by Leah Peloff ‘18

The Sandy Spring/Ashton area continues to see a significant amount of development. The lot adjacent to Sherwood has been completely cleared and is currently ready for construction. A CVS Pharmacy has been built on the corner of 108 and New Hampshire Avenue, and plans are brewing to finally tear down the rundown and abandoned site that was formerly the restaurant Sol D’ Italia.

The news of these up and coming developments has caused many heads to turn as Sandy Spring has been a historically small town which prides itself on its rural feel. In 1980, an act was passed with the purpose of maintaining the aesthetic of the historic town. It was upheld in 1998 when another piece of legislation passed which proposed a small cluster of developments as opposed to large-lot residential development. In addition, the legislation suggested ways to maintain open, rural spaces in the small town.

By stark contrast, the new efforts to build up Sandy Spring and Ashton have directly opposed the spirit of these previous acts. A movement was proposed back in 2006 to build a 97,000 square foot mega mall on the corner of 108 and New Hampshire, but this was hastily shot down by local citizens who did not favor such urbanization of their small town. It was eventually settled to forget
The CVS Pharmacy in Ashton has been constructed on the corner of Route 108 and New Hampshire Avenue.
the idea of the mall and build a large CVS instead. Many Ashton residents were still not content, but it did not cause nearly as much controversy.

Similarly, Fred Boyd, a lead member of the Montgomery County Planning Department, shared that the property just west of Sherwood now belongs to Olive Branch Community Church. Approvals of this place of worship date back to 2012 or 2013 even though construction just began in the past year. There is currently not a set date on when this church will be completed.

As for the space that was Sol D’ Italia, a meeting was held on September 13 at the fire station for the purpose of discussing a possible plan for the area currently only serving as an eyesore. The plan calls for a restaurant with outdoor seating, some townhouses and apartments, retail space, and a parking lot. According to an article written by Judith Hruz in The Greater Olney News, the plan also calls for the bordering road to be widened, hopefully compensating for the increased traffic flow that will result from several new developments.

“Projects whose peak hour trips increase congestion beyond the volumes set for an intersection will be required to make improvements designed to enable the intersection to function as well as it did before the project was proposed,” said Boyd. The plan is still in early stages and development is not likely to begin until 2018.

The bottom line is that the community will continue to see development of the Sandy Spring area; for better or for worse

photo by Kayla Cohen ’17