Mayor's Coffee Meeting Attempts to Clutch Resident Ideas

Even with a dusting of Saturday morning snow, a dozen people from the Kensington community including business owners from around town stopped by town hall for a cup of coffee and to converse with mayor Peter Fosselman. As townspeople sipped java and munched donuts, they found no holes in the mayor's relay of communication on matters involving revitalization, zoning, creek flooding and garbage pickup.

Fosselman was quick to start the two-and-a-half hour informal meeting with how he felt about the town's revitalization plan — a plan he wants to move forward with before neighboring communities grab all the businesses and construction companies looking for new opportunities.

"I don't think Kensington can sit still with our six gas stations and our pawn shop and our vacancies and low rents," the mayor said during the revitalization question-and-answer portion of the meeting. "To the north, we have Wheaton; to our east, we have Silver Spring; to our south, we have Bethesda and to the west, we have White Flint. All are revitalizing around little Kensington. So we can sit still and do nothing or we become the slum of Montgomery County."

For business development, the mayor mentioned he'd like to see a bakery, more restaurants, boutique shops, dress shops and a hobby shop open inside the Kensington city limits. In regard to housing, Fosselman is hoping for condos to become the home of the future for Kensington's senior community.

"I'm encouraging condo building because if you live in Kensington, and you want to retire and you don't want to maintain your two-level home, there's no place to retire to," Fosselman said. "There aren't that many apartments available. Retirees still want home ownership with single-level living."

Kensington business owner Laura-Leigh Palmer was in attendance for the round-table discussion, and her concerns ranged from Connecticut Avenue traffic, the possibility of building a pedestrian bridge over the busy north-south state highway and attracting stores that Kensington residents would frequent with pride. 

"Nobody wants another gas station or gold store in town," said Palmer.

A quorum of residents asked if a letter to the editor — that would be distributed to local newspapers — could be written by a towns person in an attempt to boost the town's image and morale and extinguish development rumors of tall, multilevel building and big box stores invading Kensington. Revitalization zoning, and the lack of rezoning were also topics discussed, and the mayor was firm where he stands about rezoning throughout the town.

"No single-family neighborhoods are being rezoned," the mayor bluntly said. "The historical district will never be rezoned. I will never, ever let that happen."

The mayor also talked of the trials and tribulations of a proposed town parking lot adjacent to the MARC train depot. He said he hopes the project, which will add 60 metered parking spaces and will be a one level lot, will begin by the spring.

Other issues discussed included Spring Creek flooding and the new trash schedule. The mayor said he is looking into solutions to prevent flooding and that it is his "number one environmental issue" for the town.

As for the the town's new trash and recycling schedule, citizens provided positive comments and are pleased with the pickups.

Long-time Kensington resident Harley Higgins said there has been "a beautiful job picking up trash," while Steve Palmer reported that "everything is fine on my block."

On Monday, Jan. 10, the mayor and the town council will hold a town hall meeting, where some of these topics may also be discussed. The main focus of the meeting will be in reference to zoning issues and revitalization for the town.