Planning Board Approves Clarksburg Gateway Sector Plan Focused on Areas Between I-270 and 355

The Montgomery County Planning Board approved the Clarksburg Gateway Sector Plan Scope of Work at its June 22 weekly meeting. The Scope of Work lays out the Montgomery County Planning Department’s approach to developing land use recommendations for a section of the Clarksburg area on the east side of Interstate 270 and west of MD 355. The approval of the Scope of Work is the first step in the master planning process and outlines the purpose of the plan, elements to explore, boundary areas, public engagement strategy and the plan timeline. Montgomery Planning staff will begin community engagement and visioning, and study the existing conditions of the area, all leading up to developing recommendations for land use, zoning, urban design, transportation, environmental resilience, housing, historic preservation, and community facilities and infrastructure in the plan area.

Montgomery Planning invites the community to attend an open house on the plan on Wednesday, July 26 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the community building at the Clarksburg Neighborhood Park (22501 Wims Road at Route 355, Clarksburg, MD 20871). The open house will provide the public an opportunity to interact with the Montgomery Planning team about the plan, give their input, and discuss their neighborhood and community aspirations related to transportation, jobs, housing, land use, parks and open spaces, public amenities, and more. Planning staff will offer many more opportunities for community input throughout the plan process.

“The Clarksburg Gateway Sector Plan will examine undeveloped and partially developed parts of the eastern side of I-270 that have not changed much in 30 years,” said Acting Planning Director Tanya Stern. “There are significant opportunities to enhance the Clarksburg area’s unifying identity and sense of place, and Montgomery Planning is excited to embark on our equitable engagement with the community to understand the area’s needs and incorporate them into a vision that reflects what people love about where they live, work, and play.”

For more information about the plan, visit its dedicated website which includes the plan boundary map, planning team contact information, a place to sign up for the plan’s eletter, and an online questionnaire for community members to fill out and submit comments, concerns, and ideas to us. The Planning Board-approved Scope of Work will be uploaded to the website once the Planning Board’s comments are incorporated into the document.

About the Clarksburg Gateway Sector Plan: The Clarksburg Gateway Sector Plan is an update to the 1994 Clarksburg Master Plan and Hyattstown Special Study Area, which was last revised with the 2011 Clarksburg Master Plan and Hyattstown Special Study Area Limited Amendment and the 2014 10 Mile Creek Area Limited Amendment. The plan area consists of approximately 969 acres and is generally bounded by I-270 to the west, West Old Baltimore Road and the Little Seneca Greenway to the south, Clarksburg Road to the north, and Frederick Road (MD 355) to the east.

The plan will focus on a portion of the Transit Corridor District and small parts of a few surrounding areas, including the I-270 corridor—a significant employment resource for the county and the region. By evaluating land use, zoning, transportation, environmental, and historic preservation to determine if a new mix of land uses and zoning would be more appropriate for this area, this plan will make recommendations for how best to update the 1994 plan and its 2011 and 2014 amendments for an improved Transit Corridor District, including interchange design, staging of retail development, transportation corridors, and environmental recommendations.

The plan will also provide an opportunity to integrate policy guidance from countywide plans and initiatives, including Corridor Forward: The I-270 Transit Plan, the Pedestrian Master Plan, Complete Streets Design Guide, Thrive Montgomery 2050, the Climate Action Plan, and Vision Zero, as well as employ a robust outreach and engagement strategy to create a plan that advances racial equity and social justice.

Major properties in the plan area include the Gateway 270 office park, the former Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT), Clarksburg High School, Rocky Hill Middle School, and the residential neighborhoods of Gateway Commons, Gallery Park (formerly Eastside), Hurley Ridge, Clarksburg Square (formerly Garnkirk Farms), and Dowden’s Station. Other areas in the plan have largely been developed according to the 1994 Plan or have been evaluated as part of the 2014 10 Mile Creek Area Limited Amendment and therefore, don’t need to be evaluated at this time.

Plan timeline

June 2023​: Scope of Work & Plan Area Boundary Approval by Planning Board

June 2023 – January 2024​: Outreach, Visioning, and Analysis

February – March 2024​: Preliminary Recommendations

April – June 2024​: Working Draft

July 2024​: Planning Board Public Hearing​

September – October 2024: Planning Board Work Sessions​

January 2025: County Council Public Hearing

February – April 2025: County Council Work Sessions

May 2025: Plan Approved and Adopted

View the Clarksburg Gateway Sector Plan Scope of Work
View the recording of June 22 Planning Board meeting