November 2020: The Hanson Farm development is well underway. It will contain:
- 186 single family homes priced from $1M
- Some MPDU from $200k
- 160 acres, 80 acres for homes
Feb. 2020: Hanson Farm Development Update
The Hanson Farm developers have advised that they plan to open for sale this spring (of 2020) from the three model homes that are well into construction. The first residents would likely be moving in sometime next winter. Full development is a much harder timeline to project. At a minimum, they estimate 4 or 5 years of home construction (there are 186 new homes to build).
As it relates to ongoing roadwork, they are aiming to complete the Travilah Road work in March 2020. There will be occasional lane closures as has been occurring recently, but they anticipate that being much less frequent moving forward. This summer, there will be roadwork on Quince Orchard Road, which they hope to complete before the next school year. This will occur between Dufief Mill Road and the construction entrance. A future phase of the project (likely a couple years away) will require additional improvements along Quince Orchard Road.
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Toll Brothers briefed the community on June 27, 2017, at the North Potomac Community Center on the status of the proposed development of the Hanson Farm, located between Quince Orchard and Travilah Roads in North Potomac. Tom Mateya of Toll Brothers said they were partnering with Rodgers Consulting, The Traffic Group, Torti Gallas Partners, and Lerch Early & Brewer in preparing the proposal for Montgomery County Park and Planning Commission approval. He introduced Bob Hanson, the owner, who said his desire was to develop the farm in a way that would please the surrounding community. Gary Unterberg, senior vice president of Rodgers Consulting, and Kyle Lyne of Toll Brothers, then proceeded to explain the current status of the development proposal and its expected timeline. A new site plan, which has been slightly revised since their November 2016 briefing, will be submitted this July. They expect a formal public hearing in November 2017 and approval by the end of December. It may take 6 more months for various engineering permits, which would allow land grading to begin in the summer of 2018. Construction of the homes is expected to begin in early 2019. The area will provide 187 housing units, as in the original proposal, which includes the Hanson farmhouse.
Minor changes in the plan include making all streets public, instead of having some of them private as in the original version, and saving several beautiful, unique trees planted by Bob Hanson himself in what will be a local park. Also, the “attached” homes, among the “binding elements” required by the county’s zoning approval, will be constructed to look like single family homes from the front, with attached garages in the rear. The larger homes will be of unique design and have several options from which people can choose. In response to a question from the audience, Gary said there will be several walking trails through the area that will connect with the Greenway Trail in Muddy Branch County Park.
Other questions from the attendees centered around the following topics…
Q: Will Quince Orchard Road be widened to accommodate the new development?
A: Yes, approximately 2′ additional width, on the Hanson property side of the road, and only from the new development to the intersection of Quince Orchard and Dufief Mill Rd. This will be to be compliant with county roadway specifications. The remainder of Quince Orchard Road is considered “Rustic” and will not be modified.
Q: Will there be buffering landscaping?
A: Yes.
Q: What will be the price points of the new homes?
A: Final prices will depend upon market conditions at the time, however prices will likely range from $1M for the attached homes, and increase incrementally up to $1.4M for the larger single family units. The MDPU units will range from $180K to $200K.
Q: Regarding traffic impact on surrounding roads.
A: Traffic studies have been performed in accordance with park and planning specifications and submitted. The result of the traffic study shows that traffic volume anticipated to be within existing roadway capacities, therefore no improvements are necessary to surrounding roadways.
Q: Which schools will students attend? Will the additional students exceed school capacities?
A: At the current time, students will attend Travilah ES, Robert Frost or Cabin John MS, and Wootton HS, however MCPS may change this in the future. Currently capacity of the affected schools is at 80% and the additional student numbers projected will fall within existing capacity.
Also –
MDPUs will be in “sticks of 3 units”. They will be designed to appear as single family homes. The middle unit will have an entranceway to the front, while the end units will have entranceways to either side.
Of the original land, 10 acres are to be set aside as a park (Mr. Hanson’s plot), Tim Hanson’s property will remain agricultural, leaving 160 acres. 80 acres are planned as open space, with the remaining 80 acres for residences.
They plan to bring city water to the location both along Quince Orchard and Travilah Roads. This will disrupt traffic flow as early as next Summer, but they will do their best to minimize any disruption and will have signage to notify drivers before it happens.
(NOTE: Click on photos to see full pictures.)