Walnut Hill Shopping Center is seeking approval of changes to its parking lot, and waivers for smaller drive aisles in several spots around the lot, from the City of Gaithersburg. The retail property was recently annexed into the City, and is making many improvements and alterations to successfully bring add an Aldi grocery store and Sheetz convenience store to its tenant roster. Because the future Sheetz will take up a portion of the existing surface parking lot, a reconfiguration of the rest of the parking spaces on the lot is necessary. Walnut Hill is arguing that maintaining a sufficient number of spaces will require waivers to allow several drive aisles to be narrower than allowed under City code.
The drive aisles proposed in several locations around the parking lot would be 20 to 24 feet in width. City of Gaithersburg code requires drive aisles with two-way traffic to be 26' in width. The Gaithersburg Planning Commission will take up the waiver request at its meeting tonight, April 3, 2024, at 7:30 PM. City staff are recommending approval of the waiver request, and have advised that the other proposed changes - which involve adding green space to the parking lot (shown in green on the map below) - be addressed when the site plan for the Sheetz is submitted for approval at a later date.
Is live to have a Sheetz in the Rockville/Gaithersburg area, but that. Suite plan clearly leaves inadequate parking for the retailees and restaurants in the Walnut Hill plaza except for the vacant supermarket and the MVA.
ReplyDeleteAgree. The volume of parking required for the Chinese restaurant Hong Kong Pearl, will cause major gridlock and parking headaches in that center. Also, it baffles me that the planning commission would approve the Sheetz with it being so close to the already approved Wawa, less than a mile away.
DeletePlenty of parking, bring it on.
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