Many wary of walking in Wheaton

Residents say construction projects have made it dangerous to cross some streets in the downtown area; officials say pedestrian safety is a top priority

County officials recognize the danger, however, and said they are making pedestrian safety a top priority

"In any urban area where there's development, you have to combat and mitigate the impacts," said Joe Callaway, chief of operations for Wheaton Urban District. "… We all know in Wheaton this is not the most pedestrian-friendly downtown. There are three state highways running through."

While much of Wheaton's redevelopment plans are in the visioning stage, projects under construction have complicated the downtown landscape for pedestrians.

"Cutting across Georgia, that's my big thing," said Linda Amendt, who lives in the Brownstones at Wheaton Metro townhouse community, of her fears walking downtown. "I get in the middle of Georgia and I feel like I'm running for my life to the other side."

The most imminent project, the $53 million MetroPointe Apartments complex at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Reedie Drive, will include 173 residential units above the Wheaton Metro when construction is completed in October.

As a result of construction on that project, there is a temporary entrance to the Wheaton Metro on the east side of Georgia Avenue at Reedie Drive. The entrance includes a long stairwell, which can be difficult to traverse for elderly or disabled people, Callaway said.

To avoid the stairwell, Metro users must cross Georgia Avenue to access the Metro entrance and a pedestrian underpass that leads into the station.

When construction is completed, a new entrance will open on Reedie Drive, about 150 yards from the original entrance, said Stephanie Williams, vice president for Bozzuto Management Group, the developer of MetroPointe. The entrance will have two elevators for disabled users and a staircase.

There will also be a "pedestrian park" that will run between the MetroPointe complex and the adjacent Brownstones community. Williams acknowledged there were some flaws with the temporary arrangement but said it had been deemed the most convenient design after meetings with the community, county officials and the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority prior to construction.

"It's always difficult to replace what was on the site before and have it be most convenient thing, especially during course of construction and particularly in an urban area," she said.

In addition to MetroPointe, a two-phase retail center of 30,000 square feet called Georgia Crossing is nearing completion on University Boulevard between Georgia and Grandview avenues. Demolition has begun on the old Barry's Magic Shop at 11234 Georgia Ave. to make way for a pedestrian walkway that will connect Georgia and Triangle Lane.

Callaway has tried to accommodate the activity downtown with street-level improvements. Over the summer, Wheaton installed "countdown cross signals" that display the amount of time pedestrians have to cross, instead of simply when they can and cannot.

The Urban District also completed streetscaping projects on Fern Street and Ennalls Avenue and have future plans for Price Avenue and Elkin Street. Funded through new money in the Wheaton Redevelopment Program's Capital Improvements Program specifically for streetscaping, the efforts have widened sidewalks, created new refuge areas for pedestrians and increased visibility.

But some residents are still dissatisfied with conditions downtown, citing confusing signage and reckless drivers as major risks.

"[Redevelopment] was one of the things that drew us here," said Kate O'Sullivan, who lives just off Bucknell Drive in Wheaton. "But if you want to have traffic at restaurants and development at higher density, which is good, people are going to have to feel safe."

O'Sullivan said a near-accident in February as she was crossing at the intersection of University Boulevard and Amherst Avenue with her small child has made her think twice about walking in the downtown.

"I would like to be able to walk to the mall and do errands, but it just does not seem to be safe," she said. "It's very scary as a resident."

On Aug. 15, Mario Jose Aybar of the 1100 block of University Blvd. W., died after being hit by a car while crossing northbound in the 11200 block of Georgia Avenue at Reedie Drive around 7:45 a.m.

Cantor said while the incident involved a driver running a red light, the incident left a bad feeling.

"One accident is one too many," Cantor said. "We will request the intersection be looked at again. … You just can't be passive about it."

Wheaton resident Robert Abrams sent a letter to Montgomery County Council in December 2006 warning of the risks for pedestrians at that intersection and sent one again after the Aug. 15 fatality.

He said while the county needs to do more to help pedestrians in Wheaton, some of the responsibility falls on the residents themselves.

"I've been pretty vigilant as a pedestrian but a lot of people don't know how to cross streets here," he said. "You can't protect them from their own ignorance."