RESOLUTION #1
SOECA resolution in favor of a community-friendly Purple Line


BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

1. SOECA supports early construction of the Purple Line subject to the conditions set forth in the following numbered paragraphs;

2. If the MTA determines that tunneling under Wayne Avenue to near Mansfield Road is potentially cost-effective and would not have other disqualifying shortcomings, then this option should be studied with care and presented in detail to interested stakeholders, including SOECA, for further discussion and consideration at a later time (because, to date, SOECA has not had the opportunity to be briefed on the potential advantages and disadvantages of this option);

3. If the Purple Line is built along Wayne Avenue at street level, it should include the following comprehensive package of features, which will require active coordination between MTA and various entities of the Montgomery County government:

A multi-element plan to protect against the worsening of congestion along Wayne Avenue and to minimize cut-through traffic on other streets in the SOECA neighborhood; this should incorporate such features as traffic restrictions and/or traffic calming on all SOECA streets that would be affected (including Sligo Creek Parkway, Cedar, Spring, Dale, Bonifant, and other side streets), shared traffic lanes for transit vehicles and autos as appropriate along Wayne Avenue;

Streetscape: Safe and attractive design for all stops, street lighting, overhead wires, crosswalks, and sidewalks, and high-quality post-construction landscaping along Wayne Avenue and Bonifant Street; this design should make the community and streets more attractive and pedestrian-friendly after the Purple Line is built and operating than they are today; the Purple Line vehicles should operate quietly;
Parking: An effective plan to protect or enhance parking for residents and their visitors, and for schools, churches, and other neighborhood institutions along Wayne Avenue;

School Parking and Drop-offs: Provision for the re-design and reconstruction of entrances and exits for the parking lots at SSIMS and at Sligo Creek Elementary School;

Athletic Field: Replacement of the parking adjacent to the SSIMS athletic field, which will be lost due to the Purple Line and, further, a thorough re-design and reconstruction of the athletic field;

Sligo Creek: A comprehensive plan to protect Sligo Creek Park, including trees and habitat affected by the Purple Line, and prevention of runoff into the Creek from streets adjacent to the Purple Line.
Neighborhood Traffic Control:


4. To ensure that the Purple Line brings benefits to our community and that any negative impacts on SOECA are mitigated or eliminated, an effective, inclusive planning process must be established:
• This process should (a) begin work this spring, (b) secure broad community input – from SOECA members and other relevant stakeholders, and (c) also involve all the relevant government entities – MTA, other relevant elements of the government of the State of Maryland, and all relevant county and regional government organizations;
• Particular care must be exercised to secure community buy-in on such issues as: a possible tunnel routing to near Mansfield Road (if such a routing is feasible); a stop near the corner of Wayne and Dale; the placement of the hiker-biker Green Trail; placement of new neighborhood sidewalks to facilitate access to the Purple Line; and new neighborhood traffic control measures.

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RESOLUTION #2.
SOECA Resolution in Support of a Sensible Mass Transit Solution
for Silver Spring
(a Purple Line that is not built at street-level on Wayne Avenue)


RESOLVED:  Seven Oaks-Evanswood Citizens Association (SOECA) supports a Purple Line that follows a wisely-designed route through Silver Spring.  However, SOECA strongly opposes the building of a street-level Purple Line on Wayne Avenue through Silver Spring due to the significantly adverse impact a street-level route will have on traffic, the neighborhoods, and downtown Silver Spring.

SOECA urges all State and County public officials to support the construction of a Purple Line underground through residential Silver Spring.  A tunnel will benefit Silver Spring by providing a true rapid, mass-transit solution to our traffic problems rather than a slow-moving trolley through Silver Spring.  A tunnel avoids the traffic gridlock and other irreversible harm that will result from a street-level route on the only residential street in the Purple Line's 16-mile route.

And be it further resolved that:  SOECA and its officers will take all actions necessary to make known to State and County public officials the above positions and to further the goals of this Resolution.
BECAUSE:  We are a community that values its greenness, its nearness to parks and a revitalized city center, our proximity to Metro, our support of mass transit, and our concern for the troubling consequences of climate change.  Our community has a main street – Wayne Avenue – that is residential and yet serves as a major entry for the residents and those of nearby neighborhoods into the city center – a main street that is home to many families, three schools, two churches, an athletic field, and an assisted living facility.

We are a community that uses mass transit and will support a Purple Line which is compatible with the community and furthers our County's and State's goal in finding effective solutions to our pressing traffic problems, rather than an ill-designed project in Silver Spring that actually worsens them.  We are a community that believes that an effective Purple Line route can be built through residential Silver Spring that is not constructed at street level and that can provide rapid transit through the community.

We are a community that believes that the planners and elected officials need to understand that the problems of constructing a Purple Line through Silver Spring are unique to the entire route.  We are a community concerned that a cheap and short-sighted solution for a rail alignment through Silver Spring will create severely adverse impacts that no amount of “mitigation” can significantly alleviate, and that slow street-level rail on Wayne will not produce a first-class transit system.

We are a community that believes that Wayne Avenue should be beautified and that this can be accomplished without converting Wayne Avenue into a street-level rail route, widening Wayne Avenue at many points, worsening traffic on Wayne and cross- and side-streets, and aggravating access into and through downtown Silver Spring.
 
Our community prides itself on patience, open dialogue, and a trust that public officials will treat our concerns with respect.  And we remain prepared to discuss with planners and officials a route that works for all of Silver Spring, improves the entire Purple Line, and truly assists and does not detract from our community's vision.
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RESOLUTION #3. No Purple Line through SOECA at Grade or in Tunnel

Whereas: there has been no sufficiently convincing case made to demonstrate that construction of a Purple Line extending eastward from the Silver Spring transit center through SOECA boundaries would provide benefits to our community that would outweigh the significant costs of constructing and operating the Purple Line through our residential neighborhood;
Resolved: SOECA will oppose the construction of the proposed Purple Line routed through the boundaries of SOECA.