Task Force Survey Reveals Takoma Junction Areas Needing More Research

About 12 of 20 Takoma Junction Task Force members responded to a survey on issues that need more research. The survey was made available after the task force's July 12 meeting where some members disagreed over how to proceed with certain issues.

The survey is comprised of 42 questions that are broken up into 11 sections. The sections, and the junction-related issues from each that the highest percentage of committee members picked for further investigation are:

• Should the task force (further) investigate these business concerns (of which there were five questions) and 81.8 percent selected “completion of business owner surveys” as needing further investigation. 

• Should the task force (further) investigate these parking concerns (of which there were seven questions) and 72.7 percent selected “clarification of maximum additional spaces possible to create in city lot and/or elsewhere” as needing further investigation.

• Should the task force (further) investigate these pedestrian and cyclist concerns (of which there were three questions), and 81.8 percent selected “question of whether sidewalk can be moved back from [the] street in any places” as needing further investigation. 

• Should the task force (further) investigate these vehicular traffic concerns (of which there were seven questions), and 83.3 percent selected “evaluation of whether both city lot aprons should remain, and if not, which should go” as needing further investigation.

• Should the task force (further) investigate these transit concerns (of which there were three questions), and 83.3 percent selected “location of bus stop and pull-in requirement for buses” as needing further investigation.  

• Should the task force (further) investigate these city lot concerns (of which there were two questions), and 76.9 percent selected “opinions of additional developers on the potential for development at the site” as needing further investigation.

• Should the task force (further) investigate these customer base/marketing concerns (of which there were three questions), and 72.7 percent selected “pedestrian intercept survey” as needing further investigation.  

• Should the task force (further) investigate these environmental concerns (of which there were four questions), and 63.6 percent selected “potential for alternative-energy generation (rooftop solar primarily, wind possibly)” as needing further investigation.

• Should the task force (further) investigate these public space concerns (of which there were two questions); both questions received 63.6 percent in support of further investigation. The questions are: “feasibility of a walking path up through the wooded lot” and “Potential for some commercial use of the B.Y. Morrison structure.”  

• Should the task force (further) investigate these historic character concerns (of which there were three questions), and 75 percent selected “question of the historic value of the front portion of the B.Y. Morrison [structure] (this impacts some potential traffic solutions” as needing further investigation.  

• Should the task force (further) investigate these future forecast and projected impacts concerns (of which there were three questions), and 45.5 percent selected “streetcar extension to Old Town and timetable for this” as needing further investigation.

Some of the information for the issues have already been collected, and just need to be coordinated, according to the panel. But if it is deemed necessary, more data can be collected by the appropriate task force subcommittee.