In a year, Olney Coalition proving its mettle

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by Terri Hogan
Staff Writer

J. Adam Fenster/The Gazette The driving forces behind the year-old Olney Coalition are John Moeller, Barbara Falcigno, Nancy Wendt, Andrea Cunningham and Rand Milstein.

There's a new force in town, and in one short year it has established itself as a force to be reckoned with.

The Olney Coalition is an independent, non-partisan network of individuals and neighborhood associations representing over 2,000 households in the Olney area. Its mission is to preserve the semi-rural residential character of the community and the qualities of life its members value -- fine schools, excellent roads and a healthy environment.

Two of the driving forces behind the success of the Olney Coalition are current president Barbara Falcigno and immediate past president Nancy Wendt. They, along with other current and previous board members Rand Milstein, John Moeller and Andrea Cunningham, have led the organization through, by all accounts, a very successful first year.

It all started at the end of July 2003, when the staff draft of the Olney Master Plan was published. It contained several recommendations that had not been discussed during the many master plan advisory committee sessions.

Those surprises included the 32-acre county-owned property on Bowie Mill Road that everyone had thought was a school site, but which instead was being recommended for affordable housing.

Other issues included density concerns on developable land in the southeast quadrant and a change in height restriction in the center of town.

The Greater Olney Civic Association (GOCA) called a special meeting a month later to discuss the staff draft and to prepare for the Planning Board hearing in September. At the time Olney was still under a development moratorium because the intense development of the 1990s produced demand for public services that exceeded the capacity of the infrastructure.

During the same period there were issues in the Upper Rock Creek Master Plan related to the density of Rural Neighborhood Cluster Zone properties and Pulte was proposing an active adult community of 718 dwelling units on the Freeman property along Route 108, a site that was zoned for 110 dwelling units.

Residents of the neighborhoods most directly affected by the threats of overdevelopment began to meet and explore how they could preserve their quality of life.

"Our common ground transcended the boundaries of master planning areas," Falcigno said. "This presented a new challenge because GOCA, the umbrella civic association that has served Olney well for decades, is not set up to work across multiple master planning areas. Clearly there was a new need and the Olney Coalition came into being to fill that need."

GOCA President Stephen Smet called the alliance with the Olney Coalition "positively synergistic."

"Nancy, Barbara and the organization have done an extremely good job delving into the intricacies of these land-use issues, and GOCA supports their work on most of them," he said. "We share their passion, but we're not always on the same level. Since we represent all of Olney, sometimes we have to take a step back."

Smet said that GOCA takes advantage of the amount of effort put forth by members of the Olney Coalition.

"There's no point in us duplicating their effort, so we rely on their developing expertise to enlighten us," he said. "We admire their work and their valuable input."

The Olney Coalition is an independent umbrella organization with eight member associations -- Briars Acres, Norbeck Grove, Norbeck Meadows, Oatland Farms, Olney Acres, Olney Square, Olney Oaks and The Southeast Rural Olney Civic Association (SEROCA). Members reside in either the Olney or the Upper Rock Creek master planning areas.

However, Falcigno said that all homeowners associations or civic organizations that share their mission and values are invited to join.

Members do not pay dues; it was purposely kept completely voluntary. The organization is funded by donations, and according to Wendt, its bank account is in pretty good shape.

"At our early meeting, we explained that we weren't experts, and we were going to have to consult with someone who was, so we asked for donations," she said.

"While some organizations receive $25 or $50 contributions, we received contributions of $100, $200 and $500," Falcigno added. "In less than a month, we received thousands."

And Wendt noted, "We're very frugal and don't spend our money sending out fliers. But there are things we can't do ourselves, so if we have to consult an expert, we won't hesitate. And if the need arises, we'll ask for more donations."

The mission

The Olney Coalition carries out its mission by monitoring development, land use and zoning activity that affect community character or qualities of life; keeping members informed on issues so they may effectively express their opinions in the voting booth, at public hearings and by providing written comment to public officials; and by working with other civic associations, coalitions and environmental groups that share its goals.

The coalition's primary civic association partners include GOCA, Upper Rock Creek Civic Association and Sandy Spring Civic Association. It shares information and collaborate on research with each of those groups.

A leadership team of three officers and a board of 18 delegates govern the Olney Coalition. A majority of the delegates must vote for a position before the coalition takes action or delivers testimony based on the position.

A major concern of Olney Coalition members is the threat of overdevelopment and the risk it represents to the existing infrastructure.

That is consistent with the survey done by Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission in 2002 that rated the top three issues facing Olney neighborhoods as traffic congestion, speeding and overdevelopment.

"When the current Olney Master Plan was published in 1980, Olney was envisioned to reach a population of between 26,000 and 32,000 at full build-out of the plan," Falcigno said. "In 2003, Olney's population was already in excess of 39,000. The Planning Board draft currently in front of the council calls for Olney to grow to between 41,000 and 46,600 people. The densities envisioned by developers will easily push Olney's population beyond 50,000."

Falcigno said that coalition members understand the need for continued growth and development.

"We know the county needs more housing, especially more affordable housing. We leverage the skills and knowledge of our volunteers to work with planning staff and council staff to identify solutions that are sensible in terms of size, scale and location," she said.

The criteria coalition members use to determine what is sensible include conformance with the Adequate Public Facilities ordinance, compatibility with adjacent properties, consistency with the "wedges and corridors" pattern of land use and the specific goals, objectives and strategies in the General Plan and related countywide plans.

The other fundamental principle that guides the coalition's work is that the processes of land-use planning and decision making should be transparent with ample opportunities for citizens to participate in shaping recommendations, rather than reacting to them after the fact.

"We recognize this principle carries with it the responsibility of citizens to stay informed on planning issues," Falcigno said. "Our volunteers invest many hours to make this happen because they love Olney and they want to preserve what sets it apart for all current and future residents."

The Olney Coalition conducted over three dozen interviews across three planning areas to learn what the community thinks is working or not working with the Rural Neighborhood Cluster Zone and shared the feedback with the County Council and the Planning Board.

In May, the coalition brought out over 200 people for the disposition hearing regarding the four county-owned properties being considered for affordable housing, including the 32-acre site on Bowie Mill Road. Nearly 30 people requested that the disposition process be suspended until the Olney Master Plan is complete. The suspension was granted.

The commitment

Some members of the Olney Coalition put in excess of over 40 hours each work, researching the issues, attending meetings and hearings.

These include community-based meetings, adjacent master plan meetings, Planning Board worksessions and hearings, and County Council hearings.

"We look at everything that is going to affect the quality of life in the mid-county area, and if it is a county-wide issue, we try to be there," Falcigno said. "We want to have a voice, as well as listen and learn. It's a two-way exchange."

While you won't see coalition members testifying on specific issues, such as where to put a park in the Shady Grove Sector Plan, you would see them testifying on Adequate Public Facilities.

"We often meet with council members to explain to them that we really understand the issues are county-wide, and not just in our back yard," Falcigno said. "We are also working to find sensible solutions."

"These are real issues that affect our lives in many ways," Wendt added. "We're incredibly blessed that our community is well-educated, understands the issues, and wants to be a part of the solution."

The issues have evolved from the 32-acre Bowie Mill Site.

"That's what got us all involved, but it's not what is sustaining us," Falcigno said. "It's the all of the issues that affect Olney that will make our lives better."

Falcigno and Wendt admit to spending hours reading, studying and relating staff reports and other public documents.

"None of it is light reading. We really need to pay attention and internalize the information, because these are the guiding principles of the planning process," Wendt said.

Falcigno said what sets their organization apart from others is that they work really hard doing the "grunt work."

"We don't stop there, we then try to offer suggestions," she said. "That's how we've earned credibility with the Planning staff, Planning Board and council. We may not always agree, but we have earned credibility.

"It's not a trivial commitment. In fact, for some, it's a full-time job," she added.

"We understand not everyone has this amount of time, so for other members, their involvement may just involve writing a letter," Falcigno said. "Even though everyone's lives are busy, the desire to preserve the quality of life here in Olney is a priority for the residents".