Planning Board Approves Warner Circle Proposal

This morning, the Montgomery County Planning Board unanimously approved a proposal to rehabilitate Warner Circle, transforming the historic mansion into Park and Planning offices and keeping the grounds as a public park.

The plan is a scaled-back version of one previously proposed to the board, and asks for a total of $4.3 million to renovate the mansion, landscape the park, revamp parking and implement storm-water management on the site.

Next, the Planning Board will recommend the project be included in the County Council's 2013-18 capital improvements, with renovation starting in 2018 if approved.

Initially, Park and Planning staff had asked for about $9.3 million for the project, planning to add a large addition to the mansion with an aquatics area and public archeology lab. However, in light of countywide budget cuts, the board in July asked staff to scale back its designs, which brought about the latest proposal.

Phase one of the plan, for which $751,000 has already been appropriated, involves tearing down the nursing home attached to the site and replacing the mansion walls damaged in the process.

Board Chairwoman Françoise Carrier said she was impressed with Park and Planning's dedication to finding a way to responsibly preserve the historic area after being sent back to the drawing board in July.

"I appreciate the professionalism with which the staff accepted that kick in the teeth, moved on and came up with a good plan that scaled it back, and which we can more reasonably present to the County Council," she said.

John Doherty, who has lived near Warner Circle for 36 years, testified at the meeting and said rehabilitating the site will end a period of limbo for the historic landmark.

"For the last six years, it has been sitting vacant, almost a ghost house," he said. "Not a day goes by that I don't wake up and check to see if the manor and the park are still there. And, sure enough, they are, and I am so thankful."