NW Cluster ES SSAC Report Final

7/31/2019 NW Cluster ES SSAC Report Final

1/20

SITE SELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE

RECOMMENDATION

FOR

NORTHWEST CLUSTER ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL SITE

APRIL 28, 2011


2/20

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

BACKGROUND ..............................................................................................................................1

SITE SELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ...........................................................................1

SITE SELECTION PROCESS ......................................................................................................2

CRITERIA .......................................................................................................................................3

LOCATION .................................................................................................................................3

SIZE .............................................................................................................................................3

TOPOGRAPHY ...........................................................................................................................3ACCESS ......................................................................................................................................4

UTILITIES ..................................................................................................................................4

PHYSICALCONDITION...........................................................................................................4

AVAILABILITYANDTIMING .................................................................................................4

COST ...........................................................................................................................................5

CANDIDATE SITES ......................................................................................................................5

ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................................................13

CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................14

EXHIBITS

Enrollment Projections and Demographics ............................................................... A

Site Selection Advisory Committee .............................................................................. B

Map of Target Area and Candidate Sites C

Criteria Evaluation Grid ..D


3/20


4/20


RECOMMENDATION ON TH E

NORTHWEST CLUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ..APRIL28, 2011

Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), the Northwest Cluster schools Parent

Teacher Associations (PTA) leadership, and MCPS DFM.2

S I T E S E L E C T I O N P R O C E S S

The site selection process

3

enables MCPS planning and facilities staff to work with countyagencies and the PTA community when considering sites for school construction.

The SSAC for the Northwest Cluster Elementary School met on February 25, 2011, and on

March 25, 2011. The SSAC identified the following objectives in making its recommendations forselected sites:

The sites would be physically suited to meet program requirements.

The sites would be appropriately located within the target geographic area. The sites would be available for acquisition at reasonable cost within acceptable time

parameters.

To the extent possible, the sites would follow Leadership in Energy and EnvironmentalDesign (LEED) criteria.

The SSAC identified the target area for site selection as the service areas for Germantown, GreatSeneca Creek, Spark M. Matsunaga and Ronald McNair elementary schools.4

To achieve SSAC objectives, staff compiles the best information available about land in the target

area and presents this information to the SSAC. Members are invited to offer additional sites orinformation about future developments of which they may be aware in the target area. For each

candidate site, the SSAC considers the geographic location, its relation to future student populations,

and appropriateness for future school operation. Using the criteria as described in the next section, theSSAC members build consensus on the most suitable site to recommend to the superintendent of

schools.

The superintendent of schools will evaluate the SSACs recommendation and make his

recommendation to the Board of Education. The Board of Education will consider the SSAC and the

superintendent of schools recommendation before officially adopting a site.


5/20




C R I T E R I A

For site selection of an elementary school site, there are numerous criteria that are considered,including size, location, access, topography, physical condition, utilities availability, and cost.

Suitability for LEED certification is included in evaluating the criteria, as MCPS has adopted

LEED as a design standard for all MCPS construction projects. As explained below, there are

several criteria that are applicable to LEED design standards.

LOCATION

The location of each school site should be centrally located within the target area with adjacent

residential use. If possible, a school site should be located to allow students to walk to school or usepublic transportation. The availability of public transportation is a criterion for LEED certification.

The new school also should be in an environment that is conducive to learning, without distractions

from industrial or retail uses or excessive noise or hazard.

SIZE

The current Board of Education standard for a middle school is 12 acres. 5 The Boards policy allows

some departure from the standard if street patterns, topography, stormwater management, or other

unusual reasons dictate.

TOPOGRAPHY

The topography of a candidate site is examined to determine if elevation changes or slopes will result

in abnormally excessive grading for school construction. A balanced site is one in which soils in highelevation areas can be used to fill low elevation areas sufficiently without having to bring dirt onto the

site or haul dirt off. A site that is not balanced will result in greater than average site preparation cost.

Topography also is examined to determine the location of wetland or sensitive environmental areas

that may render portions of a site unusable or costly to develop. The existence of mature trees andsteep slopes should be considered as these factors also could increase development costs or render

portions of the site unusable.

There are several points related to topography that are relevant to LEED certification. In addition to

avoidance of steep slopes, wetlands, and sensitive environmental areas, as previously mentioned,


6/20


7/20


8/20




Fountain Hills Local Park

This site, located at 18801 Liberty Mill Road in Germantown, is titled to the Maryland-National

Capital Park and Planning Commission and is used as a local park. The 7.37-acre parcel lieswithin a neighborhood consisting of multi-family and single family-attached homes. It is graded to

provide recreation amenities on two separate levels, one improved with a soccer field, and a lower

level improved with a softball field, tennis courts, a basketball court, playground equipment, and

parking. The only vehicular access to the site is from Liberty Mill Road, which is narrow in width.Sidewalks have been installed along the frontage of the park. Pedestrian access is provided to the

single-family detached homes from Rising Sun Lane.


9/20




Phillips Farm

This 12.07-acre parcel is located on Schaeffer Road in Germantown and is privately owned. Itcurrently is used for agricultural purposes consisting of sales of local crops and other agricultural-

related activities. It is improved with an agricultural building, which is situated at the top of a

gentle slope. A small stand of woods exists on the southern portion of the site, but it is otherwise

generally open. The main access to the site is from Schaeffer Road, with additional frontage onKingshill Road and the terminus of Leaman Farm Road. The candidate site is in close proximity to

single-family detached and attached homes south and west. The master plan calls for completionof Leaman Farm Road as an arterial road through the parcel. The owner has indicated a

willingness to sell and currently is seeking letters of intent from interested developers.


10/20


11/20




South Germantown Recreational Park North

This site lies on a portion of the Germantown Soccerplex facility that encompasses 352 acres alongSchaeffer Road in Germantown. The property is located at the intersection of Schaeffer Road and

Central Park Circle (aka Loop Road), a private road maintained by M-NCPPC. The site is titled to

M-NCPPC and leased to the Maryland Soccer Foundation. The area of the candidate site, which is

estimated to be approximately 68 acres, currently is improved with a softball field and a parkinglot. Two future soccer fields are planned to be constructed in the area of the softball field in

accordance with the recommendation of the South Germantown Recreational Park Master Plan,There are single family homes adjacent to the parcel. Access is from Schaeffer Road and from

Central Park Circle, a private road maintained by M-NCPPC.


12/20




South Germantown Recreational Park South

This site is located on at 17.94-acre parcel on the southern side of Schaeffer Road, adjacent to the

Schaeffer Road/Germantown Park Drive intersection. Germantown Park Drive is a private roadmaintained by M-NCPPC. The parcel is titled to Montgomery County but M-NCPPC is in charge

of maintaining, managing, and operating the facility as a part of South Germantown Recreational

Park. The site is improved with a softball field and parking facilities, the latter of which will beexpanded to provide additional parking for the Miracle League baseball field across Germantown

Park Drive. There are single family homes adjacent to the parcel. Access is from Schaeffer Road

and from Germantown Park Drive, a private road maintained by M-NCPPC.


13/20




South Germantown Recreational ParkPicnic Area

This site, consisting of approximately 9 acres, was formerly known as the Hondros property and is

located north of Germantown Park Drive, across from a picnic area in the South GermantownRecreational Park. The property is titled to Montgomery County; however M-NCPPC is in charge

of maintaining, managing, and operating the parcel. The area slopes to the south and is open. This

parcel is adjacent to Spark M. Matsunaga Elementary School. Access is from Germantown ParkDrive, a private road, and from the terminus of Fairlady Way, a subdivision street that is in the

Kingsview Village subdivision.


14/20




Kingsview Local Park

This unimproved local park consists of 8 acres and is titled to M-NCPPC. The parcel is situated at

the corner of Clopper Road and Great Seneca Highway. Retail facilities are situated along thewestern property line and multi-family housing lies to the south. The only vehicular access is from

Great Seneca Highway and Clopper Road. At least half of the parcel is heavily wooded and is

posted as a conservation area. The topography slopes from the west towards the frontage of GreatSeneca Highway.


15/20




A N A L Y S I S

During the course of the SSACs discussions, staff reviewed each of the candidate sites underconsideration. The SSAC discussed the candidate sites in terms of consistency with the approved and

adopted countywide master plan and the school site selection criteria as set forth above and

highlighted during the meeting.

All of the candidate sites met the criteria for availability of utilities and location within the targeted

area. The Fountain Hills Local Park is situated on Liberty Mill Road, which is very narrow street. Due

to the poor access, this site was eliminated from consideration. The Kingview Development LLC siteis privately owned and is proposed for 195 multi-family units with construction to begin in the

summer of 2011. Consequently, the SSAC also agreed to eliminate this site. SSAC members also

agreed to eliminate the South Germantown Recreational Park South candidate site because this area isplanned for improvements associated with the Miracle League Baseball program, which provides

facilities for handicapped children.

The Kingsview Local Park is situated at the intersection of Clopper Road and Great Seneca Highway.Committee members were concerned with the fact that this site is located on a busy intersection with

little space for adequate vehicular circulation. Due to the change in grade, it would be necessary to

construct retaining walls along the western property line. Development as a school site will requireremoval of the wooded area. In consideration of these factors, SSAC members agreed that the site

should be eliminated from consideration.

With the elimination of four of the candidate sites, the remaining three candidatesPhillips Farm,

South Germantown Recreational Park North, and South Germantown Recreational ParkPicnic Areasiteswere then evaluated by the SSAC. The latter two sites would require approval by the

M-NCPPC for conveyance to the Board of Education. The South Germantown Recreational Park

Picnic Area also would require conveyance approval from Montgomery County.

All three sites can accommodate the development of an elementary school. The South GermantownRecreational Park North site is leased to the Maryland Soccer Foundation (MSF), which plans to

install two state-of-the-art soccer fields in the near future. SSAC members encouraged the collocationof the school with the new soccer fields. MSF is a private, nonprofit organization that generates

revenue for the operation of the Soccerplex facilities. Should this site be improved with a school,

approval and coordination with MSF would be required.


16/20




Phillips Farm is a privately owned parcel that is centrally located within the target area and is mostlyopen with good topography. Leaman Farm Road is a master planned road that traverses the site. It

would be necessary to have this road alignment removed from the master plan in order to utilize this

property for a school. DFM staff will discuss the possibility of removal of the road alignment with M-

NCPPC. If it is determined that the road alignment cannot be removed, the recommended Phillips

Farm property will not be large enough to accommodate the elementary school programs and will no

longer be the recommended site. Acquisition of the property will require a negotiated purchase from

the seller. Preliminary discussions have indicated a willingness by the seller to entertain an offer to

purchase.

C O N C L U S I O N

The SSAC rated the candidate sites by using a criteria evaluation grid and recommends that the

Phillips Farm site be selected as the site for the Northwest Cluster Elementary School site with theSouth Germantown Recreational Park North site recommended as the first alternate and the SouthGermantown Recreational ParkPicnic Area site as the second alternate. The Phillips Farm site

offers the best range of site characteristics of access, availability, location, and consistency with

LEED criteria.


17/20

Exhibit A

Germantown, Great Seneca Creek, Matsunaga and RonaldMcNair Elementary School Enrollment Projections

Official

Enrollment Projected Enrollment

School Capacity 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17

Germantown ES 332 289 303 303 312 320 322 337

space 43 29 29 20 12 10 -5

Great Seneca Creek ES 648 769 784 783 797 793 805 789

space -121 -136 -135 -149 -145 -157 -141

Spark M. Matsunaga ES 649 1026 1058 1067 1081 1073 1049 1039

space -377 -409 -418 -432 -424 -400 -390

Ronald McNair ES 623 749 765 764 763 761 762 746

space -126 -142 -141 -140 -138 -139 -123

Total Elementaries 2,252 2,833 2,910 2,917 2,953 2,947 2,938 2,911

space -581 -658 -665 -701 -695 -686 -659


18/20

Exhibit B

NORTHWEST CLUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL


Ms. Karen AndersonGreen School Program Manager

Division of Construction

Montgomery County Public Schools

Ms. Susan BurkinshawNorthwest Cluster Coordinator

Mr. Bruce CrispellDirector Long-range Planning


Mr. Steven HayesOffice of Real Estate

Department of General Services

Montgomery County Government

Ms. Sandy HollowayPresidentGreat Seneca Creek ES PTA

Mr. Bruce JohnstonChief, Engineering ServicesDepartment of Public Works & Transportation

Montgomery County Government

Mr. Blaise DiFazioSr. Management & Budget Specialist

Office of Management and Budget

M t C t G t

Dr. LaVerne KimballCommunity Superintendent NW Cluster


Mr. Keith Levchenko (Observer)

Senior Legislative Analyst

Office of the County Council

Ms. Marybeth OQuinnDevelopment Review

M-NCPPC

Ms. Kimberly PhotinakisPresident

Germantown ES - PTA

Mr. Michael ShpurArchitect School Facilities

Division of ConstructionMontgomery County Public Schools

Mr. Mark WallisDepartment of Parks

M-NCPPC

Ms. Gina WheelerRonald McNair ES - PTA

Ms. Mary Pat WilsonR l E t t M t S i li t


19/20

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Kingsview LP

Phillips Farm

Fountain Hills LP

Kingsview Development

S. Germantown Rec. Park - South

S. Germantown Rec. Park - North

S. Germantown Rec. Park - Picnic Area

Northwest Cluster

Clarksburg Cluster

Poolesville Cluster

Seneca Valley Cluster

Clarksburg Cluster

Quince Orchard Cluster

GERM

ANTO

WNRD

CLOPPERRD

GR

EAT

SENECAHW

Y

CL

ARKSBURG

RD

RIDG

ERD

BARNES

VILLERD

BUCK

LODG

ERD

Germantown ES

Lake Seneca ES

Clopper Mill ES

Ronald McNair ES

Waters Landing ES

Spark M. Matsunaga ES

Great Seneca Creek ES

S. Christa McAuliffe ES

0 0.5 10.25

Miles

Northwest Cluster ESExhibit C

Candidate Site

ES

Target Area

1 inch = 3,000 feet

270


20/20

EXHIBIT D

NORTHWEST CLUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLSITE SELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE

EVALUATION GRID

SUMMARY OF SSAC MEMBER SCORES*

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Fountain Hills LP Phillips Farm

KingsviewDevelopment LLC

S. Germantown

Recreational ParkNorth

S. Germantown

Recreational ParkSouth

S. Germantown

Recreational Park(Picnic)

Kingsview LP

Eliminated Eliminated Eliminated Eliminated

Location 11 1 3

Acreage 11 4 -1

Topography 10 8 -6

Utilities 10 10 10

Access 10 4 -4

Cost -9 0 1

Availability/Timing -2 -0.5 9

Physical Condition 10 10 3

Total 51 36.5 15

Comments

Currently used as a localpark. Close proximity toGermantown ES,inadequacy of roadnetwork.

Site is privately owned.Willing Seller. Open.Alignment of Master-planned Leaman Farm Rd.traverses the site.

Privately owned. Approveddevelopment for 195multifamily units. Anticpatedconstruction start summerof 2011.

Park use, Soccerplex.Currently a softball field,with two soccer fields tobe constructed.

Park use. Will be improvedfor Miracle Leaguebaseball fields

Park Use. Adjacent toMatsunaga ES.

Undeveloped park.Large,posted forestation area. Closeto busy intersection.

*The scoring system used consisted of three possible scores for each sitecharacteristic. A score of "+1" indicated the site was "good" on that criterion; "0"indicated "average" and "1" indicated "poor." The scores shown above were talliedfrom each SSAC members evaluation grid. The higher the score, the more favorablethat site is on a given site criterion.

NW Cluster ES SSAC Report Final

Documents

Transcript of NW Cluster ES SSAC Report Final