Work Session

Agenda Item # 2

Meeting Date February 21, 2012

Prepared By Suzanne Ludlow Deputy City Manager

Approved By Barbara B. Matthews City Manager

Discussion Item Discussion of Sligo Park Hills Traffic Restriction Area

Background Several years ago, the Sligo Park Hills neighborhood association requested traffic access restriction signs to reduce cut through traffic, pursuant to Montgomery County Code Section 31-69. The Sligo Park Hills neighborhood association is largely in unincorporated Montgomery County between Sligo Creek Parkway and Piney Branch Road. A small portion of the neighborhood, mostly along Mississippi Avenue, is in the City of Takoma Park. The traffic study that is required by the County Code was conducted. Because the traffic restrictions would affect areas in Takoma Park and unincorporated Montgomery County (which each have different procedures for approval of traffic restrictions), a joint public hearing was held on February 24, 2010. Thirty-eight people spoke at the hearing and 199 people submitted testimony. Of the unduplicated oral and written comments, 85 were in favor of the access restrictions and 122 were in opposition. After considering the testimony and reviewing the technical information in the field, the Montgomery County Hearing Examiner recommended approval of the request for traffic access restrictions. The County Executive approved the request. The City Council adopted Resolution 2010-34 in response to the County Executive’s approval. If the Sligo Park Hills access restriction signs are installed, this resolution directs the City Manager to install several access restriction signs within the City limits and to proceed with the design and installation of traffic calming measures in the Ritchie Citizens Association neighborhood. The Montgomery County Code requires a final petition process to take place before County access restriction signs are installed. The applicants for the traffic restrictions must collect signatures supporting the traffic restrictions from a majority of households within the “area approved by the Executive.” The assumption of the County transportation staff was that the area to be petitioned was the geography of the Sligo Park Hills neighborhood association. Protests related to the County’s access restriction process led the County Executive to determine that the Code provisions needed to be reviewed and the ambiguities clarified. In a November 25, 2011 letter to the Sligo Park Hills Citizens Association, the County Executive stated that the Association should not be required to wait until the regulations are revised to get the access restriction relief and so directed that a Montgomery County Hearing Examiner amend the Recommended Statement of Decision in the Sligo Park Hills case by specifying the area to be petitioned. As a

result, a Montgomery County Hearing Examiner will hold a second public hearing to address only the issue of the appropriate boundaries for the petition area. That public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in the Auditorium on the Lobby level of the Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville. The Takoma Park City Council may wish to weigh in on the boundary question. When the Sligo Park Hills traffic access request was first made, Montgomery County transportation staff focused the required traffic study on roads outside of the City of Takoma Park. The reasoning was that the County did not control roads inside of the Takoma Park city limits. However, the traffic study methodology is to study the entire Traffic Area Zone (TAZ) and, in this case, much of the TAZ was within the City limits; it encompasses the area bounded by Piney Branch Road, Sligo Creek Parkway, Maple Avenue, and Philadelphia Avenue. After intervention by County Councilmember Valerie Ervin, at the City’s request, the traffic study area was expanded to include the entire TAZ. During the February 24, 2010 public hearing on the Sligo Park Hills traffic access restriction request, many people indicated that the proposed traffic access restrictions would result in increased traffic on their residential streets outside of the Sligo Park Hills neighborhood and, some argued, outside of the TAZ area. When the question was raised about who would get a vote in the final petition process, many people thought their neighborhood should be included. County transportation staff have suggested that the petition process was a part of the County regulations to allow the residents that would be immediately impacted by the traffic restrictions confirm that they still support them once the traffic study was done and any resulting proposal changes were made. These residents would be the ones that would have access to their own homes reduced because of the restrictions. However, that specificity is not given in the Code language, and it is not clear that the use of the Sligo Park Hills neighborhood association boundary for the petition area meets that level of specificity. The regulations give an indication that not all “affected” persons should be part of the petition area. For example, a person who must alter his or her route in driving to work or taking a child to school would not be impacted in the same way that a person living on a street that has traffic restrictions would. The more difficult distinction concerns residents on a street that would have a high level of traffic because of the new traffic restrictions on other streets. In this case, staff looked at distinctions based on the size and classification of the street. The purpose of the County regulations is to ease impacts on residents of smaller neighborhood streets, so those smaller neighborhood streets that would receive significantly more traffic due to the imposition of access restrictions could be considered to be “affected” and thus part of the petition area. The following neighborhood streets or street segments are the ones that would be directly affected by the proposed traffic access restrictions proposed by the Sligo Park Hills study:

• Ritchie Avenue east of Piney Branch Road • Geneva Avenue

• Hilltop Road • Mississippi Avenue east of Piney Branch Road • Parkside Road • Sunnyside Road • Boulder Lane • Park Valley Road • Park Crest Road south of Devon Road • Elwyn Court • Oswego Avenue

The following neighborhood streets or street segments are ones that City staff feels are most likely to be impacted by increased traffic due to the traffic access restrictions that may be put in place by the County or the City related to the Sligo Park Hills neighborhood request:

• Midhurst Road • Sussex Road • Wessex Road • Devon Road, between Wessex and Piney Branch Road

However, the increase on these streets would be due to other residents of the Sligo Park Hills neighborhood and only during limited hours, so the impact is not likely to be great. The bulk of the cut through traffic identified in the traffic study seems to be from traffic heading west on Sligo Creek Parkway towards downtown Silver Spring in the morning and returning in the evening. For this reason, the proposed traffic access restrictions are likely to keep most commuters on Sligo Creek Parkway between Maple Avenue and Wayne Avenue. There may also be more use of University Boulevard or the Beltway depending on the commuter’s starting point. Testimony at the public hearing was given about some Takoma Park residents driving their children to Takoma Park Middle School by way of the Sligo Park Hills neighborhood. This traffic would likely be diverted to east on Philadelphia Avenue and north on Piney Branch Road, or north on Sligo Creek Parkway and south on Piney Branch Road. In summary, most diverted traffic would be on Sligo Creek Parkway, with some traffic increase on Wayne Avenue (from Sligo Creek Parkway to downtown Silver Spring), and a lesser increase on Maple Avenue (between Sligo Creek Parkway and Philadelphia Avenue), Philadelphia Avenue (between Maple Avenue and Fenton Street) and Piney Branch Road (between Philadelphia Avenue and Flower Avenue). All of these roads function as collectors and, except for Sligo Creek Parkway, are categorized as greater than the secondary or tertiary neighborhood roads that are the focus of the County’s traffic access restriction program. According to the traffic study, the only intersection to function at a worse level due to the traffic restrictions would be the intersection of Sligo Creek Parkway and Piney Branch Road in the evening rush, falling from a current Level of Service rating of C to a rating of D. For this reason, and given the constraints of Sligo Creek Parkway

(limited access and narrow width), it may be desirable to include the residents whose only vehicular access to their homes are from Sligo Creek Parkway between Park Valley Road and Piney Branch Road in the petition area. Those homes are 8211, 8213, and 8215 Sligo Creek Parkway. A question was raised about how to handle multi-family buildings in the petition process. 7610 Maple Avenue is a 36 unit apartment building with its only access from Ritchie Avenue. The County Code reads that the petitioning is of “one adult resident signature per dwelling unit,” so all 36 units should be part of the area to be petitioned. (Note: Sligo Creek Parkway functions as a collector, is used by many as a commuter route, and is the sole vehicular access to a number of homes in Takoma Park and Silver Spring. However, it is not categorized as, say, an arterial road because the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission considers it a road for access to parkland only and resists giving it a classification in Montgomery County master plans.)

Policy “Create and maintain a livable community that is vibrant, healthy, and safe, with convenient transportation for all of its residents.” (Livable Community Goal)

Fiscal Impact None – discussion only.

Attachments Draft resolution and map of recommended petition area Map of proposed traffic access restrictions Council Resolution 2010-34 (http://www.takomaparkmd.gov/clerk/resolutions/2010/r201034.pdf)

Recommendation Give direction to staff regarding text of draft resolution for consideration at Council meeting of February 27.

Special Consideration

According to Council Resolution 2010-34, the access restriction signs at the following intersections will be removed when traffic calming infrastructure is installed in the Ritchie Citizens Association neighborhood: Maple/Ritchie, Geneva/Ritchie, Ritchie/Piney Branch, Mississippi/Piney Branch. If, within six months of the date that the signs are removed, average peak hour traffic counts on Ritchie Avenue show a level greater than 200 cars per hour, the signs will be re-installed.

Introduced by:     D R A F T        D R A F T      D R A F T 

RESOLUTION 2012‐XX 

RECOMMENDING AN APPROPRIATE PETITION AREA FOR THE SLIGO PARK HILLS TRAFFIC ACCESS RESTRICTION PROPOSAL 

 

WHEREAS,  the Sligo Park Hills Citizens Association has gone through the lengthy process to request traffic access restrictions for its neighborhood pursuant to the regulations of Montgomery County Code Section 31‐69; AND 

WHEREAS,  the access restrictions affect some residents within the City of Takoma Park and some of the access restriction signs would be placed within the city limits of Takoma Park, pursuant to Takoma Park City Council Resolution 2010‐34; AND 

WHEREAS,  the access restriction request was approved by the Montgomery County Executive on May 12, 2010; AND 

WHEREAS,  the final step in the Montgomery County process is for a petition to be undertaken in “the area approved by the Executive” such that if a simple majority of the households in the petition area support the implementation of the traffic access restrictions, then the traffic access restriction signs will be installed; AND 

WHEREAS,   Montgomery County transportation staff had initially identified the boundaries of the Sligo Park Hills Citizens Association as the appropriate petition area, but this area does not include some streets that would be directly affected by the traffic access restrictions; AND 

WHEREAS,  the County Executive has asked a Montgomery County Hearing Examiner to recommend an appropriate area from which the petitions are to be solicited; AND 

WHEREAS,  the Montgomery County Hearing Examiner has scheduled a public hearing on March 7, 2012 to hear testimony on the appropriate boundaries of the petition area; AND 

WHEREAS,  the Takoma Park City Council has determined that an appropriate petition area includes households on the streets directly affected by the proposed access restrictions (Ritchie Avenue east of Piney Branch Road, Geneva Avenue, Hilltop Road, Mississippi Avenue east of Piney Branch Road, Parkside Road, Sunnyside 

Road, Boulder Lane, Park Valley Road, Park Crest Road south of Devon Road, Elwyn Court, and Oswego Avenue); those households on secondary and tertiary neighborhood streets that are most likely to be impacted by increased traffic due to the traffic access restrictions (Sussex Road, Midhurst Road, Wessex Road and Devon Road between Wessex Road and Piney Branch Road); and the three households with sole vehicular access to Sligo Creek Parkway between Park Valley Road and Piney Branch Road (8211, 8213 and 8215 Sligo Creek Parkway) that, due to the parkway’s limited access, narrow roadway, and anticipated lower Level of Service at the Sligo Creek Parkway/Piney Branch Road intersection, may be adversely affected by the traffic restrictions despite the parkway’s function as a collector street; AND 

WHEREAS,  one of the properties on the affected section of Ritchie Avenue is a 36‐unit apartment building addressed as 7610 Maple Avenue, whose sole vehicular access is on Ritchie Avenue; AND 

WHEREAS,  consistent with the provisions of Montgomery County Code Section 31.69.01.04(F) that specifies that the implementation petition is from a simple majority of one adult resident per dwelling unit, the 36 units of 7610 Maple Avenue should be considered 36 dwelling units from which petition signatures may be solicited.  

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Council of the City of Takoma Park recommends the petition area for the Sligo Park Hills traffic access restrictions include the households on the following streets and street segments: 

    Ritchie Avenue east of Piney Branch Road (including all households in 7610 Maple Avenue) 

    Geneva Avenue     Hilltop Road     Mississippi Avenue east of Piney Branch Road     Parkside Road     Sunnyside Road     Boulder Lane     Park Valley Road     Park Crest Road south of Devon Road     Elwyn Court     Oswego Avenue     Midhurst Road     Wessex Road 

    Sussex Road     Devon Road between Wessex Road and Piney Branch Road 

8211, 8213 and 8215 Sligo Creek Parkway (those households between Park Valley Road and Piney Branch Road with vehicular access from Sligo Creek Parkway only) 

 ADOPTED this XXth day of         , 2012. 

 Attest:  _______________________________ Jessie Carpenter, CMC City Clerk  

1  

Introduced by: Councilmember Seamens 

CITY OF TAKOMA PARK, MARYLAND RESOLUTION 2010‐34 

REGARDING SLIGO PARK HILLS/RITCHIE COMMUNITY TRAFFIC ACCESS RESTRICTIONS  WHEREAS,  it  is  a  goal of  the  Takoma  Park City Council  to  “create  and maintain  a  livable 

community that is vibrant, healthy, and safe, with convenient transportation for 

all of  its  residents”  and  it  is  a  strategy of  the City Council’s  goal  to  create  an 

environmentally  sustainable  community  to  “expand  and  enhance  existing 

infrastructure  to provide  access  to,  and promote  increased use of,  alternative 

modes of transportation and walking;” and 

WHEREAS,  the Ritchie Citizens Association has observed  that many vehicles drive  through 

its neighborhood and that many cars drive at an unsafe speed given the  lack of 

sidewalks in some areas; and 

WHEREAS,  the  adjacent  Sligo  Park  Hills  neighborhood  association  has  requested  traffic 

access  restrictions  to  its neighborhood due  to high  levels of  cut‐through  rush‐

hour traffic via the process outlined in Montgomery County Code Section 31‐69; 

and 

WHEREAS,  the  Ritchie Citizens Association  neighborhood  has  been  concerned  that  traffic 

that has been going through the Sligo Park Hills neighborhood may be diverted 

to Ritchie  and Geneva Avenues  in  their neighborhood  if  Sligo Park Hills  traffic 

access restrictions are implemented; and 

WHEREAS,  through  the assistance of County Councilmember Valerie Ervin and  the City of 

Takoma Park, Montgomery County  expanded  the  study  area of  the  Sligo Park 

Hills traffic access restriction study to include the entire traffic area zone, which 

includes the Ritchie Citizens Association neighborhood; and 

WHEREAS,  the resulting combined traffic study resulted  in recommendations for a number 

of access restriction signs in unincorporated Montgomery County and in the City 

of Takoma Park to protect the neighborhoods from cut‐through traffic, as shown 

on Attachment A; and 

WHEREAS,  the  Sligo  Park  Hills  neighborhood  is  largely  in  unincorporated  Montgomery 

County, so the process for approving the  installation of traffic access restriction 

signs is pursuant to Montgomery County Code Section 31‐69; and 

2  

WHEREAS,  the Ritchie Citizens Association neighborhood is wholly within the City of Takoma 

Park where the process for approving the installation of traffic access restriction 

signs in a neighborhood is less defined, but usually is done by Executive Order by 

the City Manager after  receiving direction  via a  resolution of  the City Council; 

and 

WHEREAS,  a joint public hearing on the traffic access proposals was heard on February 24, 

2010,  at which  38  people  spoke  and  199  people  submitted  testimony  by  the 

public comment closing date of March 10, 2010; and 

WHEREAS,  of the unduplicated oral and written comments, 85 were  in favor of the access 

restrictions and 122 were in opposition; and 

WHEREAS,  after considering  the  testimony and  reviewing  the  technical  information  in  the 

field, the Montgomery County Hearing Examiner recommended approval of the 

request by Sligo Park Hills for traffic access restrictions and the County Executive 

approved the recommendation; and 

WHEREAS,  the City of  Takoma Park did not  agree with  the  approval of  the  traffic  access 

restrictions; and 

WHEREAS,  two of the signs required for implementation of the Sligo Park Hills traffic access 

restrictions  (signs  6  and  7  on  the map  in  Attachment  A)  are  proposed  to  be 

located  in  City  of  Takoma  Park  right‐of‐way,  requiring  authorization  by  the 

Takoma Park City Manager; and 

WHEREAS,  the Ritchie Citizens Association has requested that the Takoma Park City Council 

agree to restrictions on Ritchie Avenue, Geneva Avenue and Hilltop Road at the 

same time; and that the Council either: 

  Temporarily  impose  all  study‐recommended  restrictions  on  Ritchie  Avenue, 

Geneva  Avenue  and  Hilltop  Road  (that  is,  signs  1‐4,  6  and  7  on  the map  in 

Attachment  A)  concurrently  with  the  restrictions  being  implemented  in  Sligo 

Park  Hills;  with  signs  1‐4  to  be  in  place  until  traffic‐calming  construction  on 

Maple  and  Ritchie  Avenues,  as  identified  on  Attachment  B,  is  reasonably 

complete; or 

Temporarily  impose  all  County‐recommended  restrictions  on  Ritchie  Avenue, 

Geneva  Avenue  and  Hilltop  Road  concurrently  with  restrictions  being 

implemented  in  Sligo  Park  Hills,  with  the  exception  of  the  AM  westbound 

restriction at the  intersection of Maple and Ritchie Avenues (sign 1), which will 

3  

be replaced by a permanent NO LEFT TURN sign at the intersection of Sligo Creek 

Parkway westbound and Maple Avenue; with signs 2‐4 to be in place until traffic‐

calming construction on Maple and Ritchie Avenue, as identified on Attachment 

B, is reasonably complete; and 

WHEREAS,  the  Ritchie  Citizens  Association  has  further  requested  that,  upon  reasonable 

completion  of  the  traffic  calming  methods,  signs  1‐4  (or  2‐4,  if  the  Maple 

Avenue/Sligo  Creek  Parkway  sign  is  installed) may  be  removed,  subject  to  an 

evaluation of  rush hour  traffic volumes  two months after  sign  removal, but,  if 

bidirectional  traffic  volumes  at  that  time  along  Ritchie  Avenue  exceed  a  pre‐

agreed upon limit, traffic restriction signs will automatically be reinstalled; and 

WHEREAS,  the City Council  discussed  the  options  at  its worksession  of  June  7,  2010  and 

concluded that the installation of pedestrian safety and traffic calming measures 

is the best  long‐term solution to the problems faced by residents of the Ritchie 

Citizens Association; and 

WHEREAS,  the Council determined that to deny the  installation of signs 6 and 7  in the City 

of  Takoma  Park  right‐of‐way,  as  part  of  the  Sligo  Park Hills  access  restriction 

plan, would hurt Takoma Park residents; and 

WHEREAS,  the  Council  acknowledged  that  it  is  important  to  install  signs  protecting  the 

residents on Ritchie Avenue, Geneva Avenue and Hilltop Road (signs 1‐4, 6 and 7 

on the map on Attachment A) at the time the Sligo Park Hills access restriction 

signs are installed, so as to discourage morning rush hour traffic that is diverted 

from  the  Sligo  Park  Hills  neighborhood  from  using  Ritchie  Avenue,  until 

pedestrian safety and traffic calming measures are installed; and 

WHEREAS,  the  Council  believes monitoring  of  traffic  volume  and  speeds  is  important  to 

determine the impacts of traffic control measures on neighborhoods.  

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Takoma Park directs that, if 

the Sligo Park Hills access  restriction  signs are approved  for  installation by  the 

Sligo Park Hills neighborhood: 

1. The City Manager will authorize the  installation of a “DO NOT ENTER 6:30 – 

9:30 AM MON‐FRI” sign for Hilltop Road westbound direction on eastern leg 

at  the Hilltop Road and Geneva Avenue  intersection, before  the apartment 

complex entrance. 

4  

2. The City Manager will authorize the  installation of a “DO NOT ENTER 4:00 – 

7:00 PM MON‐FRI” sign for Hilltop Road eastbound direction on eastern  leg 

at the Hilltop Road and Mississippi Avenue intersection. 

3. The City Manager will authorize and direct  the  installation of a “NO RIGHT 

TURN 6:30‐9:30 AM MON‐FRI”   sign  for  Maple  Avenue  westbound 

direction  on  eastern  leg  at  the  Maple  Avenue  and  Ritchie  Avenue 

intersection;  a  “NO  LEFT  TURN  4:00  –  7:00  PM MON‐FRI”  sign  for  Ritchie 

Avenue  southbound  direction  on  northern  leg  at  the Maple  avenue  and 

Ritchie Avenue  intersection; a “NO RIGHT TURN 4:00 – 7:00 PM MON‐FRI” 

sign  for Geneva Avenue eastbound direction on western  leg at  the Geneva 

Avenue  and  Hilltop  Road  intersection;  a  notice  sign  for  Ritchie  Avenue 

eastbound direction on western  leg –  ‘NOTICE NO THRU TRAFFIC TO SLIGO 

CREEK  PARKWAY  4:00  –  7:00  PM MON‐FRI”  at  the  intersection  of  Piney 

Branch Road  and Ritchie Avenue;  and  a notice  sign  for Mississippi Avenue 

eastbound direction – “NOTICE NO THRU TRAFFIC TO SLIGO CREEK PARKWAY 

4:00 – 7:00 PM MON‐FRI” at the intersection of Mississippi and Piney Branch 

Road.  

4. That  planning,  engineering  and  installation  of  the  pedestrian  safety  and 

traffic  calming measures  be  completed  within  nine months.  If  this  is  not 

achieved, the City Manager will notify the City Council three months prior to 

the deadline and a new date for completion will be set. 

5. That, upon completion of the installation of the pedestrian safety and traffic 

calming measures, the signs identified in number 3 above be removed. 

6. Prior  to  removal of  the signs, a  traffic monitoring plan be agreed  to by  the 

City Manager and the Ritchie Citizens Association. 

7. If, within  six months of  the date  that  the  signs are  removed, average peak 

hour traffic counts on Ritchie Avenue, on regular school and work days, show 

a level greater than 200 cars per hour, the signs will be re‐installed. 

 

Adopted this 14th day of June, 2010. 

Attest: 

 

_____________________ Jessie Carpenter, CMC City Clerk