Affordable housing buyouts increase pressure to shut school

The following was written by a member of the Potomac Master Plan Advisory Group about why school land must be kept for school kids:

The Potomac 20-year Master Plan of 2002 indicated the quarry on River Road at the Beltway for affordable housing, but the County is moving to allow that developer to buy out of his affordable housing obligation - even though the County Council approved the Master Plan!

That buy-out, and every other buy-out, increases the pressure on communities to come up with alternative sites as we approach full build-out. With the emphasis on full. It also undercuts the Master Plan process that the County asks citizens to spend hundreds of hours participating in - only to have it all tossed aside when a developer's push comes up against a community's shove.

Guess who usually wins. We as PTAs must stay focused on SCHOOL land for SCHOOL uses. Period.