by David Humpton, EVP
Beth-Ellen Berry announced to the Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF) Board of Directors during the June Board meeting that she would be stepping down as Treasurer after serving for the past 7 years. Her experience and background with non-profit accounting and auditing, coupled with her knowledge of MVF’s operations and finance, were vitally important to the financial turn-around of MVF’s financial health. She will be greatly missed. So now our challenge is to find an equally as dedicated and qualified volunteer to continue the progress in which Beth-Ellen was so instrumental. Please see the MVF website for further information and contact CFO Greg Snellings at
County road maintenance
Every once in a while, MVF staff receives calls about the poor condition of county maintained roads in and around the Village. Montgomery County DOT has requested that all maintenance complaints be put into the 311 system. The road that gets the most complaints from residents, especially recently, is Watkins Mill Road. I’m sure you’ve had the experience of trying to dodge the potholes or rough patches in driving up the hill from Stedwick Road to Apple Ridge Road. Staff is working with Councilman Rice’s office to determine if the section of Watkins Mill Road from Stedwick Road to Apple Ridge Road can be repaved, or if better patching can be completed. Hopefully progress can be made.
Village Center update
The developer, Atlantic Realty Companies, is progressing through the county’s development review process, and recently met with MVF’s Commercial Architectural Review Committee, who reviewed the concept plan for the new project and offered various design comments. They will review the plan in more detail once formal sketch/site plans have been submitted to the county’s Planning Department. The owner submitted their sketch plan for the project and was awaiting initial comments from county planning staff about the completeness of their application by July 18 or thereabouts. It is anticipated that the planning staff will take about a month to review and that a Planning Board hearing could be held before year end.
Airbnb coming to your neighborhood soon?
Did you know that short-term rentals of your home are currently illegal in Montgomery County and are a violation of the zoning ordinance? The county is working on legislation to allow and regulate short-term rentals so that they can operate legally in various zones. Back in February, the MVF Board adopted a position opposing the bills, unless they could be amended to protect residential property owners from negative impacts such as insufficient parking and effects of exceeding occupancy limits.
The county council held a public hearing, and the testimony that night was overwhelmingly negative. The county council became busy with budget deliberations, and the bills were put on hold. In late June, The Montgomery County Council asked the Planning Department to hold meetings with residents and stakeholders to get feedback on short-term residential rental agreements such as Airbnb in order to help draft legislation. The planning staff is expected to provide a report to the county council in late fall.
Summer is in full swing, and it will only be a few short weeks before we’re taking one last vacation trip, thinking about fall activities, and getting ready for school to start again. But until then, there’s still plenty going on each week for residents to enjoy right in their own backyard!
If you’re into music and entertainment, you can catch a few more acts this week. On Saturday, July 23, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., The Reagan Years will play a special 50th Anniversary Concert at the Apple Ridge Recreation Area, 10101 Apple Ridge Road. This free, family-friendly event will feature the rocking sounds of your favorite 1980s hits, as sung by the East Coast’s original 80s tribute band. Bring a blanket or chairs, and enjoy food from Ledo Pizza, Festival Concessions and Tacos El Rey; see the free food coupon on page 8 for a 50th Anniversary treat! Parking for the concert is available at the MVF Office, 10120 Apple Ridge Road, and Watkins Mill High School, 10301 Apple Ridge Road.
Rock out on Sunday, July 24
at the Gordon W. Bowie Pavilion in South Valley Park, 19003 Watkins Mill Road, for the final Summers at South Valley Park concert of the season. Bring your picnic dinner at 6 p.m. and enjoy the relaxing Caribbean and Reggae sounds to end out your weekend!
Also part of the Summers at South Valley Park series is the final KidJAM performance scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 27. Bring your children and friends to South Valley Park to enjoy the Pony To Go Petting Zoo. This fun morning will be filled with animals galore, and your chance to get up close and personal with them. For more family relaxing, come back to the pavilion at 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5 for the outdoor showing of Monsters University. Bring a picnic, snacks and your favorite beverage, and watch this funny, animated movie under the stars!
If outdoor physical activity is more your style, then don’t miss an afternoon at any one of our seven sparkling pools! Make it a goal to visit each one, and while you’re there, why not get in a few laps to participate in the 50th Anniversary 50km Swim Challenge! Swim 50km between all seven pools and take home a limited edition beach towel! If you don’t have time for all the pools, but want to get a workout in, try the early morning lap swim or Coffee-to-Go at Hurley Park Pool, 20737 Highland Hall Drive. And if relaxing poolside while your kids splash the afternoon away is your thing, don’t forget all the great new features at Whetstone Pool, 19140 Brooke Grove Court.
While you’re out catching Pokémon, be sure to hit the walking/bike paths all over the Village. These trails provide an easy exercise route, with some of the best scenery around—our flourishing community! And good news—the path along Lake Whetstone is fully open again, as well as the rest of the lakeside park. The county’s dredging project is finally complete, and the park is open as usual. This means residents can enjoy the wildlife, have a picnic, play volleyball, go fishing and rent paddle boats once again!
Speaking of enjoying wildlife, there’s no special spot in the Village to catch a glimpse of the many varieties of “natural neighbors” that call the Village home as well. But you can always see something interesting wandering through our many parks or even while visiting the tot lots with your kids! See how many different kinds of birds, animals or fish you can spot. Find a special location and set up your camera to capture some overlooked moments, and share them with residents on our facebook page or submit them for consideration for in the annual calendar contest.
And what would summer be without camp to fill the day for kids? There are still plenty of opportunities for Village kids to experience summer fun and thrills with their friends! From the North Creek or Whetstone drop-in centers, to the fun-packed camp fun of camps Tiny Feet, Racing Wind and Soaring Stars, kids are excited to swim, go on trips, see special guest visitors, make crafts, play games and make new friendships all summer long. When the camp season ends but it’s not quite time for school to start, there’s End-of-Summer Specialty Camps to keep everyone busy. Choose from Lego, Mad Science, Tiny Chefs, Abrakadoodle, or continue the all day camp fun with Awesome August Adventures. For more information or to register, visit www.montgomeryvillage.com.
In a few short weeks, the Fall Recreation Guide will be published, announcing all the great fall activities you can find in Montgomery Village. Until then, get out and enjoy what’s left of the summer—pools, parks, nature, camps, entertainment and family fun are all right here in your backyard!
by Mike Conroy
At the July 28 Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF) Board of Directors meeting, the Board discussed the future of the Transportation, Development and Public Facilities (TD&PF) Committee, ultimately retiring the committee, favoring the structure of ad hoc committees with specific tasks for future resident engagement.
Several Board members noted that recent history with ad hoc committees with a fixed timeline offered talented subject matter experts, who otherwise may not be able to commit to a standing or long-term commitment, an opportunity to be engaged in community activities. It was noted that with a specific goal and timeline, residents continued a strong level of interest and commitment throughout the given task.
The Board also discussed the advantage of historical knowledge of long-time committee members, hoping that those members would be willing to serve on future ad hoc committees. Issues related to transportation, especially where involvement with Montgomery County is applicable, would be referred to MVF staff to research and present to the Board for further direction or action.
At the end of the discussion, the Board voted 5-2 to thank the TD&PF Committee for their service, continue the Retail Subcommittee, and consider future opportunities for the appointment of ad hoc committees.
President’s Remarks
Board President Young noted that governance and successful governing structures were a topic at the Board retreat in May. The retreat discussion revealed that the strategy of using focused ad hoc committees gave residents an increased avenue for engagement, utilizing specific skills and expertise for dedicated tasks. He thanked the TD&PF Committee for their service, noting the work that the many resident members of the committee had produced since its inception. Young expressed hope that a switch to the more focused ad hoc structure would afford the committee members new ways to continue their service to the community.
EVP Report
EVP Dave Humpton noted that he and Director of Recreation, Parks and Culture Peggy Mark recently discussed pool staff shortages for the coming weekend. As a result, they determined that the Watkins Mill Pool would be closed on Saturday, Aug. 6 to arrange for adequate staff coverage of the other MVF-owned pools.
Treasurer’s Report
CFO Greg Snellings presented the Treasurer’s Report for the month of June and year-to-date (YTD). Total Revenue and Operating Expenses were reported as favorable to the budget at $4,086,230 and $3,467,645, respectively. Net Income for the month was slightly unfavorable at $32,369 due to higher than expected assessment collection fees and disclosure fees. Personnel Costs are favorable to the budget due to lower than expected seasonal wages and lower payroll taxes.
Contributions to Reserves were made according to the budget at $85,434 for the month and $512,606 YTD. The Capital Contribution Fee yielded $23,876 in June, with the YTD fund total at $68,653.
The Balance Sheet shows that MVF continues to maintain a strong financial position with over $8.4 million of its nearly $16 million in assets in Cash and Investments. Snellings noted that the Delinquency Rate is at 7.5%, as compared to 8.8% from the same period last year. It was also noted that the Reserve monies that are invested in equity securities are currently earning 4.2%, which is favorable to the budgeted 3.75% return.
The 2017 Draft Budget is being finalized and will be distributed to the Board and Audit Committee prior to the Thursday, Aug. 25 joint meeting.
Next Meeting
The next MVF Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25 at North Creek Community Center, 20125 Arrowhead Road. This is a joint meeting with the Audit Committee to review the 2017 MVF Draft budget. The meeting is open to the public and residents are encouraged to attend. The meeting begins promptly at 7 p.m. with Residents Time; a regular MVF Board business meeting will follow the joint meeting about the budget.
The meeting agenda and information packet will be available online at www.montgomeryvillage.com the week of the meeting.
On July 18, the Montgomery County Planning Department held a community meeting to discuss regulation of short-term resident rentals advertised online through services such as Airbnb, HomeAway and others. The purpose of the meeting was to receive feedback from the community.
Short-term Rental Project Manager Gregory Russ said the Planning Department has been tasked with engaging the community to see if laws allowing short-term residential rentals in an expanded capacity within Montgomery County are feasible. Information gathering includes: will residents support the idea; is this something that should be allowed readily or moderately; and impacts on homeowners and neighborhoods. In an online meeting recap, Russ notes that questions at the meeting came from residents who were passionate about their neighborhoods and were focused on impacts to their local communities; the focus should be on maintaining neighborhood integrity.
Short-term residential rentals—renting a home or room for less than 30 days—are currently illegal in Montgomery County, unless the property has been approved for use as a bed and breakfast. Online services such as Airbnb and HomeAway, among others, connect travelers with homeowners or property managers who offer their homes for short-term use, typically less than 30 days.
The Montgomery County Council is considering legislation that would allow homeowners to participate in this newer form of economic opportunity in their residential areas. In February, ZTA 16-03 was introduced, which would change short-term rental requirements, allowing for use of the online services, with some limitations. In addition, Bill 2-16 was introduced; this legislation would update licensing requirements for bed and breakfasts, as well as other transient housing facilities. Once enough additional research has been done and feedback is received, the Planning Department will make a recommendation to the Planning Board and the county council.
For more information, questions or comments, visit www.montgomeryplanning.org/shorttermrentals; or contact Gregory Russ at 301-495-2174 or e-mail
At the July 28 Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF) Board of Directors meeting, the MVF Board authorized Executive Vice President (EVP) Dave Humpton to negotiate and execute the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with USL2 MR Montgomery Village Business Trust (Monument Realty). The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
The goal of the MVF Board has been to annex any proposed new housing on the former golf course property, providing new homeowners the same rights and obligations as current property owners in the Village. If aligned in the same manner as existing MVF members, new property owners would pay assessment fees, comply with Architectural Standards, have access to MVF parks and amenities and assume voting privileges. Any governing documents for newly formed associations would clearly define the relationship between MVF, the association and its members.
Article II, Section 3(c) of the Declaration for Whetstone states that the developer (Kettler Brothers) and MVF have the authority to annex additional properties into existing communities, new communities and MVF. In the original Declaration, the right to annex is reserved solely for the developer (Kettler Brothers), their heir’s and assigns, with no time limit or requirement that Kettler be an owner of the property proposed for annexation. In order for annexation to proceed, Kettler has assigned a limited Declaration of Rights to Monument Realty.
The MOU outlines roles and obligations of MVF and Monument Realty as the property goes through the Montgomery County development process. It further outlines the dedication of certain properties (parkland) and improvements to MVF, as outlined in the concept plan approved by the MVF Board in March 2014.
Per the document, MVF would support all development applications made to improve the former golf course property, provided they are materially consistent with the concept plan, recognizing that Monument Realty may need to implement some changes in subsequent detailed plans. Structures can be built to prescriptions in the applicable zoning for the property, and after reasonable review, MVF will execute documents required for the project such as easements and authorizations. MVF would also agree to cooperate with the developer and other parties, including government agencies to support the overall project.
Monument Realty would be responsible for obligations including:
- Paying an initial one-time Capital Contribution Fee for each improved residential lot sold, as per the schedule in the MOU.
- Submitting architectural plans for new homes to MVF for review and comment, although for initial review, MVF comments are non-binding in nature. The developer will provide architectural criteria and guidelines to MVF for the new homes, and subsequent modifications to the homes would then be subject to review and approval by the MVF Architectural Review Board. This is in line with the historic process of Montgomery Village original development.
- Dedicating a prescribed acreage of parkland to MVF, and constructing a recreational park with amenities generally shown in the Concept Plan and commonly referred to a Central Park.
- Contracting with MVF for management services of the newly formed HOA(s).
EVP Humpton and MVF General Counsel will be finalizing language in the MOU with Monument Realty, per the direction of the Board. Once complete and executed, all heirs, successors and assigns of the property will be bound by the terms specified in the MOU.