A letter to the Wheaton Community

Dear Wheaton Neighbor,

You are invited to participate in the visioning of Wheaton Gateway, a proposed redevelopment located at the intersection of University Boulevard and Veirs Mill Road. The site is currently home to Lindsay Ford, Mattress Firm, and the former Ambassador Hotel (the demolition of which slated to begin in the coming months). We understand the importance of this major intersection, the need for this development to contribute to the vision for a revitalized Wheaton, and the potential for this development to be a prominent entrance into the Central Business District.

The project is led by a partnership formed by The Duffie Companies (a family owned business focused on highly sustainable building and headquartered in eastern Montgomery County), Willco (a leading developer, owner, investor and manager of first-class commercial real estate based in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area), and the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County (HOC).

Wheaton is a place of authenticity, ethnic diversity, and deep historical roots. With this foundation, our team is confident that Wheaton is poised to capitalize on the qualities that already make it such a unique place to live, work, and play. This is Wheaton’s time to shine, and we believe that this project will play a major role in the community’s continuing, evolving story.

In recent years, several surveys and plans have been put forth by others for Wheaton’s future and many Wheaton residents have provided valuable feedback. Our development team has worked to learn from these previous efforts. We also recognize many of the goals outlined in the Wheaton Sector Plan, including reinvigorating downtown by creating a more walkable community with a distinct identity, fostering an environmentally-sustainable community, creating a vibrant mix of housing types and job opportunities, and designing quality public spaces that are inviting to pedestrians.

Our team’s vision is to create a new mixed-use residential and retail property that will include mixed income multi-family housing and commercial spaces consistent with the Wheaton Sector Plan. While our team looks forward to contributing toward Wheaton’s continued growth, we are eager to hear from you. We hope you can help us understand where you see opportunities and challenges in our ambitious redevelopment efforts.

We invite you to voice your vision for Wheaton Gateway and submit your feedback to our development team today using the form below.

Best regards,

Shane Pollin
Director of Development
The Duffie Companies

Bob Eisenberg
Chief Executive Officer
Willco

Stacy L. Spann
Executive Director
Housing Opportunities Commission