Wheaton Coalition Garners Redevelopment Protections

After more than 18 months of advocacy, the Coalition for the Fair Redevelopment of Wheaton has won the support of the Montgomery County Council for the execution of vital planning studies related to parking and jobs as well as further discussions on local job sourcing and small business protections before the County can sign a redevelopment agreement with a private developer for the redevelopment of downtown Wheaton.

On April 10, the Montgomery County Council voted unanimously to adopt language recommended by the Coalition as part of its $66 million straw vote appropriation of public taxpayer money for the project. The language requires the completion of a comprehensive parking study to understand the impact of construction and loss of parking on small businesses. The Council also called for additional studies on the best way to create local jobs from the project and additionally requires the County Executive to brief the Council on any planning or negotiations regarding small business protections and job opportunities and training before the County Executive can resume and finalize negotiations on a General Development Agreement with a private developer.

The Wheaton Coalition is composed of more than 1,000 supporters including Montgomery County residents, Wheaton small businesses, patients receiving services within the Mid-County Regional Services Center, and nonprofits including LEDC, CASA de Maryland, Impact Silver Spring, and Proyecto Salud. Visit http://astrongerwheaton.org/ to learn more about the Coalition.