North Four Corners News ♦ June 2024

Emerging Ideas for University Boulevard Corridor Plan at June Meeting

By Sharon Canavan

At the upcoming 12 June NFCCA meeting, Nkosi Yearwood from the Montgomery Planning Department will discuss the “emerging ideas” for the University Boulevard Corridor Plan (UBCP).  The NFCCA June meeting is your opportunity to hear what the planners have in mind for the Four Corners area and to ask questions about the UBCP recommendations.

The UBCP planning effort will guide future development near our community, ultimately affecting decisions regarding land use and zoning (e.g., denser multifamily housing) and transportation infrastructure [pedestrian/bike/Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), redirected traffic flow, etc.].  In line with Montgomery Thrive 2050, the UBCP plan details a vision for concentrating future development, growth, and density adjacent to University Boulevard.

The proposed UBCP identifies areas along the corridor that may be suitable for denser development, including small multifamily housing, and promotes infill housing development at properties owned by religious institutions.  A potential large housing development is contemplated at Dennis and University in South Four Corners, where a future BRT stop is planned. The plan also envisions mixed-use (residential and commercial) redevelopment at the Four Corners intersection (University and Colesville).

The UBCP also presents emerging ideas for wider sidewalks and street buffers along with shared paths, to make biking and walking safer along the corridor.  To make the experience more pleasant, the plan calls for incorporating tree canopy, landscaped strips, and shaded bus stops.

These improvements come at a potential price, however, with recommendations that could dramatically redesign traffic flow on University Boulevard near the Four Corners intersection at Colesville Road by reducing and redirecting vehicle lanes.  It is worth your time to study the PowerPoint slides explaining the two traffic flow concepts presented in the UBCP proposals.  (In May, planning staff hosted public meetings and the presentation slides can be found at link below.)

It is important to remember that the UBCP itself does not mandate housing and commercial redevelopment.  The UBCP, however, will act as the guide if and where a private developer decides to redevelop a particular property.  Future transportation decision-making and capital improvements projected for University Boulevard will, however, likely align closely with the final UBCP recommendations, once adopted.

Planning staff anticipate that the UBCP recommendations will be considered over the course of the fall and winter of 2024–2025.  Once the UBCP recommendations are finalized by the planning staff, the further steps before final adoption are:  (1) Planning Board Review, (2) County Executive Review, and (3) County Council Review and Approval.   ■

UBCP SLIDES