Public Facilities

     Public facilities include schools, parks, libraries, public safety facilities, art, and recreation facilities. All of these facilities are proposed in the White Flint Sector Plan.

Schools

     Full development of White Flint will result in hundreds of new school-age residents. A hot topic in recent worksessions has been the appropriate site for a new school. 

     The largest nearby community organization, Randolph Hills Civic Association, with more than 5,000 residents, has proposed re-opening a closed school, at Rocking Horse Center near the boundary of the White Flint Sector. This proposal was supported by the former White Flint Advisory Committee.

     The Planning staff recently ignored that proposal, choosing instead to recommend a new school site within the Sector boundaries, at the edge of the White Flint Mall.

     On April 23, 2009, the Planning Board split 2-2 on whether to accept the staff proposal for a new site at the edge of White Flint Mall. The dissenting votes (Commissioners Presley and Cryor) supported the Rocking Horse site instead. Commissioner Alfandre was not present.

     On May 4, 2009, the Planning Board voted 3-2 to place the proposed new school at the Rocking Horse Elementary site, just to the east of the Sector, in the Randolph Hills community.

Parks

     There's not much open space left in White Flint, and the White Flint Plan reflects the lack of easily-identifiable park land. Yet the White Flint Sector Plan adds a new park, expands another local park, and repurposes the existing major park in the area.

     The Wall Park has the Montgomery Aquatic Center, and is currently dominated by a large surface parking lot. The staff recommends replacing the parking lot with more informal green space, and moving the parking to a structure constructed in conjunction with the private developers just to the north of the park. The oldest and tallest trees in the park, on the border of Old Georgetown Rd., would be protected.

     In addition to Wall Park, the Plan proposes a new Civic Green outdoor space to be used for community gatherings. The new Civic Green will be approximately one acre in size and be situated on the Conference Center block. The staff is recommending that this land be acquired by dedication or by purchase so that the Civic Green would be a public park.

     On May 7, 2009, the Montgomery County Planning Board voted to create a new park, on about 3 1/2 acres just north of the existing White Flint Neighborhood Park to the southeast of White Flint Mall. On the map above, White Flint NP is on the bottom right corner of the green Sector area, and the new park area is the shaded area just to the north (top) of the existing green park.

         The Plan adds a central "loop" with connections to all the local parks in the Sector, as well as two intersecting pedestrian "promenades" to increase east-west flow between the civic spaces:

     The Plan also proposes new bike paths, trails and lanes.

Libraries:

     The Plan contemplates a new library in the Sector, but the size and location of the library have yet to be determined.

Public Safety Facilities:

     The Plan contemplates new fire and police stations in the Sector, to be placed in the currently-vacant land just north of the Montrose Parkway.

Public Art:

     The Planning Board wants both public art displayed in the Sector, and some form of "arts district" or similar area for the arts. The new Plan and CR Zone provide incentives for the arts. Just south of the Sector boundary is Strathmore Center for the Arts, on Rockville Pike, and the Ratner Museum on Old Georgetown Road. A presentation by Luxmanor Citizens Association contains a discussion of public art.

Historic Sites:

     Just across Old Georgetown Road from Wall Park, in the Luxmanor community, is the Josiah Henson "Uncle Tom's Cabin" Public Park, a brand-new public facility. Henson was a former slave, whose life was chronicled in the influential pre-Civil War book "Uncle Tom's Cabin." The Park contains the actual cabin in which Henson lived. Montgomery County recently purchased the cabin, and is preparing the area as a special park.

     In addition, the historic Montrose Schoolhouse is just north of Randolph Road to the north of the Sector. The Planning Board considered aiding the Schoolhouse, but the non-profit organization which runs the location did not request further action.

Recreation:

     The Plan contains a variety of recreation opportunities: swimming at Wall Park and in private facilities; basketball at Wall Park and White Flint Local Park, tennis courts at some private facilities, and walking and biking trails. There are no public playing fields in the Sector, although several facilities are nearby. Friends of White Flint is promoting additional playing fields, and supports the Parks Department's proposals to protect existing playing fields by providing "turf" fields. The new park to the north of the existing White Flint Neighborhood Park is big and flat enough to support a small, youth-sized playing field.

Farmers Market:

     The Plan recommends that a farmers' market be located in the Sector.