Quiet, Quirky Takoma Shaken by a Looming Boom

Business developers face regulations requiring preservation of historical buildings and the character of the area.

For developers, "you've got to expect a lot to put up with all that, or you've got to love the community and want to really come here," said Suzanne Ludlow, community and government liaison for Takoma Park.

With the Washington region in a real estate boom, developers are taking another look at close-in suburbs such as Takoma Park and areas of the District that haven't been developed. Nearby downtown Silver Spring has recently flourished, and Takoma Park is receiving spillover traffic and attention.

"There's so much of a demand for land and housing now that all of a sudden, the numbers make sense," said developer John R. Urciolo, who owns the shopping center on Laurel Avenue. "Everybody's grabbing land, trying to build residential and commercial."

Urciolo came to Takoma Park in 1984 and bought the strip at 6901-6939 Laurel Avenue, which then included wholesale stores and auto parts and typewriter repair shops. He remade it into a shopping area with an ice cream parlor, pizza parlor, post office and boutiques selling furniture and secondhand clothing.

The space between Pizza Movers and the post office has remained empty for several years because Urciolo didn't think there was enough shopping demand to bother developing it.

But that has changed: Plans for a restaurant, two stores and a parking garage have been approved by the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission, and construction might start in the spring.

Urciolo said that although he wants more people to patronize the historical district, he would not put in a chain store and would try to preserve the small-business atmosphere.

"We have to be different from Silver Spring or Bethesda or Rockville Pike," he said. "You can't compete with something like that."

Enter the CVS

One of the properties that residents single out as being among the most "un-Takoma" is the CVS drugstore, which is in the District across from a more typical Takoma store, the Big Bad Woof, a boutique that sells organic dog food.

Despite vehement opposition from Maryland and District residents, the CVS opened in 2000 on Carroll Street, partly because it lies just outside the historical district's boundaries.

Last year, the Takoma Park City Council, under pressure from residents, passed a resolution asking the drugstore to shut off its electronic sign advertising sale prices. The store manager complied but wanted to make an exception for Mother's Day. He thought people would enjoy seeing the sign flash "Happy Mother's Day." He was wrong. Takoma Park officials were deluged with angry calls.