The Common Good or My Way or the Highway?

Living in a planned community, we have the benefit of many amenities including 330 acres of parkland, seven beautiful swimming pools, 22 tennis courts, ball fields, lakes and ponds, miles of bike paths. I’d guess that every one of us moved into Montgomery Village because of the beautiful and varied housing stock and the extraordinarily generous amounts of green space and amenities that Kettler Brothers, the original developer, gave us.

Two years ago, the Ad Hoc Long Range Facility Planning Committee was convened to take a look at how communities, such as Reston and Columbia, which are the same age as Montgomery Village, were faring. The Committee also looked at what other communities around us -- City of Gaithersburg, City of Rockville -- were doing to attract homebuyers. What they found was that older communities were upgrading their facilities to attract prospective homebuyers and improve property values. Newer communities were offering different types of amenities to attract today’s homebuyers. A report, containing a number of recommendations for improvements, was written and posted on the Montgomery Village Foundation web site for all to read.  

Rather than let the report sit on the shelf and collect dust, the MVF board began to act upon the items most favored by committee members, residents who attended the open meetings, and those who answered the call and submitted ideas by email. As a direct result of that report, we now have the popular Montgomery Village Farmers’ Market and new Funbrellas at several of the pools. We are working with a pool consultant to plan upgrades to our swimming pools as they come up for renovation. We are looking at ways to better connect our bike paths for use by our residents.

We have also worked closely with local neighborhoods to upgrade nearby facilities. For example, the South Village Homes Corporation and Friends of Whetstone Lake provided input for the recent renovation of the boathouse and dock at Lake Whetstone Park. The MV Moms Club and Heron’s Cove condominium were consulted about a new playground for South Valley Park. Both projects worked out extremely well and greatly enhanced the parks.

A couple of other improvements that were highly recommended have not been so graciously received. A proposal for community gardens where residents could grow flowers and vegetables was opposed by the boards of two adjacent homes corporations, North Village and East Village, even though the land where the gardens would have been located is owned by the Montgomery Village Foundation for the benefit of all Village residents. The gardens would have been subject to strict requirements about upkeep and would have been monitored by MVF staff.

Another proposal to build a picnic pavilion, to be located on MVF-owned property at Martin P. Roy Park, was actually requested by the Eastgate Homes Corporation’s Board of Directors. We were told that this would be the perfect place for the neighborhood’s annual community picnic as well as a great place for family picnics, Scout meetings, and sports teams’ awards ceremonies and cookouts. Money was set-aside in the MVF budget for the pavilion and a State grant was obtained to help pay for it. This pavilion was number 9 out of 36 in the Long Range Facility Planning Report.

A group of residents living adjacent to the park have taken the position that a picnic pavilion would be a magnet for crime. Even the police have become involved in this, which makes me wonder if we shouldn’t take down the gazebos and shade shelters scattered throughout the Village, close the community centers and pools, and put the parks, ball fields and other green space up for development because, in the view of some folks, these things are a magnet for crime! Bear in mind that a private security firm hired by the MVF patrols this park, like all MVF-owned facilities.
 
But seriously, folks, somehow we must balance the concerns of a few with what’s good for the other 40,000 residents of the Village. How are we going to make the Village more attractive to prospective homebuyers as well as for residents who live here now? How are we going to improve property values if we do not update our facilities to what today’s homebuyers have come to expect?

Once upon a time, Montgomery Village was on the cutting edge in terms of its design and amenities. We were Kentlands, Lakelands, King Farm and Clarksburg, all rolled into one. We are still the best-planned community in Maryland -- by far, but we need to keep the Village moving forward.  To me, that means investing in and updating our infrastructure while consulting with nearby homeowners in a positive, constructive fashion for the good of all Village residents.

Keep the Village Beautiful

Montgomery Village is one of the most beautiful communities in the area. Thus, it saddens me to drive through our neighborhoods and see residents fail to put their trash out in hard plastic or steel trash cans as required by County law. The thin plastic bags, left by the side of the street, take mere seconds for crows, squirrels and other vermin to get into. If you are away, just ask a trusted neighbor to put your trash out for you. Thanks for doing your part to keep the Village beautiful!

Keeping in Touch

Please don’t forget to email me your thoughts and comments on any issue in Montgomery Village. As always I look forward to receiving your comments. RobertHydorn@aol.com.