In Maryland, the Montgomery County Park and Planning Commision received a $200,000 grant to study moving its offices. The County Executive, Ike Leggett says "its the best way to kick-start the revitalization of downtown Wheaton."
According to Dan Reed, "Developer B.F. Saul wants to redevelop six county-owned properties in downtown Wheaton totaling eleven acres. They propose building a 120-room hotel, 40,000 square feet of retail space, and 250 apartments, in addition to 900,000 square feet of office space. B.F. Saul and the county are reaching out to government tenants, like the Park and Planning Commission, to fill those offices."
This movement is raising a lot of concern because many feel that a market for offices in Wheaton doesn't even exist. "Downtown Wheaton's not too close to established job centers, and its 10,000 current workers pale in comparison to other places throughout the county."
Reed also mentions that, "The same Planning Department that Ike Leggett wants to move to downtown Wheaton also produced the recently-approved Wheaton Sector Plan, which recognizes that the area can't draw and won't support a lot of office development. As a result, the plan allows for just 3,000 additional jobs, not just in office buildings but in all fields of employment."
Read the full story: Offices aren't enough to turn downtown Wheaton around
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