Chevy Chase View Town Council

COUNCIL OF CHEVY CHASE VIEW Monthly Meeting Date: September 20, 2023 Place: Meeting held at 10401 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 103 Present: Ed Tarbutton, Chair; Paula Fudge, Tommy George, Peter Marks, and Nancy Somerville, Council members Jana Coe, Town Manager Denise Hitt, Deputy Town Manager Ron Bolt, Legal Counsel for Town Others Present: Ron Sherrow, 4013 Glenridge Street Call Meeting to Order: 7:19 p.m. by Ed Tarbutton, Chair Approval of Minutes of July 19, 2023, Monthly Council Meeting: Nancy Somerville moved the minutes of the July 19, 2023, Monthly Council Meeting to be approved. Paula Fudge seconded the motion and it passed with a 4-0 vote. Ed Tarbutton abstained as he did not attend the July 19, 2023, Council meeting. Financial Report for Period July 1, 2023 – August 31, 2023: Peter Marks moved that the financial report for the period July 1, 2023, to August 31, 2023, be accepted. Nancy Somerville seconded the motion and it passed with a 5-0 vote. Council Member Walk: Peter Marks conducted the monthly Council member walk and submitted a detailed report for management follow up. (See Continued Business) Building Permit Application – Extending attic roof to create shed dormer and add new bathroom – 4003 Everett Street (Prince): Karen and Kevin Prince submitted a building permit application for their home at 4003 Everett Street in the Town of Chevy Chase View. The application complies with all the applicable rules and restrictions of the Chevy Chase View Municipal Code. Mr. Ball’s review is based upon the description of the project on the application, the Permit Set and Architectural Site Plan prepared by CASE architects dated September 5, 2023. The scope of the project is to renovate the third floor and add a third- floor addition (5’7” x 10’2”) within the existing footprint of the house and no higher than the existing roof. Mr. Ball recommended conditional approval of this permit application upon receipt of copy of the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services permit – or - notification that a Mongomery County permit is not required. Tommy George moved that the permit application be approved with the above stated conditions. Pete Marks seconded the motion and it passed with a 4-0 vote. Paula Fudge abstained from the vote because she had not reviewed this permit application. Six-month Extension of Town Permit #540-02003 – Addition of sunroom, mudroom entry and second floor expansion – 990l Connecticut Avenue (Nix-Gomez): Paula Fudge moved that the Council approve a six-month extension to Town Permit #540- 02003, which now expires February 19, 2024. Tommy George seconded the motion and it passed with a 5-0 vote. The project has had a few delays and residents fully expect the project to be completed within the extension period. Six-month Extension of Town Permit #546-06001 – Rear addition with basement – 9819 Connecticut Avenue (Spry): Paula Fudge moved that the Council approve a six-month extension to Town Permit #540-06001, which now expires February 19, 2024. Nancy Somerville seconded the motion and it passed with a 5-0 vote. The project has had a few delays and residents fully expect the project to be completed within the extension period. Ratify Town Permit #568-09001 – Storage Pod – 4205 Glenridge Street (Hartig/Bryer): Nancy Somerville moved that Town permit #568-09001 be ratified. Tommy George seconded the motion and it passed with a 4-0 vote. CCV Building Permit Summary for September 2023 New Applications for a Town Permit • 4003 Everett Street (Prince) Extending attic roof to create shed dormer and add new bathroom – Applied 9/1/23, approved with conditions 9/20/23 Permits Issued after Administrative Approval: • 4205 Glenridge Street (Hartig/Bryer) – Storage pod – Applied 9/11/23, approved 9/13/23 2 Approved applications awaiting issuance of Town permit: • 9910 Kensington Parkway (Noce/Lucas) – Driveway expansion - Applied 5/3/23, approved 5/17/23 Stop Work Order for Unpermitted Construction: • 9807 Connecticut Avenue (Guzman) Second-story addition, rear addition, fence Town of CCV Stop Work Order Posted – 3/21/23 Montgomery County Stop Work Order Posted – 3/22/23 • 4016 Cleveland Street (Garayta) Shed Town of CCV Stop Work Order Posted – 5/27/23 Active and open permit construction projects: • 9819 Connecticut Avenue (Spry) Rear addition including basement - Applied 6/1/22, approved 6/15/22, issued 7/12/22, extended to 2/19/24 • 10007 Connecticut Avenue (Hughes) – Driveway removal and replaced with two patios, stairs to second-story screen porch – Applied 02/02/23, approved with conditions 04/19/23, issued 7/27/23 • 9901 Connecticut Avenue (Nix-Gomez) – Sunroom, mudroom entry, expand second floor bedroom, raise roof of third-floor level attic space – Applied 12/24/21, approved 2/26/22, issued 8/30/22, extended to 2/19/24 • 4028 Franklin Street (Haynos/Moyse) Screen porch with gas fireplace and deck – Applied 3/16/23, approved 5/17/23, issued 06/05/23 • 4109 Glenridge Street (Keenan) Screen porch – Applied 4/10/22, approved 5/18/22, issued 7/15/22 • 4205 Glenridge Street (Hartig/Bryer) – Storage pod – applied 9/11/23, approved 9/13/23 Closed projects since the September 2023 Council meeting: • 4413 Saul Road - Fence – (Jones) applied 7/03/23, approved/issued 7/17/23, closed 8/21/23 • 4221 Everett Street (Strittmatter) – Pool and paver patio Applied 5/12/22, approved 5/26/22, issued 6/22/22, closed 8/1/23 • 4221 Everett Street (Strittmatter) – Above-grade patio and retaining wall – Applied 6/30/23, approved with conditions 7/19/23, closed 8/1/23 • 4021 Glenridge Street (Matan) Addition – Applied 4/7/21, approved, 4/21/21, issued 6/24/21, closed 8/1/23 3 SHA Report on Study of Connecticut Avenue and Franklin Street intersection: The Council learned in April 2023, that MDOT was conducting a safety study at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and Franklin Street. This MDOT safety study included the review of speed limits, lane width, prohibition of through traffic at Connecticut Avenue and Franklin Street, and other measures designed to enhance safety along Connecticut Avenue. The analyses were expected to be completed by early July 2023. On September 12, 2023, District 18 Delegate Jared Solomon provided the following synopsis of this MDOT safety study: “Based on a request from the Town of Chevy Chase View and the District 18 Delegation, the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) District 3 Traffic engineering staff completed a review of the traffic and safety concerns at Franklin Street and Connecticut Avenue on August 30, 2023. Their report stated: “District 3 Traffic reviewed traffic counts, analyzed the most recent four-year crash data, and conducted field observations. We noticed there are existing warning signs present to notify approaching MD 185 motorists prior to this intersection. Furthermore, eastbound motorists turning right have adequate sight distance to complete the maneuver. As a result, we do not recommend any modifications at this time; however, we will continue to monitor the location moving forward.” However, SHA did offer to undertake an assessment to determine if restricting turns would be the most feasible and effective for addressing the safety concerns of the intersection outreach if the CCV Town Council favors additional reconfiguration of the intersection. The Town Council discussed this SHA offer and agreed that a meeting should be set up with SHA to discuss turn restrictions that would address the safety concerns of this intersection and concluded it was important to get feedback from Town residents. The Town Manager was directed to work with SHA to set up a public meeting soon. Residents will be kept updated when more details are available for this important public meeting. 4 Town Manager/Deputy Town Manager Report: The Council reviewed the Town Manager/Deputy Town Manager report that detailed the numerous reports and meetings that Jana Coe and Denise Hitt have been covering over the past two months. The report was developed to share specifics of the Town’s management activities that are a part of the normal day-to-day, month-to-month responsibilities of the management personnel. The report can be accessed at https://chevychaseviewmd.gov/wp- content/uploads/2023/09/TMandDTMMonthlyManagerReport- September2023meeting.pdf Other Continued Business – Traffic Light at intersection of Saul Road and Connecticut Avenue – Left-turn signal: Pete Marks discussed some recent complaints received regarding the long wait for cars trying to take a left-hand turn from southbound Connecticut onto Saul Road. On September 19th, he timed the red-arrow light, and it was 5:25 (5 minutes and 25 seconds) for a single cycle. The main lights on southbound Connecticut go through two cycles before the left-hand arrow turns green. This overly lengthy cycle encourages drivers to abandon the intersection and continue south on Connecticut or to even believe the light is broken and turn left while the red arrow is still on. The Town Manager will reach out to the District 18 delegation and determine the most expeditious manner to get SHA/MDOT to evaluate and repair this non-working left-turn signal. Assistant Town Manager Job Posting: The Council reviewed the job description for the Assistant Town Manager job posting. The Council agreed to finalize their edits no later than September 22, 2023. The goal is to publicize the job posting before the end of September 2023. CCV Directory for 2023-2024: The 2023-2024 Resident Directory is scheduled for issuance in early November 2023. Residents are asked to check your listing in the printed 2022-2023 directory, and you can also double-check your information in the Town’s online directory via link – http://www.chevychaseviewmd.gov/wp/residents/town- directory/. Residents will need to register on the Town website or sign in if they are already to access the directory. 5 Motion to Adjourn: At 8:29 p.m., Tommy George moved that the meeting be adjourned. Peter Marks seconded the motion and it passed with a 5-0 vote. Time and Place of Next Meeting: The Council will meet for the next monthly meeting on Tuesday, October 17, 2023. Please note this is the second Tuesday of the month. Respectfully submitted, Jana Coe, Town Manager General Interest and Reminders Leaf Removal Begins October 2, 2023: Hughes Landscaping, Inc. will remove all leaves on a weekly basis, weather permitting, until December 31, 2023. Please do not mix your grass clippings with the leaves at the curb. Leaves are to be placed at curbside and made accessible for truck pickup. Sticks, trash, rocks, and other rubbish will not be collected and should be bagged for normal trash pickup. Leaves should not be shredded or bagged. For the residents on Connecticut Avenue, Cedar Lane, Kensington Parkway and Saul Road, your leaves will also be picked up weekly. For liability reasons, do not place leaves on our sidewalks. If you do not have a sidewalk, please rake your leaves as close to the street as possible. Bulk Pick-Up - The next monthly bulk pick-up is scheduled on Saturday, October 7, 2023. As a reminder, heavy refuse includes major appliances (must have Freon removed), furniture, large toys, bicycles, and plumbing fixtures. Excluded are batteries, propane tanks, bricks, general construction debris and iron pipes. Please have your items at the curb by 7:00 AM on Saturday as the truck comes through early. Application for Building Permit – Building Permit Applications for consideration at the October 18, 2023 meeting must be submitted to the Town Manager by 5:00 p.m. on October 4, 2023. Please note that the review may take several days, and an application is not considered completed until the Town Permit Administrator-Municipal Engineer concludes 6 his review. Please contact Jana Coe, Town Manager, at janacoe@chevychaseviewmd.gov or by calling 301-949-9274. Recycling of Cardboard Boxes: Ecology Services, the Town’s recycling contractor, has again asked us to remind residents to break down cardboard boxes and place them in a pile next to your recycling Toter on Tuesdays. If residents can take the time to break these boxes down, there is more capacity for collection and the crew members do not need to spend extra minutes in front of a home chucking boxes into the back of recycling truck. Thank you. Find Your Home’s Flood Factor: Residents can enter their address at the following website https://riskfactor.com/ to ascertain the address's susceptibility to flooding based on past floods, current risks, and future projections. Please note that this data does not incorporate individual property drainage systems but looks at the broader geographical area’s susceptibility to flooding. More information can be found at https://chevychaseviewmd.gov/2022/09/23/montgomery-county- has-a-new-flood-website/. Unleashed Dogs: Many residents are expressing increasing concern about unleashed dogs in the Town. Dog owners are reminded of the following provisions in the Montgomery County Code, Chapter 5, related to Animals and Public Nuisance: Animal Trespass (Montgomery County Code, Sec. 5-203(a)(3)) - “An owner must not allow an animal to enter private property without the property owner’s permission. ($100 fine). Any dog is at large if it is outside the owner’s premises and not leashed, unless it is a service dog, is in a dog exercise area designated by the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission or is participating in an approved activity.” ($100 fine for first offense; $500 fine for each subsequent violation). Unwanted Contact - “The pet owner must prevent unwelcome or unsolicited threatening physical contact or close proximity to a person or a domestic animal that occurs outside the owner’s property that may cause alarm in a reasonable person, such as biting, chasing, tracking, inhibiting movement, or jumping.” ($500 fine). You are reminded to clean up after your dog and place the bag in your own trash container for disposal by Ecology Services’ crew. 7  PLEASE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FOLLOWING THREE COMMUNICATION OPTIONS FOR TOWN RESIDENTS ONLY 1. Sign Up for eTown Mailings: You can receive the monthly CCV Council meeting minutes and other Council messages and important announcements from the Town Manager. This does not replace the CCV listserv. Go to the CCV website – on the front page click “For Residents” - choose the box that says “e-Town Mailings”. Add your address in the space at the bottom of the page and click “Go.” This will take you to the website of our partner, Constant Contact. Follow the directions on the screen to complete your registration. After you have completed these steps, you will receive an email confirming your registration. You can register as many email addresses as you like for your household, but you must use the link on the website page and enter each recipient individually. 2. Town Directory and Members Only Access: The Town publishes a Resident Directory in early Fall each year. In addition, this Resident Directory is available online, when you sign up for “Members Only” access to the Resident Directory. Go to https://chevychaseviewmd.gov/ registration/ to sign up. When you register for access, the online Resident Directory will be updated to include the information you provide. If you are new to the Town, we would like to add you to the Town’s online Resident Directory. Then, when the annual directory is reprinted in the Fall, your information will be included in the printed version as well. The Town Manager administers online access accounts and formally activates residents’ accounts. You will receive an email with instructions once approved. We take your privacy seriously and have done everything possible to bring this useful content to you in a secure manner. 3. Listserv – Please consider becoming a member of the CCV listserv by emailing ChevyChaseViewNet+subscribe@groups.io 8