Committee Recommends Sector Plan Addition

Kensington is considering adding language to its sector plan that would designate the area southeast of the MARC station as the cultural heart of the town.

At , the town's Revitalization Committee recommended adding a few paragraphs to the proposed plan, tabbing the area as the "Village Center" and encouraging walkable commercial development between the station and Frederick Ave.

The Town Council will take up the recommendation at its next meeting.

Stowe Teti, who presented the idea, said the Village Center concept would require no zoning changes in the proposed plan and would create a pedestrian-friendly development away from the bustle of Connecticut Avenue. The area would also conform to Kensington's character and passion for historic preservation, he said.

"A sense of place can be engendered by good design," Teti said. "This will help us attract customers from beyond Kensington, which is essential."

Sketches of the Village Center include a large green space, an outdoor performance area and a pedestrian bridge over the train tracks.

Teti said that the town may be able to get those public amenities from Konterra, which owns the lot across the tracks from the proposed Village Center, if it is willing to consider a zoning exception for the developer. Konterra may also build a parking structure on the site, he said.

Town Councilmember Mackie Barch, who chairs the Revitalization Committee, said he likes the idea of designating the area as the town's cultural center, but that he is hesitant to allow Konterra to build above the 60-foot maximum spelled out in the sector plan.

Many attendees at the meeting balked at the idea of allowing extra height for Konterra, and the committee instead recommended that the town work with the developer to find a compromise, perhaps making some concessions in exchange for public amenities. That recommendation will also go before the Town Council.

County planner Fred Boyd, who attended the meeting, said the Village Center concept works within the proposed plan, but the area's diversity of ownership could be a barrier to redevelopment. The idea relies on consolidating the many properties into a single parcel, and that's often more difficult than it seems, Boyd said.

"In my experience, nothing will diminish the chances of assemblage quicker than to say assemblage is absolutely necessary," he said.

The Village Center concept was one of three issues the County Council before continuing the sector plan discussion. The Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee also tasked Kensington with discussing and a proposed mid-income housing policy.

The Town Council will vote on the guidelines and Village Center as soon as its Jan. 9 meeting, and the town has scheduled a hearing on the housing policy for Jan. 23.

After that, the PHED will continue its discussion of the Kensington Sector plan as soon as Feb. 6, sending it to the full County Council later in 2012.