Maryland Gazette – Wheaton Development Coalition Seeks Support of Urban District Committee

Below is news coverage related to the ongoing work of the Coalition for the Fair Redevelopment of Wheaton, of which LEDC is a member.

In its first appearance before the Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee, the Coalition for the Fair Redevelopment of Wheaton asked the committee on Nov. 13 to help voice — and support — requests for the county’s commitment to help small businesses during the planned redevelopment project for Lot 13.

The coalition — composed of small business owners, residents and nonprofits — has been seeking since September 2011 a written pledge from the county to the businesses that will face “a difficult time” maintaining business in the next two to three years as a result of the project, said Ash Kosiewicz, the coalition’s lead organizer.

The coalition asked the advisory committee to send a letter to County Executive Isiah Leggett stating the coalition’s requests for that pledge and a “construction mitigation plan,” as well as showing the committee’s support.

To read the full article, click here.

 

Wheaton Patch – Wheaton Small Business Survey Shows Parking Concerns

Below is news coverage from this morning related to the ongoing work of the Coalition for the Fair Redevelopment of Wheaton, of which LEDC is a member.

A survey of small busineses in the Wheaton Urban District found that the top three “immediate business concerns” are parking, rent and safety.

The Wheaton Redevelopment Program, which is part of the county’s Department of General Services, conducted the survey in April and May. There was a 36 percent response rate; of the 298 surveys given to businesses, 108 were returned.

Peter McGinnity of the Wheaton Redevelopment Program said the survey will help to inform the county’s Department of Economic Development, as it tries to flesh out Bill 6-12. The bill, which was passed earlier this year by the county council, calls for assistance to small businesses negatively affected by county development projects.

To read the full article referencing the Coalition’s response to the survey results, click here.

To read a short writeup of the Coalition’s presentation on the survey results Tuesday before the Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee, click here.

 

Washington Post – Maryland Festival Goers Introduced to Salvadoran Food, Culture

Ping Eng and her daughter Sarah walked slowly through the crowd, each holding a tiny plate with a corn tortilla filled with cheese, beans and pork.

“I am excited about this,” Eng said as she took a bite of a pupusa. She later wondered aloud how cooks were able to get the meat filling inside the pupusa. “It must be difficult to make.”

For Eng, a Gaithersburg resident who was born in China, Sunday’s annual World of Montgomery Festival in Wheaton was a chance to try the Salvadoran signature dish for the first time. Her daughter was especially curious about trying the food from the country of origin for many of her high school classmates.

To find out who won Sunday’s Pupusa Cookoff at the World of Montgomery Festival, click here to read the full article.

 

Wheaton Patch – Salvadoran Restaurants to Compete in Pupusa Cookoff

If you need another reason to come to the World of Montgomery Festival in Wheaton on Oct. 21, let it be for the pupusas, those fried corn-dough pockets of cheese, pork and beans.

Five Salvadoran restaurants in Montgomery County will be competing in a pupusa cookoff, with festival goers as the judges. Here’s how it works: buy a $5 ticket online or at the festival, sample pupusas from each restaurant, and vote for your favorite.

Tasting and voting will go on from 12-3 p.m. The winner will be announced at 3 p.m., but pupusas (and other Salvadoran food) will continue to be sold until the end of the festival.

To read the full article, click here.

 

The Wheaton Coalition: On Record Before Today’s Final Budget Vote

This morning, the Montgomery County Council unanimously voted in support of investing $66 million of public taxpayer money to jump start Phase 1 of the Wheaton redevelopment project.

On Tuesday, members of the Coalition for the Fair Redevelopment of Wheaton, which includes LEDC, delivered copies of the Small Business Pledge to Councilmembers in advance of today’s final vote. Coalition small business leaders, including Filippo Leo, Raymond Rose, Luis Bonilla, and Kofi Sillah, met with District representative Councilmember Nancy Navarro to thank her and the Council for its support as well as indicate the Coalition’s continued commitment to the fair redevelopment of the area.

Kofi Sillah, owner of Wheaton small business Global Cafe African Grill, shared his enthusiasm for the Coalition’s work to activate new voices in Wheaton to become more involved in the significant decisions that affect his community. He reinforced his hope that the redevelopment project slated to begin in 2014 will ultimately benefit the existing community, including small businesses.

“I want to be able to say that I was there when all of this began,” Sillah said.

To read more, click here.

 

Wheaton Patch – Council’s Redevelopment Plan Includes Coalition’s Revisions

Below is news coverage from over the weekend related to the ongoing work of the Coalition for the Fair Redevelopment of Wheaton, of which LEDC is a member.

On April 10, the Montgomery County Council recommended the appropriation of $66 million in public money to fund a series of planning studies and the construction of a new town square, office building, and underground parking on Parking Lot 13.

The Council also recommended language proposed by the Wheaton Coalition that in part requires Montgomery County to conduct a comprehensive parking study to identify how construction disruptions might affect existing businesses in Wheaton as well as study innovative models of local job creation connected to redevelopment projects. It also requires the County Executive to brief the Council on any planning or negotiations regarding job opportunities and training as well as small business protections prior to the finalization of any General Development Agreement.

To read the language proposed by the Coalition and adopted by the Council, click here.

 

Maryland Gazette – Montgomery County Dives Into Popular Spanish-Language Radio Market

Alejandro Carrasco is approaching 25 years as host of “Calentando la Manana,” the Spanish-language morning news and talk radio show he broadcasts each weekday to thousands of area listeners.

He explained the popularity of his show and Spanish-language radio in general as a cultural circumstance.

“There’s the joke about grandpa going [to] the U.S., trying to fit his old radio in his luggage. The grandson sees it, says ‘What are you doing? They have smaller radios.’ The grandpa says, ‘Well, this one speaks Spanish,’” Carrasco said. “We come from an audio culture. There is a radio culture we bring with us and people just remain loyal to it.”

To read the full article that talks about LEDC’s radio show program “Consejos Financieros” on Radio America, click here.

 

The Wheaton Coalition and Bill 6-12: A Critical Step in the Right Direction

Below is news coverage related to the ongoing work of the Coalition for the Fair Redevelopment of Wheaton, of which LEDC is a member. On Tuesday, Coalition members testified in front of the Montgomery County Council in support of Bill 6-12, legislation introduced by Councilmember Nancy Navarro that would create a new Small Business Assistance Program to help small businesses in Montgomery County adversely impacted by County redevelopment projects. The Coalition said the bill should be one piece of a comprehensive approach to help small businesses benefit from the Wheaton redevelopment project.

The Daily Record (2/29/2012) – Two Bills Aimed at Assisting MoCo Small Businesses Likely to Pass (restricted access)
Maryland Gazette (2/29/2012) – Public Supports Assistance for Wheaton Businesses
Wheaton Patch (2/29/2012) – Wheaton’s Small Business Community Testifies to Support Bill
Telemundo (2/27/2012) – Hope for Wheaton Small Business Owners (Spanish)
Washington Examiner (2/26/2012) – Wheaton Redevelopment Faces Battle for Funds

 

Washington Post – United Way Gives $1.75M to Area Nonprofit Groups

For Levet Brown, nothing is better than seeing kids come through the doors of the Laurel Boys and Girls Club — kids who might otherwise be on the streets or in gangs. But with a building more than a century old and no funding from the city, the club’s president worries that club’s after-school program has a bleak future.

Now, a United Way grant will give Brown a chance to change more lives.

United Way of the National Capital Area announced Jan. 19 that it is awarding more than $1.75 million to 161 of its 737-member nonprofit groups in the Washington area.

To read the full article, which includes information on the United Way grant awarded to LEDC, click here.

 

The Latest Wheaton Coalition News Coverage

Below is a list of recent news coverage related to the ongoing work of the Coalition for the Fair Redevelopment of Wheaton, of which LEDC is a member. Over the last week, the Coalition testified in front of the Montgomery County Council and hailed the introduction of new legislation by Councilmember Nancy Navarro that would create a new Small Business Assistance Program to help small businesses in Montgomery County access resources and technical assistance when impacted by redevelopment.

Washington Post (2/14/2012) – Wheaton Development’s $40 Million Price Tag Sparks Petition

Maryland Gazette (2/13/2012) – Assistance Bill Provides Some Hope for Wheaton Business Owners

Washington Post (2/10/2012) – In Montgomery, Dozens Testify Against Cut in School Construction Funding (includes section on Wheaton redevelopment)

Wheaton Patch (2/8/2012) – A Fair Future for Wheaton Small Businesses