Policy addresses adequacy of Montgomery County’s public facilities as part of the development approval process; community invited to October 17 informational meeting
The Montgomery County Planning Board approved the Scope of Work for the 2024-2028 update to the county’s Growth and Infrastructure Policy at its meeting on Thursday, September 28, 2023. The Growth and Infrastructure Policy (GIP) must be updated every four years and is the county’s most important policy for ensuring infrastructure is adequate to support growth. It is also vital to advancing the goals established in Thrive Montgomery 2050, the recently approved and adopted General Plan for Montgomery County.
County Code requires the Planning Board to find that public facilities will be adequate to support and service the area of a proposed subdivision before approving new development. The GIP is the tool by which Montgomery County ensures its essential public facilities, particularly schools and transportation systems, keep pace with development. It identifies the tests and standards used to assess infrastructure adequacy and the guidelines by which new development is evaluated.
Following the Board’s approval of the 2024 GIP Scope of Work, the Montgomery County Planning Department will conduct equitable community engagement to educate county residents and other stakeholders on the current GIP and receive feedback that will inform the development of recommendations for the policy’s update, which will be transmitted to the Planning Board and the County Council for review. The Planning Board is required to transmit a draft of the updated GIP to the County Council by August 1, 2024, and for the County Council to adopt the 2024-2028 policy by November 15, 2024. The GIP is updated every four years to ensure that the tools used for evaluating the impact of development on essential public facilities, such as a measure of vehicle delay or student generation rates, reflect the county’s latest growth context and policy priorities.
As part of the 2024 GIP update, Montgomery Planning will focus on:
- Examining policy outcomes to ensure that the existing tools are equitable, fair, and effective.
- Ensuring the policy helps advance the goals established in the county’s General Plan, Thrive Montgomery 2050.
- Analyzing the county’s current growth trends.
- Evaluating implementation guidelines, such as the Local Area Transportation (LATR) Guidelines and Annual School Test Guidelines.
- Reviewing development impact taxes.
Get involved
Montgomery Planning invites community members to participate in a virtual kickoff meeting for the GIP update on Tuesday, October 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. Montgomery Planning’s GIP team will give an overview of the existing policy and discuss plans for the 2024 update. The meeting will be conducted on Microsoft Teams and there will be opportunities for Q&A. The presentation will be recorded and posted to the website. Community members are encouraged to remain updated and informed by signing up for the GIP eletter.
RSVP for the Growth and Infrastructure online community meeting on Tuesday, October 17. View the Growth and Infrastructure Scope of Work staff report. Watch the Growth and Infrastructure Scope of Work presentation.
About the Growth and Infrastructure Policy
The Growth and Infrastructure Policy — one of the many ways that Montgomery Planning helps to preserve the excellent quality of life in Montgomery County — assesses whether infrastructure is adequate to support growth. It includes criteria and guidance for the administration of Montgomery County’s Adequate Public Facility Ordinance (APFO), which matches the timing of private development with the availability of public infrastructure. Every four years, an effort to update the Growth and Infrastructure Policy originates with Montgomery Planning before working its way through the Planning Board and the County Council. The purpose is to ensure that the best available tools are used to test whether infrastructure like schools, transportation, water, and sewer services can support future growth. View the 2020-2024 Growth and Infrastructure Policy.
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