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Tell B.F. Saul and Montgomery County To Do the Right Thing and Sign a Community Benefits Agreement for the Wheaton, Maryland Redevelopment Project
  1. Signatures
    92 out of 500
    Petitioning
    1. B.F. Saul Company (+ 2 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • B.F. Saul Company (Robert Wulff)
      • Montgomery County Council President (Roger Berliner)
      • Montgomery County Executive (Ike Leggett)
  2. Created By
    Coalition for the Fair Redevelopment of Wheaton
    Wheaton, MD
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates
Why This Is Important

Do you live in Montgomery County? If so, sign this petition and protect Wheaton's ethnic soul and small businesses!

As early as March 2012, Montgomery County and project developer B.F. Saul may finalize a redevelopment agreement to transform Wheaton, Maryland. B.F. Saul intends to bring significant office space, a hotel, a new town square, and high-rise apartments with first-floor retail to downtown Wheaton.

Since November of 2010, hundreds of residents have urged both parties to transform the area without sacrificing Wheaton’s strengths – its diversity, small businesses, community services, and affordable housing options for low- to moderate-income families.

The community has called for community benefits as part of any redevelopment agreement, including job training and local sourcing of new jobs; short- and long-term support for small businesses; a significant commitment to affordable housing; the relocation of community services that are being displaced by the hotel construction; and a multicultural town square that reflects the area’s diversity.

Without these benefits, Wheaton’s spirit and identity could be lost forever. Small businesses could be displaced and go out of business during construction, the cost of housing could increase beyond the means of Wheaton residents, and important community services could disappear from the area.

To make matters worse, B.F. Saul has no track record of successfully balancing new development while retaining diversity. Montgomery County officials have said making provisions for mitigating the negative impacts of the project is not a short-term priority – even though they intend to invest tens of millions of dollars of public taxpayer money to support B.F. Saul and the project.

Sound fair?

Sign our petition asking B.F. Saul and Montgomery County to agree to the following:

– Reach agreement with the Coalition for the Fair Redevelopment of Wheaton to include into the total project costs a collection of community benefits to preserve Wheaton’s strengths and mitigate the negative impacts of the area’s redevelopment

– Delay finalization of any General Development Agreement until community benefits are included

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Sign a community benefits agreement to preserve Wheaton's strengths

Greetings,

I'm writing to express my deep concern over the future of Wheaton, Maryland.

There's too much at stake in Wheaton to move forward on finalizing any redevelopment agreement unless there is a community benefits agreement in place.

B.F. Saul and Montgomery County should ensure that area residents have preferential access to job opportunities related to the redevelopment and work together to make commitments to preserve Wheaton's diversity, small businesses, community services, and affordable housing options for low- to moderate-income families.

Moreover, if Montgomery County intends to invest tens of millions of dollars of public taxpayer money to support B.F. Saul and the redevelopment, I believe you have the duty to sign an agreement that makes clear in writing what the community benefits will be in return for such a large public subsidy.

Let's make the redevelopment of Wheaton a game changer and a model of equitable development for the Washington region. Please support the Coalition for the Fair Redevelopment of Wheaton and the hundreds of area residents, small businesses, and nonprofits who have called for community benefits as part of the redevelopment project.

It's the best way to protect Wheaton’s spirit and identity and move forward together!

Sincerely,

[Your name]