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PART 1: PURPOSE The current Kemp Mill Master Plan was approved and adopted in 1967. The boundaries extended north to Randolph Road and as far south as Piney Branch Road and the area measured about 4,200 acres. (See Figure 2). Portions of the 1967 master plan area below the Beltway were absorbed into the North Silver Spring and East Silver Spring Plans. The southeastern portion became part of the 1986 Four Comers Sector Plan. The boundaries of the new plan are those areas not updated since 1967. (Figure 3). This master plan amendment concerns the remaining portion of Kemp Mill still covered by the 1967 Kemp Mill/Four Comers Master Plan. The 1967 Plan is the oldest active plan in the County and the last area in the Eastern County not covered by a recent master plan. The plan will address ways that land use recommendations can work to unify neighborhoods and communities while retaining and reinforcing their distinctive character. The amendment provides an opportunity to review and incorporate three recent planning actions: 1993 General Plan Refinement of the Goals and Objectives for Montgomery County, which set guiding principles and broad policies for planning county-wide. The 1992 Maryland Planning Act and the Governor's Smart Growth Policy. The Planning Act requires review and, where necessary, revision or amendment to local plans that implement the legislation at intervals of no more than six years. This comprehensive review of the Kemp Mill Master Plan will meet that requirement. The Master Plan effort will identify opportunities to implement the Smart Growth Policy, which supports growth in existing developed areas by restricting state funding for projects outside those areas. Much of the land in eastern Montgomery County was agricultural in the nineteenth century. The rolling topography supported small and large farms and the woodlands supplied lumber for homesteads. Some of the earlier settlers built mills along the stretches of the Northwest Branch and Paint Branch where the streambed gradient provided enough hydropower. Most of the mills were built before the Civil War, some at the end of the eighteenth century. Of the mill sites. Burnt Mills was the most long-lived closing in 1922 as residential development began to spread outwards from the city. An extensive road network served the farming communities which, by that time, had clustered at Mitchell's Crossroads (Wheaton), Burnt Mills, Sandy Spring/Olney, Colesville, Spencerville and Burton's (Burtonsville). (Figure 4). Other homesteads lay scattered along the roads and streams between the small communities. Kemp Mill, or Kemp's Mill, was located where the Northwest Branch crosses a road known at the time as Old Annapolis Road. The road is now Randolph Road and follows a different configuration across the Northwest Branch. [Webmaster's note, click here for a version of this map with many of the roads labeled with their present-day names] In 1760, a prominent Quaker, Evan Thomas, owned about 1,000 acres in the Northwest Branch watershed. Thomas is believed to have started the mill around 1794 or earlier. Thomas sold the mill to Aaron Dyer in 1816. It was under Dyer's ownership that a small community, Claysville, grew around the saw and gristmill. The Kemp family acquired the mill in 1857 and operated it for most of the rest of the nineteenth century, eventually selling it to the Lechlider Family. The Martenet Map shows Mrs. Kemp's house next to the mill and a second homestead upstream, belonging to Jac Kemp. This same mill appears on a map prepared by the United States Geological Survey in 1918 as the Old Northwest Mills. The mill ceased operation by 1920. The M-NCPPC acquired the mill site and 110.8 acres as part of the Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park from Abraham Kay in 1957. There are no remains of the mill structure, but traces of the millrace and dam are visible. The pre-1950 alignment for Randolph Road lies within the park and the bridge, dating to the 1950s, still stands. (Figure 10). Early Twentieth Century At the turn of the century, residential subdivisions began to cover the hills of lower Montgomery County east of Georgia Avenue generally following the railroad lines, trolley lines and the major roads that radiated out from the District of Columbia. By the second decade of the 1900s, county politicians and large property owners saw the need for a system of infrastructure, including highways and roads, parks, water, sewer, and storm drainage, similar to plans prepared for the District of Columbia between 1890-1901. With the help of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission, created by Congress in 1926 to oversee comprehensive planning in the city, Col. E. Brooke Lee and others approached the Maryland State Legislature with a proposal to create a comparable planning agency. In 1927, the State Legislature passed enabling legislation authorizing the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission as a bicounty agency with the mandate to prepare comprehensive plans for Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. The area under the jurisdiction of the new agency, the Maryland/ Washington Metropolitan District, extended as far north as the present Kemp Mill Master Plan area. The entirety of both counties would not come under the jurisdiction the MNCPPC until the end of the 1950s. In 1931, Chief Engineer Irving Root unveiled a master plan for the Commission, entitled the Preliminary Master Plan of Highways and Parks, which proposed a system of highways, parks and parkways throughout the Metropolitan Regional District. In 1930, Congress passed the Capper Cramton Act, which provided matching funds for park acquisition in the greater metropolitan region including D.C., Virginia and Maryland. Two parks, the Northwest Branch Park and Sligo Creek Park, which today bound the Kemp Mill master plan area on the east and west respectively, were part of the proposed 1931 park system. Sligo Creek Park was one of the first parks to be purchased under the provisions of the Capper Cramton Act. Commission staff designed a parkway and recreational areas in the section of between Colesville Road and the county-line. These improvements were constructed during the 1930s. (Figure 5). The remainder of Sligo Creek Park north of Colesville Road was acquired over the next two decades and the parkway built to University Boulevard in the late 1940s. Property owners in the 1930s began to record very large lot subdivisions (five acre lots) in various locations just outside the first ring of suburban development. These were to be exclusive neighborhoods in a park-like setting: Burnt Mills Hills and Hillandale are two examples. Gray's Estates was one such example in Kemp Mill. Yeatman Parkway, which follows a tributary to the Northwest Branch, was dedicated as part of Gray's Estates. The partially built parkway is the only remnant of that type of development in Kemp Mill. A few years after the war, developers platted one to five acre lot subdivisions near the stream valley parks, developments which could eventually have access to the planned sewer, a point duly noted on the record plats. North Springbrook, Springbrook, Hillandale, Quaint Acres, and Rocky Brook Forest near the Northwest Branch, Paint Branch Farms near the Paint Branch, and Kemp Mill's Springbrook Forest, nestled against the future Northwest Branch Park, date to this phase of suburban expansion. Over the next decades, the Commission produced two revisions to the 1931 Master Plan of Highways, the 1945 Plan and the 1955 Plan. Both differed greatly from the 1931 plan, reflecting the changes in pre and post war planning concerns. The 1945 Plan proposed a transportation network based on a radial pattern with a circumferential highway linking the radial roads, reconfiguring key intersections with grade separations and the use of wider rights-of way along new highways to accommodate service roads. The 1955 Highway Plan was concerned with distributing the 800,000 people projected to be living in the Maryland National Capital region by 1980. This enormous future growth was predicated on the post war economic boom, the "possible Government dispersal of vital agencies as a defense measure" and the subsequent effect on the regional road system. The Plan recommended controlled access highways, both freeways and express parkways. The parkways, partially based on the existing system of parkways emanating from the city, were identified by name: George Washington Memorial Parkway, Northern Parkway, the Baltimore Washington Parkway, the Suitland Southeastern Parkway, the Maryland Parkway, the Fort Washington Parkway and the Anacostia Parkway. Planners began working with the State Roads Commission to reserve rights-of-way for the comprehensive road network. In Kemp Mill, the State Roads Commission, the County and the MNCPPC recorded reservation plats for the Northern Parkway from the Beltway through Sligo Creek Park north to the proposed Wheaton Regional Park. Also recorded was right-of-way for a portion of a freeway linking the Northern Parkway to US 29. This right-of-way exists today and follows the north boundary of the Northwood Holding School. The portion of the proposed freeway that crossed the stream and connected to US 29 was removed in the 1981 Eastern County Master Plan. By the 1950s, the transformation of the lower county into 6,000-9,000 square foot lot subdivisions with curvilinear streets and sidewalks, local parks neighborhood schools and local shopping was well underway. Development guidance or controls in place at this point were limited to zoning (first applied in 1927) and subdivision regulation. The Commission did not begin preparing local area master plans until late 1950s, although zoning and street plans (detailing rights-of-way for roads of lesser that arterial classification) were prepared starting in 1948. At the end of the decade, the Commission had approved plans for the Cabin John Watershed (1957) and Kensington Wheaton (1959) and was in the process of planning for the Upper Rock Creek Watershed and Upper Northwest Branch Watershed. Land in Kemp Mill would eventually have access to the sewer mains planned for the Northwest Branch just south of the second circumferential freeway and therefore became a desirable location for housing. Kemp Mill Estates (south of Lamberton Drive), Forest Knolls, Ballantrae, and Sligo Estates date to this phase of suburban development. 1964- "...On Wedges and Corridors" As development and planning continued on separate tracks, the need for coordination both regionally and locally, especially the transportation system, became paramount. The National Capital Planning Commission and National Capital Regional Planning Council prepared a report, A Policies Plan for the Year 2001, in 1960, which proposed five alternatives to direct what could become rampant growth if unchecked. The radial-corridor concept was selected as the preferred alternative because it "offers the greatest opportunity to exploit the carrying capacity of mass transportation. In addition, "the areas lying between the development corridors would provide significant stretches of open countryside penetrating the urban area as edges readily accessible to the whole population." Whereas the 1955 Plan relied on a highway-based transportation system, this new plan added mass transit, thereby eliminating the need for the convoluted system of highways that gutted the park system in both the District and Maryland. Plans for building the circumferential freeway, after a major redesign of the portion through Rock Creek Park, came to fruition aided by federal highway funds. The Beltway opened in 1964. The transition to a multi modal transportation network was accomplished when highway dollars became transit dollars and in 1974, again aided by federal funding, the first METRO Rail stations opened. Comprehensive planning for the bi-county district occurred concurrently with the highway plans. Looking Forward, the 1942 Plan, and Looking Ahead, the 1958 Plan, were concerned with establishing local planning policy within a regional context and accommodating future growth, but both lacked a succinct image of the transformation the two counties desired. In 1964, the Commission published a comprehensive plan that provided that missing image, "...On Wedges and Corridors,' The General Plan for the Maryland Washington Regional District in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties." The 1964 Plan explored the Year 2000 corridor-wedge proposal of concentrating development in transportation corridors alternating with low density open space wedges and proposed corridor cities along the interstate road system. Although the 1964 Plan covered both counties, each county was to expand further on the planning principles that would derive from the concept and propose zoning that should be applied in the planning areas. These were busy years for planners. Between 1964 and 1969, the Commission produced a series of local master plans to implement the wedges and corridor city concept in both counties. For Montgomery County there were corridor city plans, 1968 Fairland/Beltsville Plan and the 1967 Clarksburg Plan, and wedge plans, 1968 Rock Creek Plan, the 1967 Potomac/Travilah Plan and the 1967 Kemp Mill/Four Corners and Vicinity Master Plan. 1967 Kemp Mill/Four Corners and Vicinity Plan The 1967 Plan describes the location of the Kemp Mill planning area as "significant, ..between Interstate 70-S and Interstate 95 corridors" and the "base of the Central Wedge... an area of transition from urban to rural densities." This was hardly prescient since the Kemp Mill area already contained both large and small lot subdivisions as well as high-rise apartments. In fact, planning for Kemp Mill in 1967 was almost an afterthought since so much of the area had already been built — there were only 80 acres still vacant. What the planning area did not have was the newest addition to the zoning ordinance - townhouses. And so the 1967 Plan recommended townhouses for the properties in between the apartments and the shopping center and recommended against any more apartments. The Plan proposed the Arcola Center, a neighborhood shopping center with an urban park as a buffer between the center and the homes across Arcola Avenue (Figure 9). The urban park, a stylized Japanese garden, was built in the 1970s. As for the 80 vacant acres, the Plan recommended maintaining existing zoning and these parcels eventually developed under the cluster method in the 1970s and 1980s. Although Kemp Mill has not changed much physically since 1967; the population has changed over the last three decades. The Kemp Mill master plan area is composed primarily of single family detached houses, about 69% of the housing stock; 29% is multi-family and 1% townhouses. The population numbers approximately 10,670 persons. The demographics of the Kemp Mill area are not typical of the Montgomery County today, for example:
For a more detailed discussion, see the report, Kemp/Mill Demographic Profile, prepared by the Research Division. This master plan amendment process will explore the following: Zoning and Land Use There has not been a comprehensive zoning in Kemp Mill since 1958. The 1967 Plan did not implement zoning through the sectional map process. All zoning changes since 1958 have been accomplished through the local map amendment process on a case-by-case basis. In addition, the zoning ordinance has been revised many times since. Although there is very little vacant land, this amendment provides the opportunity to review existing land use and current zoning classifications and development standards. A Walking Community The Kemp Mill area, because of its small size and the fact that local residents use the local institutions and shopping center primarily, has become a walking community. Many residents walk to shopping, school, religious institutions, and recreation. This amendment provides the opportunity to survey the sidewalk/path/bikeway system and recommend additions and improvements. Transportation Conflict between local and through traffic and intersection congestion must be analyzed for possible improvements to the configuration and width of intersections. As in most areas, the road network favors the automobile. Because of the high pedestrian volume, signal timing needs to be reviewed to ensure the safety and sufficient timing for crossing pedestrians. There are a number of paper streets, especially paper highways, which need to be removed from the 1967 Plan in conformance with the current proposed road network. These roads include the Northern Parkway, the US 29 Spur and a portion of Yeatman Parkway. These rights-of-way need to be reviewed for possible, pedestrian/bicycle and recreational use. Environment Approximately 16% of the master plan area is impervious. Most development in Kemp Mill preceded storm water management controls. As a result, there is measurable diminished water quality, increased stream flows during storms, high pollution levels, erosion and loss of aquatic habitat in the Northwest Branch and Sligo Creek watersheds. The Plan will review possible locations for restoration projects to counteract the effects of past practices. Tree cover is a critical component of watershed and habitat protection. The State and county have adopted legislation and policies encouraging and mandating protection of trees and forests. The application of these policies will be part of this master plan process. The Plan will evaluate the impact of existing and proposed trails on wetlands and sensitive areas as well as examining potential trail use within unbuilt public rights-of-way. A more detailed description and discussion of the environment can be found in the report, Kemp Mill Master Plan - Environmental Resources, prepared by the Environmental Planning Division.
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION The Community Participation Strategy outlines recommended techniques for community involvement in the plan-making process. Several techniques are combined to form an outreach strategy designed to reflect the unique character and issues of each community. Emphasis is placed on obtaining differing perspectives from a diverse set of participants to broaden community involvement. This section of the Report does the following: Identifies community involvement techniques that will be used. Describes the master planning process. Several community participation techniques were used to gather input for this Report, including community meetings, meetings with County staff and discussions with individuals that live or work in the Kemp Mill area. In addition, staff used the electronic media such as the Internet and e-mail to contact the membership of community associations and institutions. Staff gained an understanding of issues of concern to the Kemp Mill community. MASTER PLAN PROCESS The process of updating the Master Plan began with six months of preliminary data collection, community information gathering, and community meetings that provided the basis for this Purpose and Outreach Report. The opinions gathered during this phase have provided valuable insight into the concerns of citizens and businesses. A mailing list including citizens, places of worship, businesses, civic associations, homeowners associations, condominium associations, managers of apartment buildings, PTAs, government agencies, newspapers, and interested groups and individuals was prepared by staff. This mailing list will be used to publicize master plan meetings and events and to distribute the newsletter or any other publication of interest. Over the next few months, staff will continue to work with the community by holding community meetings, developing a master plan newsletter, an electronic bulletin board, an Internet site, e-mail and "snail" mail. The details of the plan update process are outlined below. Staff Draft Plan As the Staff Draft is developed, Community-Based Planning staff will continue to meet with the Kemp Mill community regarding the direction of the Plan and on specific recommendations. Prior to finalizing the Staff Draft Plan recommendations, planning staff will discuss proposed recommendations with the community, providing an additional opportunity for public comment. The Staff Draft Plan will then be prepared for presentation to the Planning Board. The community will have an opportunity to communicate with the Planning Board, either orally or in writing, on any concerns they may have with recommendations that are contained in the Plan. Planning Board Public Hearing and Worksessions The Planning Board will review the Staff Draft Plan, makes any necessary revisions and then publishes the Planning Board Public Hearing Draft Plan. Copies of the Public Hearing Draft Plan are sent to the County Executive, to all municipalities, and are made available to the public. After a minimum of 30 days notice, the Planning Board holds a public hearing at which anyone may testify, either orally or in writing. After the hearing, the Board holds open worksessions to review the testimony and to determine whether to make any revisions to the document. County Executive and County Council Review, Public Hearing, Worksessions, and Approval The Planning Board will revise the Public Hearing Draft Plan and transmit it to the County Council and the County Executive as the Planning Board Draft Plan. The County Council holds a public hearing at which anyone may testify, either orally or in writing At the close of their public hearing, the Count Council holds open worksessions to determine if amendments to the Plan submitted by the Planning Board are warranted. The Plan is then approved (or disapproval) by the Council. After Council approve of the Master Plan by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (the Montgomery and Prince George's County recommended in the Plan [sic]. The SMA also involves formal public review process, including a public hearing by the District Council (Montgomery County Council).
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