Will Takoma Park Lose Its Charm to Growth?

Some See Progress; Others Fear Change

Local myth has it that opening a chain store is against the law in Takoma Park. Development skipped over the downtown of this quirky enclave for so long that many residents had accepted the myth as fact.

Now, more restaurants and shops are planned not only for the downtown but also for the adjoining commercial area of the Takoma neighborhood in the District. The construction boom in the historically connected communities is sparking a debate over growth and its impact on the area's character.

Nearly 540 condo units and townhouses and thousands of square feet of retail space -- including a chain grocery store -- are on the drawing board within a two-mile radius of the Takoma Metro station. In the past year, two retail and residential developments with a total of 100 apartments and condos have opened.

Sabrina Baron, who lives in Takoma Park, said she fears intense development would turn the area into a Bethesda or Clarendon.

"I think we have to be very thoughtful as to what happens now to lay the foundation for what's going to happen to the character," said Baron, president of Historic Takoma, a nonprofit group. "People don't come to Takoma Park because they want high-end shopping and nightlife. A lot of people come to Takoma Park because of the way it is, that it's a small-town community."

Faith Wheeler, a resident of Takoma in the District, said the area's community spirit could be ruined. "We have a particular aura that people hold about Takoma," said Wheeler, who has lived in the area for 27 years and is a member of the board of the Old Takoma Business Association. "I think it'll take off in a boom, and since it'll be like the rest of the county, it won't be attractive after a while."

Others say the changes have long been needed.

Alice Giancola wants more places to shop and dine. She says the construction is replacing old parking lots and dilapidated buildings and could help reduce crime.

"We're no longer a small, Southern town," said Giancola, a resident of Takoma in the District since 1981. "We're an urban metropolitan area. . . . I've seen nothing but improvements with the new developments. They're nice to look at."

Although the Takoma Park and Takoma commercial districts surround a Metro station, developers have largely overlooked the area. Part of the reason lies in its peculiarities.

Its Victorian and bungalow homes rose around a former Baltimore & Ohio Railroad station, creating what in the 1800s was a commuter suburb known as the Village of Takoma Park. Now, part of the area is in the District and part in Montgomery County. (Some of it once was in Prince George's County but was incorporated into Montgomery in 1997.) The dividing line is often confusing to residents and nonresidents.

There are separate business districts: Takoma Park's is centered at Laurel Avenue and Carroll Street; the one in the District is at Cedar and Carroll streets. Both are designated historical districts, and planning offices in both jurisdictions have advocated a uniform vision for the area.