we can see of improving the shopping center and making it a place that we might all want to use more, a place where we can all enjoy coming to whether it be for an annual festival, a grocery trip, or a dinner at a neighborhood restaurant.
It is first important to clarify that as owners of the Potomac Oak Center (POC) we are only asking for a Sewer and Water category change to connect the POC to the existing public sewer & water system. This is not a request for a Zoning change or Commercial expansion. Any building improvements or additions that we do make to the center would be what is currently permitted under the C-1 zoning of the 3.5 acres that the POC currently sits on.
- Why can’t an onsite aerobic septic system support the needs of an improved shopping center and tenant base? - We spent two years designing an alternative on site septic system with the MC-DPS Well & Septic Department and our engineers. In the end, it was clear the system would not begin to provide the water usage that we would need to attract the kinds of tenants that the community has told us it would like to see. There were some differences between the State of MD MDE and County Well & Septic regarding type of system “definitions” and who would be responsible for overseeing the system. The cost of this system also escalated to match estimates we have received to connect to the public sewer. An even larger alternative on site system that might handle the types of tenants we want to attract would be astronomically expensive and could produce more effluent than our septic reserve area can handle. After this exercise in engineering and approvals, the County Well and Septic Department is now a supporter of our application for a public sewer connection. They see an on site system as only problematic down the road and not sustainable in the long run. The Darnestown Food Lion, now an expanded Harris Teeter’s, is served by an aerobic system that is now having problems. Of course, a part of its expansion included adding a Starbucks and food preparation and service, which might be acceptable under the current definition of a “Grocery store”, but you cannot measure the increased water use based on the standard gallons per square foot allowance for “grocery stores”. This is problematic to the design of any alternative onsite system with unknown future uses.
- Light pollution – The current site lighting is inadequate and wasteful. In all of our improvement plans, we have included improved light fixtures that put the light where you need it--not up into the night sky or off the site.
- Parking – There is a large area for parking expansion, on Lot 1 within the C-1 zone, at the south end of the center that would be tapped into to accommodate any improvements. The plans that have been approved for the building on lot 4 at the north end of the center include the addition of six parking spaces there.
- Vacant land - The land behind the shopping center is currently encumbered for future septic field expansion. This area is zoned RE-2 or Residential - 2 Acre, and could possibly yield three homes, but in our discussions with neighbors, county agencies and our own planning, we have discussed other uses that might be better for the success of the shopping center and for the community than septic fields. These discussions have included developing a community exercise track, a soccer field, tennis courts/community pool, and even a community supported agriculture enterprise. Our primary focus is on making the POC an attractive addition to the community. We will not expand the shopping center into this area.
- The effects of bringing public water to the center - This would require an 8” pipe, larger than the one needed for the pressure sewer line, but still constructed in the Travilah Road right of way. Public water would be an amenity to the neighborhood, as fire hydrants would be installed in standard regular spacing along Travilah Road. This could lower Homeowners insurance policy premiums and increase fire safety. If a homeowner along this extension wanted public water, they would have to apply for a category change and pay for their connection.
- Additional traffic– In our planning process, we have been listening to the community. Our planned improvements are for our community and we hope that it will become a vital community center. If a new popular restaurant attracts some folks from farther away than our immediate community, we do not think that these people will be a threat to our way of life for their brief visit to us. Currently, a significant number of the County’s residents use Glen and Travilah Roads as alternate routes to get to work, and they are already using the services at the center. If we can create something that we are proud of and call our own, this can only reduce any risk of vandalism or theft.
Again, we want to make it clear that we are not asking for an expansion of or change to the current commercial C-1 zoning, only connection to nearby existing public sewer and water via the Travilah Road right of way. We are sensitive to the issues and concerns outlined in the Potomac Sub Region master plan; we are proposing a private dedicated connection that does not run along stream beds or other environmentally sensitive areas. We believe that our application for a Sewer and Water category change will not be the thin edge of a wedge opening flood gates to development. As long time residents of the area and tenants ourselves of the POC, we see our application as an improvement to the community and addition to the way of life that we all wish to preserve. We live here, and we care about Potomac. As a pledge of trust, we can also offer you more than 30 years and our reputation as builders who are nationally recognized for design which enhances and harmonizes with existing structures and communities and is in keeping with sound environmental practices. However we need your support too. Without you, one thing is certain: nothing will change very much. You, the community who are served by the Potomac Oak Center, must decide whether you are satisfied with the “status quo” - the way the Center looks now and what it presently offers - or whether you want something better, a place where you can shop close to home and where you might enjoy coming together with your neighbors, a place that is more in keeping with the kind of community we are – an improved, more attractive Potomac Oak Center with a wider variety of services. If most of us want this, we can expect that our elected officials will take us seriously and help us achieve the benefits we desire.
Please call or email me with your ideas and suggestions, and check the website for updates about the process of our application so far.
Guy Semmes
Co-Owner Potomac Oak Center
guy@hopkinsandporter.com
301-840-9121 ext.15
