Your coverage of the approval of the mixed-use project at 9801 Georgia Ave. in the article “Silver Spring mixed-use apartment building wins county approval despite community opposition” was slanted to the point of inaccuracy. There was community opposition, but there has also been very lively community support. The Forest Estates listserv has been aflame over this—not unified. Many of us—myself and my husband, residents since 2011, included—are very eager to welcome the new neighbors to the neighborhood we love, excited to see the eyesore that is that medical office building currently on that corner removed, and hopeful that the bit of retail it will include will enhance our lives. Many of us chose to live in Forest Glen in part because of its accessibility to Metro, and we are delighted to know that more people will have the opportunity to enjoy the same access.
I am grateful to the developer for staying the course in a challenging environment and to the Montgomery County Planning Board for seeing this through. I hope that housing stock will continue to grow in this community such that my nearly grown children might be able to contemplate living in Montgomery County. Many of my neighbors share my yes-in-my-backyard outlook, and we told the planning board so. To suggest otherwise is to lie to your readers.
Kate Epstein lives the Forest Estates neighborhood of Silver Spring.