Public invited to provide testimony on draft plan that adds roads to the program and updates details for roads already included in the program
The Montgomery County Planning Boardwill hold a public hearing for the Rustic Roads Functional Master Plan Update on November 17 at 6 p.m. The public is invited to provide testimony in-person or virtually. Learn about testifying to the Planning Board. The public hearing was set on October 6 after a briefing to the Planning Board.
The Montgomery County Planning Department and Dallas-based nonprofit Better Block Foundation worked with the Fairland and Briggs Chaney to bring to life the goals of the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan. The Fairland and Briggs Chaney Placemaking festival temporarily reimagined the Briggs Chaney Park and Ride on October 21 and 22, 2022 (video recap below).
The effort brought together residents, visitors, local business owners, and representatives of civic associations to make the space a vibrant place for the community to gather. Community members worked with the Better Block team through the summer and fall to build, paint, and construct their ideas and bring them to life. The transformed outdoor space hosted food and retail vendors, Montgomery Parks’ activities and features, and a welcoming place for residents to gather with their family, neighbors and friends during the public celebration.
Communications Division’s work honored with multiple MarCom awards for innovative design, web tools, and videos for master plans and projects
Per Montgomery Planning: The Montgomery County Planning Department has won five 2022 MarCom Awards (and has been recognized with three honorable mentions) administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP). The MarCom Awards honor excellence in marketing and communication while recognizing the creativity, hard work, and generosity of industry professionals.
Selected candidates will review new projects in downtown Silver Spring and offer advisory comments on architecture, public spaces and design excellence
Per Montgomery Planning: The Montgomery County Planning Department is seeking members of the community to serve on the new Design Advisory Panel (DAP) for downtown Silver Spring. Selected candidates will serve on the panel with the primary goal of reviewing new projects in downtown Silver Spring and offering advisory comments to improve the quality of architecture, landscape architecture, and public spaces and raise the level of design excellence in the downtown.
“Given the unprecedented challenges at the Montgomery County Planning Board, the Council has selected a diverse group of experienced leaders, who will reset operations, support the Park and Planning staff, and provide a bridge to the next Planning Board,” said Council President Gabe Albornoz.
“Restoring trust in the agency is job one. The Council is confident that this group of dedicated individuals will immediately hit the ground running and work collaboratively with Acting Planning Director Tanya Stern and Park and Planning staff to restore the public’s confidence in the agency. They will perform the critical functions of the Planning Board and move planning projects and services forward for residents.
Plan centered on three-mile stretch of University Boulevard between Wheaton and I-495
WHEATON, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, will hold two community open houses for the University Boulevard Corridor Plan on November 2 and November 7. At the open houses, anyone who lives, works, or has an interest in the future of University Boulevard, between Wheaton and I-495, are welcome to share their views. RSVPs are encouraged.
County’s new General Plan prioritizes racial equity and social justice, economic health, and environmental resilience to help guide growth for the next 30 years
WHEATON, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), welcomed the Montgomery County Council’s approval today of Thrive Montgomery 2050, the update to Montgomery County’s General Plan. The approved plan, which will serve as a framework for the county’s growth for the next 30 years, is the first comprehensive General Plan update in nearly 60 years. The new General Plan takes a data-driven and community-informed approach to recommend how Montgomery County can be more equitable, economically healthy, and environmentally resilient in the midst of major demographic and technological changes.
Per Montgomery Planning: Building on major Montgomery County initiatives—including the 2013 Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan, Thrive Montgomery 2050 and Vision Zero— Montgomery Planning is initiating the University Boulevard Corridor (UBC) Plan and beginning its public engagement.
This planning effort will be centered on a key three-mile stretch of University Boulevard (MD 193). Throughout this process, Montgomery Planning will strive to understand community needs as they pertain to traffic safety, regional connectivity, environmental sustainability, and economic development. The team will also explore potential opportunities for new infill development, bikeways, and future bus rapid transit (BRT). The team will also consider the potential to create a complete street —a boulevard with wider sidewalks, comfortable public transportation stops and safe access.
The Montgomery County Planning Board, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, will hold a public hearing for the Rustic Roads Functional Master Plan Update on November 17 at 6 p.m. The public is invited to provide testimony in-person or virtually. Learn about testifying to the Planning Board. The public hearing was set on October 6 after a briefing to the Planning Board.
View the current draft of the plan. Sign up to testify for the public hearing. This update to the 1996 Rustic Roads Functional Master Plan has two main purposes:
The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, will hold an in-person community visioning session for the Great Seneca Plan: Connecting Life and Science on October 26 from 7 to 8 p.m. at Rosemont Elementary School (16400 Alden Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877). During this visioning session, community members can provide ideas for the future of the Great Seneca area of the county, an area that borders the cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville, and includes the Universities at Shady Grove, Adventist Healthcare Shady Grove, and surrounding areas.
Planning staff will begin with a presentation about the planning process to date and share information about the plan area as it exists today. Afterwards, the community will engage in small group conversations about what they like about the area as it exists today and what they might hope to improve in a vision for the area’s future. Through the visioning session, the community can learn more about the plan and its goals and provide feedback on the strengths, opportunities, and challenges for the Great Seneca Plan area. RSVPs are encouraged. RSVP for the October 26 Community Visioning Session. All persons attending the community visioning session must be vaccinated and may be required to show proof of vaccination. To request translation assistance or accessibility accommodations, please contact Maren Hill at [email protected] or 301-650-5613 by October 20, 2022.
The Montgomery County Council is immediately seeking new temporary acting members of the Montgomery County Planning Board with expertise in land use, planning, economic development, transportation, and environmental and park issues. Montgomery County residents who are interested in filling these temporary positions must apply to the Council no later than Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. The Council is scheduled to vote on designating the temporary members on Oct. 25. No more than three members of the Planning Board may be from the same political party, and each member must be a resident and registered voter of Montgomery County when appointed. This position can be filled by a Democrat, Republican, a voter who is unaffiliated with a party, or a voter who is a member of another party officially recognized by the Board of Elections.
The annual compensation for Planning Board commissioners is currently $30,000, and the chair currently earns $215,727. The Planning Board serves as the Council’s principal adviser on land use planning and community planning. Planning Board members also serve as commissioners of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The Planning Board’s responsibilities with regard to planning include preparation and amendment of the County General Plan; preparation and amendment of master plans and functional plans; formulation of subdivision regulations; preparation of or recommendations on text amendments to the County Zoning Code; implementation of the subdivision process by reviewing and approving all preliminary plans, site plans and other plans for development; offering or providing advice on the planning implications of capital facilities and programs of the County government, Montgomery College, WSSC Water, and Montgomery County Public Schools; commenting under, its mandatory referral authority, about plans for public facilities of local, state and federal agencies; and approving of the work program and the annual operating budget for the Planning Department and the Commission’s bi-county offices.