Christie Estates Home Owners Association
Action Committee

• The "Tong Development" site plan proposes to build 30 houses (3 single units, 27 townhouses) directly across Spartan Road from the Brooke Grove Elementary School "Kiss & Ride" circle.
• This proposed subdivision would create a large, dangerous intersection 85 feet from where our children cross the street to school.
• Currently, there are 507 students at Brooke Grove.  There are 25 students who live in Arden Woods, 48 students in the Learning Center, and 3 students in the Title I transfer program who receive bus transportation. 15% of the students ride the bus and 85% of the students are walkers.  The safety of our children will be severely affected by this proposed development.
• The traffic congestion will be unbearable if this development goes through as planned.
• The environmental impact on the immediate community is troublesome - many along Snowberry Way will have increased drainage problems

The Tong property is almost 9 acres accessible from Spartan Road between Snowberry and Paradise Cove Terrace.  The Tong Development proposal calls for the building of 30 homes (27 town homes and 3 single-family units) on 3 of the 9 acres located nearest to Spartan Road and Brooke Grove Elementary School.

• The Tong Proposal creates serious safety concerns for our children

The proposed development calls for the entrance to be located directly across Spartan Road from the Brooke Grove Elementary School Kiss and Ride loop.  This will result in a third intersection from Snowberry to Paradise Cove.  In fact, there will be a total of six intersections in this 450 feet of land - Snowberry Way, the entrance to the school's kiss & ride, Old Brooke Grove road, the new development's driveway, Tong's separate driveway, and Paradise Cove.  Currently, there are 507 students at Brooke Grove.  There are 25 students who live in Arden Woods, 48 students in the Learning Center, and 3 students in the Title I transfer program who receive bus transportation. 15% of the students ride the bus and 85% of the students are walkers - that means 434 Brooke Grove Elementary School students walk or are driven to school by parents.  There are currently three crossing guards in place due to the danger of the existing traffic and high volume of student pedestrian traffic.  Our foremost concern is for the safety of our children

• The Tong Proposal will force additional vehicles to be parked on our neighborhood streets

The proposal provides for only 20 on-street parking spaces and roadways that are not wide enough to accommodate parking.  Also, these parallel parking spaces are shown to be only 20' long.  This will likely result in less cars actually being able to park in these on-street areas.  Consequently, residents and visitors will be forces to park outside the development on Spartan Road and in the Christie Estates and James Creek neighborhoods.

Like most town home developments, larger vehicles and commercial vehicles will be forced to park outside the development.  This will increase traffic congestion in the area in close proximity to the school and will create child safety issues for our children as they walk to and from school.

The addition of large and commercial vehicles parking in our neighborhoods is also inconsistent with the family oriented atmosphere our homeowners associations have so successfully created.

• The Tong Proposal is inconsistent with the Olney Master Plan and Zoning Requirements

The Tong Proposal calls for 27 town homes and 3 single-family units which is inconsistent with zoning guidelines.  The proposal calls for 90% town homes and only 10% single-family units when the guidelines require 30% single-family and no more than 70% town homes.  In fact, the Planning Board must approve this deviation from the Master Plan.  In considering this request to deviate from the Master Plan, the Planning Commission must consider the input of the neighbors must impacted by this shift in development density.

The Tong Proposal calls for smaller units than required by the Master Plan.  By regulation, the minimum space for town home units is 1500 square feet.  The Tong Proposal calls for smaller units than required by the Master Plan.  By regulation, the minimum space for town home units is 1500 square feet.  The Tong Proposal calls for at least six of the 27 lots to be smaller that the required 1500 square feet.  In fact, the Planning Board must approve this deviation from the zoning regulations.  In considering this request to deviate from established zoning regulations, the Planning Board must consider the input of the neighbors most impacted by this shift in the Master Plan.

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• The Tong Proposal will increase traffic congestion in our neighborhoods

Those of us who use Snowberry Way or Paradise Cove Terrace to enter or exit the neighborhood have seen the traffic congestion.  This is especially acute during school hours and during after school activities (see photos).  The addition of 29 homes without adequate parking will not only increase traffic volume but will add congestion with vehicles parked on Spartan Road and surrounding neighborhood streets.  This is both a quality of life issue for Christie Estates and James Creek and a safety issue for our children attending Brooke Grove Elementary School.

• The Tong Proposal does not provide adequate space between the town homes and our neighborhoods

Most developments are able to provide a buffer between single-family homes and town home clusters.  In the Tong Proposal, only 35 feet will separate the town home property from our property lines.  The proposal is designed in this manner because the developers are trying to cram too many units into too small an area.

• The Tong Proposal developers have not conducted needed studies

A proposal such as this one, where 27 town home units are being built in the middle of single family units requires careful planning.  There have been no traffic studies.  The developers have only done cursory reviews of other important issues such as environmental impact.  As we all know, the property in question contains a waterway, abundant wildlife and is part of the quickly disappearing undeveloped open space in our neighborhoods.

• The Tong Proposal developers have not made any effort to work with the community

The only communication anyone has received from the developers has been that which was required by law.  That included sending a copy of the proposal and map to homeowners whose property actually abuts the development.  Most neighbors have been left in the dark because the developers are not required to tell other homeowners.  Few people know that there has already been one hearing on the proposal.  The plans call for significant deviations from the Master Plan and Zoning Requirements.  These deviations are designed to allow the developers to maximize profits by overbuilding.  The developers need approvals from the Planning Board that surely will be granted if homeowners are kept in the dark and do not raise their concerns.

• The Tong Proposal has engineering deficiencies

There is inadequate provisions for proper drainage on the east and north sides of the development.  Deeper swales need to be provided to keep stormwater from backing up into the lots of the homeowners along Snowberry Way, and from pouring onto the lots of the homeowners on Snowberry Place.  The pipestream driveway for lot #30 shows a tree save area.  How can this be a driveway and a tree save area at the same time?  In order to get a driveway to lot #30, significant grading and tree removal will be required in the 150' stream buffer.  The proposal sewer line alignment indicates a connection more than 300' offisite, going to a manhole on James Creek property.  This entire routing plan is through wooded areas.  The deep trenching will remove a wide swath of trees for almost 600', if the developer is able to get permission to use James Creeks' property.  Also, the sewer line will not have enough slope on it to allow gravity fall and a pump stations (not shown on the plans) will be required.

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