Dear neighbors,
Tomorrow (Monday, 5 December) from 7 to 8:30 PM at Grace Episcopal Day School, 9411 Connecticut Ave., the State Highway Administration (SHA) will hold a second public meeting regarding their plans to build a hazardous materials storage and transfer depot (so-called “salt barn”) at the Connecticut Avenue cloverleaf of the Capital Beltway, overlooking Rock Creek, across from Kensington Parkway. A presentation will begin at 7:30 PM.
Tomorrowâs event is not a formal decision-making meeting. The next meeting that is part of the official process will be Mandatory Referral review at the Montgomery County Planning Board, which will be scheduled when SHA’s submission (which you can view at <https://goo.gl/k8WyjX>) is complete.
For what itâs worth, my main question at this point is: Does it have to be bright red?
The Planning Board is charged with determining: “…whether the nature of the proposed site and development, including its size, shape, scale, height, arrangement and design of structure, is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood and properties…” In order to meet that guidance, you’d think that you’d make your huge-thing-in-the-woods either brown or dark green, so it would fit in.
My guess is that the reason it’s bright red (in the SHA submission to the Planning Board) is because it’s supposed to be a “barn” â you know, a happy place where Farmer McDonald keeps his cows and chickens! Only here, on a low rise beside the creek, there wonât be a farmer, or cows, or chickens â just 10,000 tons of salt, 20,000 gallons of brine, 10,000 gallons of magnesium chloride, & 6,000 gallons of diesel fuel.
Persons interested in learning about SHAâs plans are encouraged to attend tomorrowâs meeting.
With best regards,
Jim Pekar
President, Rock Creek Hills Citizensâ Association