Montgomery Planning Archives - Page 18 of 22

Public Hearing Scheduled for Rustic Roads Functional Master Plan Update on November 17

Published October 20, 2022 at 9:30AM

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:

Great Seneca Plan Visioning Session to be Held on October 26 by Montgomery Planning

By MCS Staff

Published October 20, 2022 at 9:24AM

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.

Montgomery County Council Seeks Applicants for Temporary Acting Montgomery County Planning Board Commissioners (Application Deadline is 5pm, October 18)

By MCS Staff

Published October 17, 2022 at 5:33AM

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.

Statement from County Executive Marc Elrich on the Resignation of the Montgomery County Planning Board: “Park and Planning has been run by a group of insiders for far too long”

By MCS Staff

Published October 12, 2022 at 6:27PM

Like many in the County, I have followed with growing concern the unfolding events at the Park and Planning Commission. As County Executive, I have not been a participant in the conversations about the details. I think where people are implicated, a resignation is appropriate. This cannot be the end of the conversation on the dysfunction and structural issues at Planning. The Planning Board faces a deficit of trust, and continued questions about management, transparency and process must be addressed. I stand ready to work with the Council to ensure transparency in choosing the interim members of the board and ensure that the investigations continue.

Beyond the recent reports regarding infighting and questionable behavior and decisions, the Planning Board has also been cited with multiple violations of the Open Meetings Act. Furthermore, the problems with Thrive 2050 and equity and community input should have been recognized and dealt with instead of a push for quick adoption of this significant guide for the next 30 years of development. As noted by one racial equity consultant hired by the Council, “compressed timeframes are the enemy of equity.”

Gwen Wright Removed as Planning Director and Deputy Director Tanya Stern Made Acting Planning Director

By MCS Staff

Published October 8, 2022 at 8:33AM

Per Montgomery Planning: The Montgomery County Planning Board voted to name Deputy Planning Director Tanya Stern as Acting Montgomery Planning Director on October 7, 2022. The Planning Board voted to remove Gwen Wright as Planning Director. The Planning Director position is an at-will position that is appointed by the Planning Board. Tanya Stern has been a Montgomery Planning Deputy Director since August 2018.

Gwen Wright served as Planning Director since July 2013. She began her tenure with M-NCPPC in 1987 and was due to retire at the end of December 2022. “We thank and appreciate Gwen Wright’s many years of service to M-NCPPC and Montgomery Planning and the legacy of excellence in planning and urban design by Montgomery Planning during that time,” said Acting Planning Director Tanya Stern. “During this time of transition, I will be working very closely with senior leadership to help ensure Montgomery Planning can continue to focus on its excellent work that is highly respected in this region and across the country.”

Rustic Roads Functional Master Plan Working Draft to be presented to the Planning Board on October 6

By MCS Staff

Published September 30, 2022 at 5:11PM

Draft of the plan considers new roads to be included in the program and updates to existing roads that are currently in the program

The Montgomery County Planning Department will present the Working Draft of the update to the Rustic Roads Functional Master Plan to the Montgomery County Planning Board at their meeting on October 6, 2022. The Rustic Roads Functional Master Plan Update is the first comprehensive update to the Rustic Roads Functional Master Plansince the original plan was approved in 1996.

Montgomery County Planning Board and Planning Department Announce October Calendar of Events

By MCS Staff

Published September 29, 2022 at 7:21AM

The Montgomery County Planning Board and the Montgomery County Planning Department have announced their October 2022 calendar of events and meetings. All persons attending Planning Board meetings in person at M-NCPPC’s Wheaton Headquarters (2425 Reedie Drive, Wheaton, MD 20902) must be vaccinated, must sign up in advance, and may be required to show proof of vaccination. Those who participate are expected to observe general rules of decorum and address only the issues relevant to the decision before the Planning Board.

Residents can continue to participate in Planning Board meetings by testifying virtually and watching the meetings on the Planning Board’s live stream. Community members may sign up to testify and provide comments in person, through Microsoft Teams, or over the phone to the Planning Board during the meeting on specific agenda items. Written testimony must be submitted in advance of the meeting. Contact us for accessibility accommodations.

Montgomery Planning Board Briefed on Pedestrian Master Plan’s Draft Design, Policy, and Programming Recommendations

By MCS Staff

Published September 27, 2022 at 6:53AM

Planning Board shows support for draft recommendations and equitable engagement efforts to date; provides suggestions for next steps on countywide plan that will offer strategies for enhanced pedestrian connectivity, safety, and accessibility across Montgomery County

Per Montgomery Planning: – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, presented the Pedestrian Master Plan’s draft design, policy and programming recommendations to the Montgomery County Planning Board on Thursday, September 22. The Planning Board expressed support for the draft recommendations in the Pedestrian Master Plan and shared recommendation feedback with Planning Staff.

Brookeville Road Closure Extended Into November

By Cordell Pugh

Published September 20, 2022 at 5:17PM

On September 19, the Maryland State Highway Administration announced that the current closure of Brookeville Road, between Georgia Avenue (MD-97) ,and Grayheaven Manor Road, has been extended through late November. According to the State Highway Administration, the newly–extended duration of the Brookeville Road closure will allow contractors to efficiently complete Brookeville Bypass construction tasks.

MD 97 has a 90-degree curve at Market Street, which is accompanied by a steep hill.

Community invited to Presentation of Recommendations on the Great Seneca Plan Area by Urban Land Institute Technical Assistance Panel on September 21

By MCS Staff

Published September 19, 2022 at 7:13AM

The Urban Land Institute Technical Assistance Panel (ULI TAP) will present recommendations on opportunities to retain, attract, and grow the life sciences industry in Montgomery County’s Life Sciences Center

Montgomery County Planning Department pursued a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) through ULI Washington to inform the Great Seneca Plan: Connecting Life and Science. The TAP will present its recommendations in person to Montgomery Planning and the public at 4:30 p.m. on September 21 at the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Building at the Universities at Shady Grove (9631 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, MD 20850). Registration is not required.

Montgomery Planning Wins Two Awards From the American Planning Association National Capital Area Chapter

By MCS Staff

Published September 19, 2022 at 7:11AM

Per Montgomery Planning: Montgomery Planning is honored to receive two awards from the American Planning Association National Capital Area Chapter (APA-NCAC). The APA-NCAC’s jury of experts selected Montgomery Planning’s work on equitable engagement for Thrive Montgomery 2050, the update to the county’s General Plan, for the Leadership in Planning Award for Community Outreach and Engagement in Honor of Harold Foster and selected Montgomery Planning Director Gwen Wright for the Leadership in Planning Award for a Professional Planner in Honor of Frederick Gutheim.

“We are so honored to be recognized by experts in planning and engagement in the region for our excellent work on equitably engaging Montgomery County’s diverse community throughout the Thrive Montgomery 2050 process,” said Planning Director Gwen Wright. “I am also humbled to be recognized for my over 30 years in planning as I set my sights on retirement at the end of the year.” Learn more about Gwen Wright’s Montgomery Planning career and accomplishments.