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The results of a recent online survey designed to gauge what businesses Sandy Spring-area residents would like to see in their town show that most want to keep a "village" feel to their community.

Joy Turner, corresponding secretary of the Sandy Spring Civic Association, which posted the questions, said 315 people responded to the survey, a result of an effort that began several years ago to revitalize the Sandy Spring Village Center.

"With Ashton Meeting Place and other recent zoning issues on the table, we now have a more definitive idea of what can be built within the parameters of the master plan," she said.

Ashton Meeting Place is a mixed-use facility planned for the southeast corner of routes 108 and 650 in the heart of Ashton.

The survey listed types of businesses and residents were asked whether each particular use would be acceptable or unacceptable in Sandy Spring.

The results were weighted based on the address of the participant — a response from a Sandy Spring resident would be weighted higher than that of a Silver Spring resident.

The top five acceptable uses were restaurants, a bakery, a florist, arts and crafts studio, and specialized retail stores.

The top five uses found to be unacceptable were a truck-rental facility, building material and supply store, liquor store, an employment staffing office and a long-term care facility.

Turner said residents do not always understand how a community master plan works and what is permitted or not permitted in a community.

"A few people suggested something like a Home Depot, and while stores like that do serve a need, they don't fit the scheme of a small rural town," she said. "The master plan guides us on the size, scope and scale of development, but that doesn't seem to be really understood by the community."

Turner said that others felt the master plan should specifically guide the development.

"While the master plan offers verbiage on the size, scope and scale, it is not a blueprint of exactly how it must look," she said. "So we saw both sides of the coin in the survey."

A community meeting was planned Dec. 8 to discuss the results of the survey, but was postponed due to inclement weather.

Turner said that meeting has been tentatively rescheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 12 at the Ross Boddy Community Center in Sandy Spring.

Natalie Cantor, the director of the Mid-County Regional Services Center, which serves Olney, Sandy Spring and Ashton, among other communities, said she has planned a meeting later in January with stakeholders such as developers, community members and county representatives to discuss the survey results.

Cantor said a community charrette would take place in the spring, where community members will have the opportunity to further discuss the plans for Sandy Spring's revitalization.

Turner said the survey was a useful tool in the process of redeveloping the Sandy Spring Village Center.

"More so, it was helpful in bonding the community," she said. "It gave the community a voice and a common goal, all for the sense of purpose and growth in our community.