Henrik G. de Gyor/The Gazette When many people think of Kensington, they immediately think of Antique Row, the line of antique stores on Howard Avenue. Kensington officials are working to maintain the small-town feel many people experience when shopping along Antique Row in other parts of the community.

When Hurricane Isabel tumbled through Kensington Sept. 18, neighbors shared generators and called each other to find out if everyone was safe.

That cooperation represents a small-town feeling that Kensington is trying to preserve by launching a traffic committee and commercial development review committee, requesting a comprehensive traffic study from the State Highway Administration, passing a sign ordinance, and crafting new legislation on side-yard setbacks, Mayor Lynn Raufaste said.

Kensington was founded as a summer hamlet for politicians and developers who wanted to escape the heat and humidity of Washington. Now it's known for its abundance of antique shops, trees and community events, like the annual Labor Day parade, July 4 bike parade and Christmas-tree lighting ceremony.

"Everyone here knows everyone, and that's because we do gather at events and work together," Raufaste said. "It's quaint. It's a town that originated in 1894, and it's a town with lots of trees. We are a tree city."

Another part of the small-town atmosphere is having amenities nearby.

Town Councilwoman Leanne Pfautz said, "We're really lucky because you can walk up to the post office. You can walk up to the Safeway. ... It's a great walking town. My mother can get the same places in her wheelchair, too. It's not like you have to get in your car and drive places, if you don't want to."

Development in surrounding communities -- such as apartment complexes under construction in Bethesda, the commercial revitalization in Silver Spring and several new stores at Westfield Shoppingtown Wheaton -- complicates Kensington's efforts.

"Some of the communities surrounding us have definitely been overdeveloped or overbuilt. Part of the charm for me for Kensington is we haven't been," Pfautz said. "When you drive into our town, it looks a lot more relaxing, more congenial, than some other communities with more concrete."

Addressing traffic concerns

Traffic has been a major concern for Kensington residents for years. The town's traffic committee formed three years ago to obtain input from residents on how to improve pedestrian access and road safety.

Kensington officials have kept up a regular correspondence with state officials, detailing their concerns and recommendations for Connecticut Avenue, which the state owns and maintains.

"We need to have a way in the future of getting our people safely from one side of the town to the other," Raufaste said. "In my eyes, that's the biggest issue we have to face. We'll keep working on it."

Town Councilman Al Carr wrote a letter to Charlie Watkins, a State Highway Administration district engineer, in November 2002 requesting that the state consider narrowing the traffic lanes, widening sidewalks and allowing on-street parking to slow traffic on Connecticut Avenue.

The state in February declined to narrow lanes, but agreed to widen the stripes delineating the lanes to make them appear narrower. It declined to widen sidewalks, but agreed to move signs blocking sidewalks.

Raufaste asked Maryland Secretary of Transportation Robert L. Flanagan in May for a comprehensive traffic study of the town, but Flanagan declined the request last month, according to Carr.

Al Geske -- a member of the Coalition of Kensington Communities, a group of at least 10 civic associations surrounding the incorporated Town of Kensington -- said traffic is likely to hamper any kind of small-town feeling.

"It's very hard for them to maintain a small-town feel for that area without a better solution for the traffic that passes through there," he said. "Unless they can convince the county and the state to do a better job in the traffic management, I don't think they'll be successful. ... The developments along Rockville Pike and in Wheaton will be deleterious to it."

The business community

Businesses -- or the lack of them -- play a large role in the identity of any town. Kensington officials have taken steps to influence or regulate the aesthetics of the town's business district.

Town officials are paying particular attention to signs.

The Town Council passed the sign ordinance in August 2000 with a "grandfather" clause, allowing signs to remain for at least three years before coming into compliance with the ordinance. Town officials plan to meet with business owners and begin enforcing the ordinance in January.

The ordinance prohibits pole signs, Plexiglas-faced box signs, internally illuminated signs, off-site signs, message boards, portable signs and temporary signs throughout the town. Exterior illumination for a sign must not shine above the sign or into nearby streets, parks or homes.

The ordinance prohibits neon signs, neon decorations, and signs with a Plexiglas or plastic face in the historic district. It also prohibits signs on utility poles, trees, fences or other signs in the right of way.

Mark Hoover of Kensington, who owns La Belle Epoque, an antique shop on Howard Avenue, said town officials should encourage commercial growth.

"I understand keeping that small-town flavor, but I think it's important to have some sort of development, bring in some new restaurants and that sort of thing to bring more business to the town. It would help the businesses, too, if we had more restaurants and more stores, retail-type stores," he said.

Hoover said few businesses have moved to Kensington recently.

"I don't think there's a lot of cohesion between the business and the residents," he said. "I just don't think they [businesses] are really welcomed. ... It just seems like the businesses, they're fighting to get a foothold at all."

Raufaste disagreed. "We want development. We want the commercial endeavors in town to do well and new ones to come," she said.

Land use issues

In addition to traffic and business concerns, Kensington officials also have focused on land use and zoning regulations, which impact the town's aesthetics and property values.

Kensington officials have worked for several months to craft new legislation regarding the town's 10-foot side-yard setback requirement.

The proposal is not finalized and has not been introduced. It could change the size of the setback or change the standard for small items that can intrude into the setback.

"It ultimately goes to what we look like as a community and who we are," Pfautz said.

Property owners who plan to construct or rehabilitate a building can request a variance, which would allow the building to intrude into the setback. A variance is formal permission from a government agency, exempting a property owner from certain zoning requirements.

Working with county zoning officials is part of Kensington's strategy for preserving a small-town feeling. The county Planning Board is scheduled to update Kensington's 25-year-old sector plan, starting at the end of 2004.

Kensington's 1978 sector plan covers an area roughly bounded by Lawrence Avenue to the north, Frederick Avenue to the east, Everett Street to the south, and Summit Avenue and Beach Drive to the west.

Sector plans analyze conditions in an area and recommend changes regarding housing, storm-water management, historic preservation, pedestrian and trail systems, and environmental factors, like air, water and noise pollution. They are intended to guide development over a 20-year period and include maps outlining recommended land uses, zoning, transportation facilities and recommended general locations for public facilities, like schools, parks, libraries, and fire and police stations.

Updating sector plans usually takes about two years, Raufaste said.