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.


Written by Brian Crane for Montgomery Planning and first appeared in Montgomery Planning’s The Third Place Blog.

Montgomery Planning is exploring the relationship between burial grounds and surrounding landscapes to better understand these sites and find graveyards whose locations have been lost. Cemeteries are important because they are valued by descendants and may hold valuable information about people’s lives historians and genealogists cannot find anywhere else. Since 2017, county law has required Planning staff to keep an inventory of all the graveyards in the county.


The proposed re-development of 5500 Wisconsin in Chevy Chase, Maryland, has been given the green light by the Montgomery County Planning Board. The project by Carr Companies and Donohoe Development is a mixed-use development that will include 360 apartments, 45 moderately priced dwelling units, 11,000 square feet of retail space, and underground parking. 15% of the apartments (45 total) as Moderately Priced Dwelling Units, for professionals who cannot afford the traditionally high rents in the community, such as teachers and first responders.  This will be the only building in Friendship Heights Village to offer MPDUs.

The development has been in the works for several years and has undergone significant changes and revisions to meet community feedback and address concerns raised by stakeholders. Donohoe Development worked closely with the community and the Montgomery County Planning Board to ensure that the project met the needs and expectations of all parties involved. Site Plan approval was received in April 2023 after Donohoe Development and Carr Companies received full support for the project from the Friendship Heights Village Council, and final plans were submitted to the Maryland National Capital Park & Planning Commission.


The Clarksburg Gateway Sector Plan will be looked at this week by Montgomery Planning. It is an update to the 1994 Clarksburg Master Plan & Hyattstown Special Study Area, which was last revised with the 2014 10 Mile Creek Area Limited Amendment.

The Sector Plan focuses on the major employment area located in the Transit District Corridor as envisioned in the 1994 Plan. The Clarksburg Gateway Sector Plan will evaluate the Plan area’s trends and conditions and develop strategies to align the vision, recommendations, and overall staging requirements for the plan area with the county’s adopted plans, policies, and priorities.


Public invited to give feedback at a series of public meetings hosted by State Delegate Lesley Lopez, in coordination with the Montgomery County Planning Department and the Montgomery County Executive’s Office

The public is invited to three public listening sessions on June 22, July 18, and August 2 to provide input on Montgomery County’s development review process. These public sessions are part of the newly formed Development Review Process Workgroup, which was created by the Montgomery County state delegation and chaired by Maryland State Delegate Lesley Lopez (D-District 39).


Community encouraged to sign up to testify and continue providing feedback on draft plan re-envisioning areas along Maple Avenue and Flower Avenue, including the Washington Adventist campus area.

The Montgomery County Planning Board, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), will hold a public hearing on Thursday, September 14, 2023 at 6 p.m. for the Takoma Park Minor Master Plan Amendment. At its June 8 meeting, the Planning Board added its comments and accepted the Working Draft of the plan as the Public Hearing Draft, which the public is encouraged to view and provide in-person or virtual feedback by signing up to testify at the public hearing.


Plan recommending better access to public transportation, housing options, retail, and pedestrian connections along five-mile stretch of U.S. 29 corridor heads to County Council, County Executive for review

The Montgomery County Planning Board approved the Montgomery County Planning Department’s Planning Board Draft of the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan at the May 25 Planning Board meeting. The draft plan will be transmitted to the County Council and the County Executive for public review and final County Council approval. There will be an opportunity for additional public comment on the plan with the County Council’s public hearing and work session review.


The Montgomery County Planning Board and Montgomery County Planning Department, both part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), have announced their June 2023 calendar of events and meetings. Residents can participate in Planning Board meetings by testifying in-person, testifying virtually, over the phone, and by watching the meetings on the Planning Board’s live stream. Community members may also testify by sending in written comments to the Planning Board. Information about submitting written testimony and testifying in front of the Planning Board can be found below. Contact us for accessibility accommodations.

For more details, review the list of events below and visit www.montgomeryplanning.org. These events are subject to change. To sign up to testify at Planning Board meetings, please go to the sign up to testify page and view individual agendas. Agendas are usually made public 10 days prior to the start of a meeting. Consult the Development Review Committee (DRC) and Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) websites for their agenda information.


Planning Board expected to set public hearing date for draft plan re-envisioning areas along Maple Avenue and Flower Avenue, including the Washington Adventist campus area. Per Montgomery Planning:

The Montgomery County Planning Department will present the Working Draft of the Takoma Park Minor Master Plan Amendment to the Montgomery County Planning Board at the June 8 weekly Planning Board meeting. Montgomery Planning staff will request the Board accept the Working Draft Plan as the Public Hearing Draft and set the date for a public hearing to receive community feedback. These are the first steps prior to the Planning Board conducting work sessions to review and revise the draft plan before submission to the County Council and County Executive for public review and final County Council approval.


Paradigm-shifting plan to foster safer, more comfortable, and more accessible pedestrian conditions countywide heads to County Council for review. Per Montgomery Planning:

The Montgomery County Planning Board approved the Montgomery County Planning Department’s draft Pedestrian Master Plan, the county’s first comprehensive master plan to improve the pedestrian experience countywide. The Planning Board voted to approve the plan’s Planning Board Draft and transmit it to the County Council and the County Executive for public review and final County Council approval. There will be an opportunity for more public comment on the plan with the County Council’s public hearing and work session review. Read the Planning Board Draft of the Pedestrian Master Plan.


Per Montgomery County: Today the Montgomery County Council appointed Artie L. Harris, Jr. as the new Montgomery County Planning Board chair and Josh Linden as a Planning Board member. The Planning Board serves as the County’s principal land use and planning advisor. Planning Board members also serve as commissioners of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. 

“The new Montgomery County Planning Board reflects Montgomery County’s diversity across backgrounds, experience and party affiliations,” said Council President Evan Glass. “The Council’s public selection process has led us to make twocritical appointments today. Artie Harris and Josh Linden have the combined experience, leadership and listening skills that are necessary to engage with community members and the Council about land use and planning issues. These individuals will play an integral role in establishing a vision for the future of our County.


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