Councilmember Friedson Meets with Windermere Residents

The Luxmanor Citizens Association (LCA)'s January 7, 2019 meeting went from cut and dry to tense after Montgomery County Councilmember Andrew Friedson started fielding 30 minutes of commentary and questions at a public meeting about the county's short notice for required tree removal for the Sidewalk Proposal sent to Windermere's residents.

About 70 people attended what had been expected to be a well attended meeting due to the negative reaction that the county's tree removal and Sidewalk Proposal has provoked among the overwhelming majority of residents within Windermere. The county's unilateral proposal, if implemented, would impose drastic changes directly affecting quality of life without a meaningful effort to take residents' concerns into account.

Michael Heckman of Windermere Circle, and a member of the LCA, opened the dialogue with Councilmember Friedson as well as those of the LCA Board of Directors by thanking him for visiting and listening to the community, and pointing out that not all of Windermere's residents are members of the LCA. He stated, "We are two different communities whose interests very much are the same on a lot of issues. And, we have differring views on certain issues, like sidewalks."

Mr. Heckman, along with Barbara Gold, Bob and Beverly Piccone, and Peter Hebert formed the Coalition of Windermere Neighbors, which alerted Windermere's residents to become better informed, unified, and engaged in order to reject the county's unilateral and unsolicited proposal by returning the Comments and Feedback Form to the county's Division of Transportation Engineering by Friday, January 11, 2019.

Barbara Gold of Ralston Road followed Mr. Heckman by noting that less than half of Windermere's residents are members of the voluntary membership with the LCA per their membership directory. Windermere's residents are mandatory members of the Windermere HOA, she noted. Ms. Gold further advised Councilmember Friedson that half of Windermere's residents were not even aware that a meeting was even taking place.

Ms. Piccone of Starwood Way noted that Windermere is 100 percent residential. "We are strictly homeowners," she emphatically added. "Unlike Luxmanor where you have schools, churches, day cares, etc."

Windermere resident Sharon Plotnick, the Vice President of the LCA, noted that the LCA is an umbrella and a voluntary civics organization with "the best interests" of Luxmanor, Windermere, and The Oaks in mind. Ms. Gold quickly rebutted and said, "Interests in Luxmanor may be one set of interests, in Windermere another, and interests in The Oaks a third."

Ms. Plotnick said, "The LCA had nothing to do with bringing the sidewalk issue to the community." Ms. Gold replied by pointing out that former Windermere resident Jonathan Simon started the ball rolling several years ago when he served as the LCA's Roads and Traffic Chair. Simon received a request to have sidewalks installed on only one street, Marcliff Drive. According to Mr. Simon, one household requested this due to concerns for children walking to and from schools. Mr. Simon moved out of Windermere in 2017. At some point thereafter, the scope of the sidewalk project grew beyond Marcliff Drive to include several sections of Tilden Woods, Luxmanor, and almost all of Windermere's first section.

Ms. Plotnick referred to the surrounding subdivisions of Arroyo Estates, Holly Oaks, and Tilden Woods, and specifically to Luxmanor, Windermere, and The Oaks as "greater Luxmanor." Each subdivision, in point of fact, has a distinct legal description assigned by developers and affirmed in the public records; and a unique character by virtue of the builders, home styles, lot sizes, set backs, and more - like what can be done with a property. Referring to these very different communities as "greater Luxmanor" is as misleading as NextDoor.com referring to parts of Luxmanor, all of The Oaks, and Windermere as "Windermere Circle." Blurring the de facto subdivisions to take on the name of another subdivision is in fact misappropriation of a distinct community's name.

A resident of Windermere Circle stated, "I'm a Windermere resident. I'm not a member of the LCA. As a Montgomery County tax payer, which we all are, I really have concerns about how projects are funded, and how they're funded without input, and where the fiscal responsibility is, where the accountability is, and how much money has already gone down the drain to look at this request. How many requests were there? Was it one person? Was it two people? Someone should not be telling me that the county should be putting a sidewalk on my property. How did we get this far in the first place? As a taxpayer and Windermere resident, I should not have first heard about this on November 30th with a letter that said, guess what, you're going to have a sidewalk."

Rosalie Simon of Windermere Circle asked, "How long did it take to do all the drawings, and everything that went on? I have lived in Windermere for 46 years without a sidewalk. We have survived. We have grown. I have children. I have grandchildren. Everything is fine. It will destroy Windermere. The trees. The sidewalks. They want to take a residential place where many people have lived for many, many years and destroy it. They don't care. Let them do it in Luxmanor. Let them do it anywhere else. I don't think it's right that someone who doesn't live where we live has a right to say what we should have."

Amidst the tension and uproar, Councilmember Friedson interjected with, "I can appreciate the passion."

Twenty minutes into the opening salvos, it was clear that Councilmember Friedson had been introduced to the third rail in local politics: you don't screw around with someone's spouse, someone's money, or someone's reputation. And the county's Sidewalk Proposal for Windermere violated these three cardinal rules.

With so many original homeowners, most of Windermere's residents are betrothed to their homes and properties. Most of Windermere's residents instinctively know that should 70 mature trees come down from their front yards, far too many properties will become devalued. And, no Windermere resident wants their community to resemble Luxmanor where anything can go including the trees. The HOA is what has preserved the good reputation and desirability of Windermere.

At the close of the meeting, one Windermere resident stated that reasoning with those who favor the Sidewalk Proposal was like reasoning with a person who purchased a house near Dulles airport and later complained about all the airplanes.

This is the sixth article in a series on Windermere and community planning in North Bethesda.

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