Community Invited to Presentation on the University Boulevard Corridor Plan

Urban Land Institute Washington panel of local experts to present its own research, recommendations to Montgomery Planning staff on advancing improvements along a busy stretch of University Boulevard/MD 193.

The Montgomery County Planning Department invites the community to an Urban Land Institute (ULI) Washington Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) presentation about the University Boulevard Corridor (UBC) Plan, which is in the phase where Montgomery Planning conducts research and engages with the public to gather input and understand the community’s needs.

ULI is a national nonprofit research and education organization supported by its members representing the entire spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines working in private enterprise and public service to shape the future of the built environment. A technical advisory panel of ULI members from the Washington, D.C. region will present its research and provide recommendations on the UBC Plan to Montgomery Planning staff on Wednesday, February 8 at 11:30 a.m. at M-NCPPC’s Wheaton Headquarters (2425 Reedie Drive, Wheaton, MD 20902). The public is invited to attend this in-person presentation. A recording of the presentation will be available on the University Boulevard Corridor Plan website following the event. RSVP to attend the presentation. RSVPs must be completed and submitted by noon on Friday, February 3.

Montgomery Planning sponsored a ULI Washington TAP, which is comprised of experts in design, planning, architecture, engineering, and real estate from around the region. Montgomery Planning pursued a TAP to explore market conditions necessary to advance improvements along University Boulevard that are consistent with Thrive Montgomery 2050, the county’s newly adopted General Plan. The TAP will investigate the economic feasibility of more compact housing around connection points or centers of activity along the corridor over the next two decades and is discussing previously unexplored solutions for the challenges along the corridor.

Panelists are selected from the more than 2200 ULI members in the ULI Washington District Council based on the specific nature of each assignment. The multidisciplinary nature of the panelists’ expertise allows for a creative approach to planning. The TAP reviews a Briefing Book created by Montgomery Planning which is followed by a one-and-a-half-day exercise involving a tour of the plan area, interviews with local stakeholders, and recommendations from the ULI TAP.

The TAP recommendations will be a part of the ongoing planning effort for the UBC Plan and will be used with data, community feedback, and visioning to reimagine this important corridor.

About the University Boulevard Corridor (UBC) Plan

Building on major Montgomery County initiatives—including the 2013 Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan, Thrive Montgomery 2050 and Vision Zero— Montgomery Planning initiated the University Boulevard Corridor (UBC) Plan. The Plan will strive to address community needs as they pertain to traffic safety, regional connectivity, environmental sustainability, and economic development. Montgomery Planning will also explore potential opportunities for new infill development, bikeways, and future bus rapid transit (BRT). Broadly, the team envisions the plan goals as follows:

• Advance Vision Zero goals with overall improved road safety and quality of life using “Complete Streets”
• Enhance development potential of the Plan area for corridor-focused growth
• Provide a voice to stakeholders of the Plan area

Plan Area: The proposed plan area is centered on a three-mile stretch of University Boulevard (MD 193) from the edge of East Indian Spring Drive, just south of I-495, to Amherst Avenue in Wheaton.

How to get involved: Residents are invited to sign up to receive the latest news and information on the Plan by signing up for its eletter. For questions or comments, contact lead planner Nkosi Yearwood at [email protected].