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SITE SELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATION
FOR
NORTHWEST CLUSTER ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL SITE
APRIL 28, 2011
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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
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SITE SELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
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.
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SITE SELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATION ON TH E
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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,
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SITE SELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATION ON TH E
NORTHWEST CLUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ..APRIL28, 2011
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.
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SITE SELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATION ON TH E
NORTHWEST CLUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ..APRIL28, 2011
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.
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SITE SELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATION ON TH E
NORTHWEST CLUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ..APRIL28, 2011
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.
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RECOMMENDATION ON TH E
NORTHWEST CLUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ..APRIL28, 2011
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.
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RECOMMENDATION ON TH E
NORTHWEST CLUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ..APRIL28, 2011
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.
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SITE SELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATION ON TH E
NORTHWEST CLUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ..APRIL28, 2011
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.
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RECOMMENDATION ON TH E
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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.
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RECOMMENDATION ON TH E
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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.
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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
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Exhibit B
NORTHWEST CLUSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
SITE SELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Ms. Karen AndersonGreen School Program Manager
Division of Construction
Montgomery County Public Schools
Ms. Susan BurkinshawNorthwest Cluster Coordinator
Mr. Bruce CrispellDirector Long-range Planning
Montgomery County Public Schools
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
Montgomery County Public Schools
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
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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
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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.