bethesda-chevy chase (bcc) middle school site selection report (original version released 4/14/2011)

8/7/2019 Bethesda-Chevy Chase (BCC) Middle School Site Selection Report (Original version released 4/14/2011)

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SITE SELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE

RECOMMENDATION

FOR

BETHESDA-CHEVY CHASE

MIDDLE SCHOOL #2

MARCH 8, 2011


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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

BACKGROUND ..............................................................................................................................1

SITE SELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ...........................................................................1

SITE SELECTION PROCESS ......................................................................................................2

CRITERIA .......................................................................................................................................3

LOCATION .................................................................................................................................3

ACREAGE ...................................................................................................................................3

TOPOGRAPHY ...........................................................................................................................3ACCESS ......................................................................................................................................4

UTILITIES ..................................................................................................................................4

PHYSICALCONDITION...........................................................................................................4

AVAILABILITYANDTIMING .................................................................................................5

COST ...........................................................................................................................................5

CANDIDATES ................................................................................................................................5

ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................................................16

CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................17

EXHIBITS

Enrollment Projections and Demographics ............................................................... A

Site Selection Advisory Committee .............................................................................. B

Map of Target Area and Candidate Sites C

Criteria Evaluation Grid.. D


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S I T E S E L E C T I O N A D V I S O R Y C O M M I T T E E

R E C O M M E N D A T I O N

BETHESDA-CHEVYCHASE MIDDLE SCHOOL#2

M A R C H 8 , 2 0 1 1

B A C K G R O U N D

Enrollment increases at Westland Middle School and the plan to reassign Grade 6 students from

Chevy Chase and North Chevy Chase elementary schools to the middle school level will result in a

total cluster middle school enrollment of approximately 1,500 students. This projected enrollmentwould far exceed the current capacity of Westland Middle School.1 The Board of Education

Requested FY 2012 Capital Budget and Amended FY 2011-2016 Capital Improvements Program

(CIP) authorized a site selection process to identify a middle school site for a new middle school toserve students in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Cluster. A feasibility study to determine the scope and

cost for a new middle school is scheduled for Spring 2011.

Design and construction funds will be considered as part of the FY 2013-2018 CIP. The opening

date of the school will be considered at that time.

S I T E S E L E C T I O N A D V I S O R Y C O M M I T T E E

Department of Facilities Management staff formed a Site Selection Advisory Committee (SSAC) toidentify suitable sites for a middle school in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Cluster area. The SSAC was

comprised of staff from the Montgomery County Office of Management and Budget, the


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RECOMMENDATION ON TH E

BETHESDA-CHEVY CHASE MIDDLE SCHOOL #2 ..MARCH8, 2011

C R I T E R I A

For site selection of a middle school site, there are numerous criteria that were considered, includingsize, location, access, topography, physical condition, utilities availability, and cost. Suitability for

LEED certification was included in evaluating the criteria, as MCPS has adopted LEED as a

design standard for all MCPS construction projects. As explained below, there are several criteria that

are applicable to LEED design standards.

LOCATION

The location of each school site should be centrally located within the target area with adjacent

residential use. If possible, a school site should be located to allow students to walk to school or usepublic transportation. The availability of public transportation is a criterion for LEED certification.

The new school also should be in an environment that is conducive to learning, without distractions

from industrial or retail uses or excessive noise or hazard.

Due to the location of Westland Middle School, at the extreme western side of the Bethesda-ChevyChase Cluster, a site for the new middle school that is centrally located or closer to the eastern side of

the cluster is desirable. Six of the candidates are situated in the central or eastern portion of the cluster.

SIZE

The current Board of Education standard for a middle school is 20 acres. 5 The Boards policy allows

some departure from the standard if street patterns, topography, stormwater management, or otherunusual reasons dictate.

Due to the fact that the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Cluster contains few parcels comprising 20 acres ormore of open space and is an urbanized area of the county, nine of the ten candidates considered in

the site selection are smaller than the standard middle school.

TOPOGRAPHY

The topography of a candidate site is examined to determine if elevation changes or slopes will result

in abnormally excessive grading for school construction. A balanced site is one in which soils in high


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Topography also is examined to determine the location of wetland or sensitive environmental areas

that may render portions of a site unusable or costly to develop. The existence of mature trees and

steep slopes should be considered as these factors also could increase development costs or render

portions of the site unusable.

There are several points related to topography that are relevant to LEED certification. In addition to

avoidance of steep slopes, wetlands, and sensitive environmental areas, as previously mentioned,

credit is given for avoiding land that is designated as prime agricultural, that contains rare orendangered species or that is designated as public parkland.

ACCESS

The SSAC reviews the access to candidate sites to determine road adequacy, length of road frontage,

and potential access points that may be constructed. In addition, sites are evaluated for adequacy of

safe pedestrian access. The ideal site should have access to a primary subdivision road, which consists

of a 70-foot wide right-of-way. Candidate sites that have sufficient frontage to accommodate at leastthree points of access are preferred. In this way, school bus access can be provided separately from

student drop-off, staff, and visitor access. A separate service drive is needed for deliveries.

Community sidewalks are preferred to enhance safe student walking access to the school.

Several of the candidate sites are located on narrow residential streets and have limited access.

Sidewalks are in place for the all of the candidate sites.

UTILITIES

A suitable site must have access to public utilities that include water, sanitary sewer, natural gas,

electricity, and cable. MCPS staff provides the SSAC with information concerning the County masterplan, phasing and timing for utility extensions to candidate sites. County master plans determine

which areas of the region will be programmed for water and sewer. Category maps indicate whenthese facilities will be constructed. In cases where the schedule for water and sewer extensions will

not meet the schedule for school opening, the SSAC may consider the cost to provide extensions from

the school project budget.

All of the candidates considered for the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Middle School #2 have utilities in

close proximity.

PHYSICAL CONDITION


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AVAILABILITY AND TIMING

Site availability is considered in instances where a site must be purchased. Department of Facilities

management staff will contact owners of candidate sites to determine if the owners would consider an

offer to purchase, should their site be recommended for a new school. If an owner is willing, then thesite is considered available. If the owner is unwilling to consider an offer, then the site is considered

unavailable. In the latter case, however, if no other site is considered to be suitable, SSAC may

recommend that the Board of Education pursue acquisition of the site through its power of eminentdomain. The SSAC must recognize the time delay to acquire a site through eminent domain and the

legal costs involved.

Availability also is considered in cases where a site is to be provided at no cost to the Board of

Education through the subdivision process. The SSAC must evaluate whether or not timing for the

development of the subdivision and, therefore, the extension of roads and utilities will meet the

schedule for opening the new school. If it appears that the school must open before substantialdevelopment of the adjacent property, then the SSAC may consider the site to be unavailable.

Only one of the ten candidate sites is completely owned in fee by the Board of Education. Anothersite is titled to the Board of Education, but would require assemblage of a local park to be a viable

site. Two candidate sites are titled privately. One site is titled to Montgomery County and would

require 10 years notice to the present tenant for reclamation. The remaining five are titled to theMaryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and are used as local parks, with two of

these five candidates improved with a community center.

COST

Cost was a consideration in this site selection process because purchase would be necessary for one of

the elementary school candidates.

Acquisition cost is usually the major constituent cost of a site. This includes the actual purchase price

plus survey, appraisal, legal, and title costs. Of the sites being considered, two sites would requirepurchase from a private owner. Acquisition of one site will require payment of a lease terminationfee.

B E T H E S D A - C H E V Y C H A S E


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Rock Creek Hills Local Park

This site, located at 3701 Saul Road in Kensington, is titled to the Maryland-National Capital Parkand Planning Commission and is used as a local park. The 13.38 acre parcel is adjacent to

Kensington Park Retirement Community and titled to the Housing Opportunities Commission of

Montgomery County. The parcel lies within a neighborhood of single family homes. Stream valley

buffer exists along the western portion of the site. It is graded to provide recreation amenities ontwo separate levels, one improved with two soccer fields, tennis courts, a basketball court,

playground equipment and parking. The lower level is improved with a street hockey court andadditional parking. The site has road frontage on Haverhill Drive and Saul Road. The site consists

of a portion of the former Kensington Junior High School, which was closed in 1979 and conveyed

to Montgomery County in 1991.


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North Chevy Chase Local Park

This 31.03-acre parcel is located at 4105 Jones Bridge Road in Chevy Chase and is used as a localpark. It is improved with two athletic fields, tennis and basketball courts, an activities building and

playground. Access to the site is from Jones Bridge Road. The site is bordered on the west by the

Bethesda Naval Medical Center, on the north by Capital Beltway and a private recreation club.

Residential properties lie to the east and southwest of the property. There is only one vehicularaccess from Jones Bridge Road, but the tract has frontage on Spring Valley Road and frontage at

the termini of three residential streets. The site is heavily wooded.


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Former Lynnbrook Elementary School and Lynnbrook Local Park

This site is located at 8001 Lynnbrook Drive in Chevy Chase and consists of six separate parcelstotaling 10.04 acres. Three of the parcels are titled to the Board of Education and are improved

with parking facilities and two buildings that house Montgomery County Public Schools physical

disabilities, childcare, and alternative programs. The remaining three parcels are titled to the

Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and comprise the Lynnbrook LocalPark that is improved with an athletic field, activities building and playground area and tennis

courts. The site is bordered on three sides with pubic residential streets and on the northeastportion with single family residences. The former Lynnbrook Elementary School buildings are

noted in the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) inventory, however the site is not included in the

National Register and there is no determination by the MHT of eligibility as a historic property.

There are no local historic designations by the Montgomery County Historic PreservationCommission. This site is used currently as a practice field by Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.


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Leland Neighborhood Park/Jane Lawton Community Recreation Center

This candidate is the site of the former Leland Junior High School that was closed in 1981. Thesite was conveyed to Montgomery County in 1986. The 3.71-acre site, titled to the Maryland-

National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is improved with tennis and basketball courts,

parking facilities, a playground and the Jane Lawton Community Recreation Center, operated by

the Montgomery County Recreation Department. In addition to community amenities, the Centerhouses the offices of the Town of Chevy Chase. The parcel is surrounded on four sides by

residential streets.


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Former Rollingwood Elementary School

This parcel is located at 3200 Woodbine Street in Chevy Chase. The 4.07-acre site, titled to theBoard of Education, was the former Rollingwood Elementary School that was closed in 1982. The

parcel has frontage on Woodbine Street and Beach Drive and is contiguous to single family

residential properties to the south. It is leased to a private educational facility.


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Rosemary Hills/Lyttonsville Local Park

This 17.1-acre site consists of four parcels, all of which are titled to the M-NCPPC. This site islocated at 2450 Lyttonsville Road in Chevy Chase. The local park is comprised of a softball field,

a soccer field, playground area, tennis and basketball courts and parking facilities. This tract is

also the location of the Gwendolyn E. Coffield Community Center which is operated by theMontgomery County Recreation Department. There is good access to the site from Lyttonsville

Road. In addition, there is limited frontage on Lanier Drive and additional access from the termini

of Richland Place, Richland Street, Quinton Road and Spencer Road. The property is contiguousto single family and multifamily residences to the south, east and north. Multifamily residences are

located across Lyttonsville Road from the site. Program Open Space funds were used to acquire

one of the parcels on which a ball field is located. Approval by the State of Maryland would be

required before it could be developed as a school site.


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WSSC - Lyttonsville

This candidate site consists of two parcels totaling 11.99 acres and is titled to the WashingtonSuburban Sanitary Commission. The site is used as an operating maintenance substation. It

bordered on the west by the Capital Crescent Trail which, at this location, is also the future

alignment for the Purple Line. It has frontage on Lyttonsville Place and Lyttonsville Road and iscontiguous to a private community pool facility. Multifamily housing is situated across

Lyttonsville Road from this site.


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Former Montgomery Hills Junior High School

This parcel, consisting of 8.67 acres, is the site of the former Montgomery Hills Junior High

School that closed in 1976. The site is located at 2010 Linden Lane in Silver Spring and is notwithin the boundary of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase cluster. The site was conveyed to Montgomery

County, the current owner, in 1976 and is currently leased to a private educational organization.

Lease terms indicate that the earliest retrieval date would be 2020 with a costly retrieval fee.


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Grace Episcopal School

This candidate site, located at 9411 Connecticut Avenue in Kensington, was the site of the formerLarchmont Elementary School which was closed in 1980 and conveyed to Montgomery County in

1994. The only access is from Connecticut Avenue. The 10.94-acre parcel is now titled to the

Grace Episcopal Church. It is impressed with a Conservation Easement on the southern portion ofthe property that reduces the useable area to approximately 7.5 acres.


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Norwood Local Park

This 17.5-acre site is located at 4700 Norwood Road in Bethesda and is titled to the Maryland-

National Capital Park and Planning Commission. It is used as a local park and is improved with aplayground, softball field, lighted baseball field, five tennis courts and a picnic area. The site is

also improved with two small buildings and the Bureau of Animal Industry Building. This

structure, built in two stages between 1906 and 1909, is listed on the Maryland Inventory ofHistoric Properties by the Maryland Historical Trust. The only vehicular access to this site is from

Norwood Road. There are pedestrian accesses from Offutt and Ruffin roads.


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A N A L Y S I S

During the course of the SSACs discussions, staff reviewed each of the sites under consideration.The SSAC discussed the candidates in terms of consistency with the approved and adopted

countywide master plan and the school site selection criteria as set forth above and highlighted during

the meeting.

All of the candidate sites met the criteria for availability of utilities. Several of the sites that could not

accommodate programmed facilities for a middle school were eliminated because they were too

small. These sites included Leland Local Park, the former Rollingwood Elementary School and GraceEpiscopal School property. The WSSC Lyttonsville site, while well located within the cluster, is

privately owned and is the site for active WSSC operations. This site is adjacent to

commercial/industrial-use facilities and also abuts the future Purple Line alignment with proposed railsidings. These factors would not be conducive to an educational setting. For these reasons, the site

was eliminated as a candidate. The SSAC also agreed to eliminate the Former Montgomery Hills

Junior High School site because of the expense involved to retrieve the property from the current

tenant, the length of time required for retrieval and because it is not located within the Bethesda-Chevy Chase cluster.

The North Chevy Chase Local Park, while well located within the cluster with adequate acreage, isadjacent to the Naval Medical Center. Committee members expressed concerns with locating a

middle school at this location because it would exacerbate existing and future traffic congestionassociated with the implementation of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). The site is alsoheavily wooded. In consideration of these factors, SSAC members agreed that the site should be

eliminated from consideration.

The Former Lynnbrook Elementary School and Lynnbrook Local Park candidate site is well situated

in the cluster. Development of the site would require razing of the activities building owned by the M-NCPPC as well as the buildings on the Board of Education-owned parcels. Although no

determination has been made on eligibility for a historic designation, nevertheless, increased timewould be involved for the design of the school should the MHT wish to investigate historic

significance further. Should the site be developed into a middle school, it would be necessary torelocate the existing MCPS supporting programs that include physical disabilities, childcare, and

alternative programs. The residential streets that serve the site are very narrow and SSAC members

expressed concern with traffic congestion associated with middle school operations. The athletic field


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Exhibit A

Middle School Enrollment in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Cluster

Official

Enrollment Projected Enrollment

School Capacity 2010112011-

122012-

132013-

142014-

152015-

162016-

17

Westland MS 1,063 1,043 1,133 1,214 1,338 1,377 1,292 1,317

space 20 -70 -151 -275 -314 -229 -254

Chevy Chase ES: Grade 6 na 96 100 113 86 97 99 102

North Chevy Chase ES: Grade 6 na 107 92 103 104 102 104 107

Total Grades 68 1,063 1,246 1,325 1,430 1,528 1,576 1,495 1,526

space -183 -262 -367 -465 -513 -432 -463


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Exhibit B

BETHESDA CHEVY CHASE CLUSTER MIDDLE SCHOOL #2


Ms. Karen AndersonGreen Program Manager

Division of Construction

Montgomery County Public Schools

Ms. Linna BarnesCouncilmember

Town of Chevy Chase

Ms. Valerie BaruchPresident

Westbrook ES School PTA

Mr. Jeffrey Bourne

Chief, Division of Facilities andCapital Programs

Dept. of Recreation

Montgomery County Government

Mr. Craig BrownB-CC Cluster co-Coordinator

Ms. Patricia Brown

PresidentBethesda ES PTA

Mr. Sean BulsonCommunity Superintendent-BCC

Cluster


Ms. Sandy Chambers

PresidentNorth Chevy Chase ES PTA

Mr. Bruce CrispellDirector Long-range Planning


Ms. Alysa EmdenPresident

Westland MS PTSA

Ms. Vanessa FrancisSouth Central Transit Corridor -Planning

Maryland-National Capital Park

& Planning Commission

Ms. Holly GrossPresident

Rosemary Hills ES PTA

Ms. Denise GreeneDirector of School Performance


Mr. Steven HayesOffice of Real Estate

Dept. of General Services


Mr. Bruce JohnstonChief, Engineering Services

Dept. of Transportation


Mr. Keith Levchenko (Observer)Senior Legislative Analyst

Office of the County Council

Mr. Julian MansfieldVillage Manager

Village of Friendship Heights

Ms. Deborah MissalPresident B-CC HS PTSA

Mr. Michael ShpurArchitect School Facilities

Division of Construction


Mr. Jeffrey SlavinMayor

Town of Somerset

Ms. Debbie SzyferSr. Planner Facilities Planning


Mr. Mark WallisDept. of Parks

Maryland-National Capital Park

& Planning Commission

Ms. Jane WardPTA Representative

Rock Creek Forest ES PTA

Ms. Mary Pat WilsonReal Estate Management Specialist

Dept. of Facilities Management


KNOW M


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Bethesda ES

Somerset ES

Westbrook ES

Chevy Chase ES

Rosemary Hills ES

Rock Creek Forest ES

North Chevy Chase ES

Westland MS

Leland NP

Norwood LP

N. Chevy Chase LP

Former Lynnbrook ES

Rock Creek Hills LP

Former Rollingwood ES

Grace Episcopal Church

WSSC Lyttonsville Site

Rosemary Hills-Lyttonsville LP

Former Montgomery Hills JHS Site98

7

3

5

1

2

4

10

RIVERRD

CONNECTICUTA

VE

EASTWE

STHWY

G

EORGIAAVE

OLDGEORGETOW

NRD

ROCKVILLEPIKE

BRADLEYB

LVD

WISCONSIN

AVE

WILSON LN

BROOKVILL

ER

D

MASSACHUSETTSAVE

GOLDS

BORORD

OWLESAVE

FORESTGLENR

D

METR

OPO

LITANAV

E

Walter Johnson Cluster

Walt Whitman Cluster

Downcounty Consortium

6

495

B-CC School Sites

Elementary School

Middle School

Candidate Site

Candidate Site

ES Boundary

Cluster Boundary


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EXHIBIT D

BETHESDA-CHEVY CHASE CLUSTER MIDDLE SCHOOL #2

SITE SELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEEEVALUATION GRID

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Rock Creek HillsLP

N. Chevy ChaseLP

Former

Lynnbrook ESLeland LP

Former

Rollingwood ES

Rosemary

Hills/LyttonsvilleLP

WSSC LyttonsvilleFormer Mont Hills

JHS

Grace Episcopal

SchoolNorwood LP

Eliminated Eliminated Eliminated Eliminated Eliminated Eliminated Eliminated Eliminated

Location + +

Acreage = +

Topography

+

Utilities = =

Access +

Cost = =

Availability/Timing = =

Physical Condition + +

Comments

Currently used as a local park.Site has two levels. Located inthe northern portion of thecluster.

Site is heavily wooded.Increased traffic as a part ofBRAC (Base Realignment andClosure) for the Naval MedicalCenter will require intersectionimprovements in the vicinity.

Portion used as local park. PerMHT: school buildings are noton National Register, nohistoric easements exist, nodetermination of eligibility. Ifdeveloped as a school site,would be subject to review byMHT on eligibility andalternative solutions. Narrowresidential streets. Fields usedby B-CC HS.

At 3.71 acres, site is toosmall. Street will not supportincreased traffic. Existingcommunity center was buildtin 1989 and houses ChevyChase Town Hall and a childcare center.

At 4.07 acres. Site is too smallto support a middle school

Used as a local park andimproved with the GwendolynE. Coffield Community Ctr.Located in the northern portionof the cluster. Good access.POS funds involved for oneparcel.

Titled to WSSC, used for WSSCoperations. Adjacent to futurePurple Line, concept of whichproposes a siding and adjacentstation

Currently leased to a privateeducational organization, earliestretrieval date is 2020. Leasetermination fee estimated to be $25.9million. Located outside of the B-CCcluster

Private ownership, impressedwith a 3.4 acre conservationeasement.

Currently used as a local park.Historic bulding on site. Situtatedin the southern portion of thecluster. Only one vehicularaccess.

bethesda-chevy chase (bcc) middle school site selection report (original version released 4/14/2011)

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