From the City’s website:
Agenda - Work Session: Wells/Robertson House, Olde Towne Clock Tower, 9/24/2007
Posted 9/14/2007City of Gaithersburg
WORK SESSION
Mayor and City CouncilMonday, September 24, 2007
7:30 P.M.
- Receive a Presentation From the Friends of Wells/Robertson House
Background Material (pdf format)- Receive Presentation and Discuss Proposed Olde Towne Clock Tower Plaza Project
Background Material (pdf format)
The following pictures were extracted from the background material for the clock tower proposal:
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Now I have to say that I’m disappointed with the proposal for the clock tower and plaza; while the clock tower is probably fine, the plaza is not — given previous discussions of this project — at all what I had anticipated. This anticipation was colored in large part by (a) my quite-possibly-faulty recollections of the plans that had been shown around 1999 or so for the redevelopment of the Fishman Building, and (b) the discussion of this project in the Olde Towne Master Plan. Quoting this Master Plan (emphasis mine):
Olde Towne Plaza and Clock Tower
The surface parking at the southeast corner of Summit and Diamond Avenues, Olde Towne’s most prominent and visible intersection, would be replaced by an expanded plaza area. Designed to integrate the historic steam locomotive, rail cars, the Gaithersburg Historical Museum, and the historic train station into a cohesive space, the plaza would become a more appropriate setting to celebrate Olde Towne’s rail heritage. A clock tower prominently located at the corner, punctuates the plaza space and serves as a recognizable Olde Towne landmark. Special features, like synchronized lighting or chimes, could be incorporated into the design of the tower to announce a train’s imminent arrival. Other elements or programmed features such as street vendors, chess tables, fairs, and festivals would reinforce the plaza’s function as the locus of downtown life and activity.
Following are pictures extracted from the master plan, showing a artist’s conception of the Diamond & Summit/Olde Towne Plaza area, followed by an excerpt from the land-use drawing for this area, that shows (a) a plaza in place of most of the parking lot, (b) the Fishman building site redeveloped and extending into the rest of the old parking lot, and (c) a new parking garage built behind the new building on the Fishman building property.
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Now, certainly I understand that the City is currently attempting to market the Fishman property, any redevelopment of which would need to be integrated into this plaza, and that master plans and artist’s conceptions do not constitute final architectural decisions. Also I understand that many of the retailers in Olde Towne believe that customers will not shop at their stores unless that parking continues to exist, despite the success of parking garages at new major retail developments such as Washingtonian Center. |
Moreover, the parking at Diamond & Summit is heavily used by train passengers (or, I should say, by people coming to pick up train passengers), and there should indeed be a discussion of how that short-term parking requirement can be accommodated.
However, planning activities such as the Olde Towne Charette do create expectations for the level of change that people will expect, and adding a few feet to what is now, by urban standards, little more than a broad sidewalk, hardly creates a “plaza” of the sort that I think many people had anticipated, or that would create a major draw that would induce people to go out of their way to visit. Yes, it is possible that ripping out that parking before the redevelopment of the Fishman building is further along could cause some difficulty, but the fact is that the background materials for Monday’s meeting say nothing at all about any future plans to completely eliminate that parking lot.
The background materials do mention that the plans for this plaza were developed in 2003. Looking back at the record of the discussion of those plans, it is clear that concern was raised back then about the conflict between parking and a functional plaza:
Noting that this area was the only central gathering place in Olde Towne, [Historic Preservation Advisory Committee member Cathy Drzyzgula] cautioned against letting the issue of parking become an obstacle to expansion.
The apparent reaction to that concern is actually rather disturbing:
In following up on Ms. Drzyzgula’s comment, Council member Somerset stressed the need to take a look at the actual total size of the plaza area and let that drive the design. If the area is deemed too small, it should not be over programmed but rather designed to serve as a “sitting” park.
It would appear that, as is usual in Gaithersburg, the needs of automobiles and desires of their drivers take precedence over all other considerations in planning decisions such as these.
However, the Olde Towne Charette was held after those plans were developed, and it is clear from the resulting Master Plan Element that the continued use of that space as a parking lot was seen as contrary to the stated goals for Olde Towne. Monday’s background document refers only to the 2003 plans, and makes no reference to all the thought that had gone into Olde Towne development in the intervening four years. By the way, the goals stated in the Olde Town Master Plan Element are as follows:
- Create a place for living, working, shopping, and entertaining
- Encourage a lively, safe, and diverse community
- Preserve historic character
- Express Olde Towne’s railroad heritage
- Offer a wide-range of housing types
- Increase the customer base of Olde Towne businesses
- Create a distinct identity—an appealing environment
- Leverage the MARC train station
- Encourage pedestrian friendliness
- Provide a place for people of all ages
- Create places for people to gather and interact
- Integrate adjacent neighborhoods
Note that “Create places for people to gather and interact” is included in this list, but “maximize available surface parking” is not. Is Gaithersburg going throw away yet another opportunity to do something great in Olde Towne?
