Montgomery Planning Archives - Page 19 of 22

Community Invited to Participate in the Visioning Phase of the Takoma Park Minor Master Plan Amendment

Published September 1, 2022 at 7:02AM

The Montgomery County Planning Department and the City of Takoma Park invite the community to participate in multiple events this fall as the Takoma Park Minor Master Plan Amendment enters the “Visioning Phase” of the process. In addition to community farmers markets events, the planning team will host a Visioning Open House on Tuesday, October 18, at Piney Branch Elementary School (7510 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912) from 7 to 9 p.m. The event will consist of an open-house style format on what the future of Takoma Park could look like at the Washington Adventist Hospital and University campuses, the Erie Center, as well as the area along Maple Avenue. RSVPs are encouraged. For ADA accommodations or to request materials in alternate formats, consult the Montgomery Planning Accessibility webpage or contact the Montgomery Planning ADA Coordinator at 301-495-1324. For language translation needs, please contact the planning team by Tuesday, October 4, to make accommodations.

RSVP for the October 18 Visioning Open House

Register for Makeover Montgomery 5

By MCS Staff

Published August 30, 2022 at 6:57AM

Makeover Montgomery 5 takes place September 22-24 this year. This year’s conference will take place with a focus on seeking regional ideas to help Montgomery County thrive. Sessions will be organized into four themes under the general topic of resilience:

Registration is available here, with additional information on presenters below:

Montgomery County Planning Board and Planning Department Announce September 2022 Events

By MCS Staff

Published August 28, 2022 at 9:02AM

Planning Board meetings resume on September 8, and Makeover Montgomery 5 conference takes place September 22 through 24

The Montgomery County Planning Board and the Montgomery County Planning Department have announced their September 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.

Great Seneca Corridor Planning Meeting Set for September 13

By MCS Staff

Published August 19, 2022 at 9:26AM

On Tuesday, September 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Montgomery Planning will host a meeting to offer residents the opportunity to provide feedback on what they love about working or living in the Great Seneca corridor area, discuss and share ideas that will help create a shared vision for the area, and inform the recommendations for the Great Seneca plan. Online registration is required. Residents can also provide feedback through an online questionnaire.

The Great Seneca area consists of the area that surrounds Shady Grove Adventist Hospital & the Universities at Shady Grove, as well as the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) and the Londonderry, western Quince Orchard, Rosemont & Oakmont neighborhoods. Gaithersburg occupies 10 square miles in the center of the Plan area.

Renderings of Potential Development at Belward Farm

By MCS Staff

Published August 3, 2022 at 8:56AM

Back in May, Trammell Crow Company (TCC), a global commercial real estate developer, unveiled plans to develop The Labs at Belward, a world-class life science campus, in the “Shady Grove area of Montgomery County, Md” (Muddy Branch Rd/Great Seneca Hwy/Darnestown Rd). The Labs at Belward, located at the Belward Campus of The Johns Hopkins University, will initially include 757,000 square feet of trophy lab and research and discovery space across three buildings. The project has the potential to grow to approximately 1.6 million square feet across seven buildings. Construction of the initial 757,000 square feet will begin June 2023 and is slated to be completed in early 2025.

A Belward Campus Concept Plan application was submitted to the Montgomery County Planning Board by Lerch Early Brewer, on behalf of the Trammell Crow Company, on March 7, 2022. It included a few renderings of what the completed project could look like if the previously mentioned potential of 1.6 million square feet across seven buildings is reached. The project, which is designed to achieve LEED Gold standard, will be supported by secured structured parking and will also feature an expansive six-acre public park that will include an amphitheater, recreational fields, and two retail pavilions totaling approximately 6,000 square feet. The plan also includes activating large wooded buffer areas, installing several miles of bike and walking trails, and preserving the site’s significant natural elements. Renderings, courtesy of Montgomery Planning, can be seen below.

Montgomery Planning Director Gwen Wright Announces Retirement as of January 1, 2023

By MCS Staff

Published July 30, 2022 at 9:01AM

From Montgomery Planning Director Gwen Wright: I have informed Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson that I will be retiring from the Montgomery County Planning Department and M-NCPPC as of January 1, 2023.

Since July 2013, I have had the honor of serving as Director of the Montgomery County Planning Department. During my tenure with M-NCPPC, which began in 1987, I have seen Montgomery County change and grow in a positive direction. I am grateful for the many roles I have held with the Commission, including serving as Historic Preservation Supervisor for Montgomery County’s robust preservation program, as Chief of the Countywide Planning Division, and as Acting Planning Director in 2007-2008.

Montgomery Planning Staff to Present Access Management Study to Planning Board on July 28

By MCS Staff

Published July 28, 2022 at 7:39AM

The Montgomery County Planning Department will present the findings of the Access Management Study to the Montgomery County Planning Board at their meeting on July 28. Work on this study began in October 2021 with focused involvement from partner agencies and is intended to provide a review of existing access management practices and high-level recommendations on access management regulations, standards, and practices as they are practiced on the Montgomery County roadway network.

Access management is the coordinated planning, regulation, and design of access between roadways, and land development. Its purpose is to provide a systematic way to improve the safety and efficiency of moving people and goods while reducing conflicts between all modes using and crossing the roadway, including cars, heavy vehicles, transit vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians.

Makeover Montgomery 5: Resilient Montgomery Conference Will Offer Fresh Ideas on all Aspects of Resilience

By MCS Staff

Published July 28, 2022 at 7:37AM

Registration is open for the Makeover Montgomery 5 conference scheduled for September 22 through 24; featuring keynote speaker Angela D. Brooks,President Elect of the American Planning Association, and past chair of the APA Diversity Task Force

The Montgomery County Planning Department in partnership with the University of Maryland’s National Center for Smart Growth, has announced the opening of online registration for the Makeover Montgomery 5 Conference (MM5). The three-day conference will be held from September 22 through September 24, 2022, in College Park and Wheaton and will focus on all aspects of planning for resilience in the areas of the economy, neighborhoods, infrastructure, and the environment. The cost of the conference is $40 through August 23 and $55 after that date. Attending the keynote address by Angela D. Brooks on September 22 is free to the public and does not require conference registration.

Montgomery County Planning Board and Planning Department Announce August 2022 Events

By MCS Staff

Published July 28, 2022 at 7:34AM

The Montgomery County Planning Board and the Montgomery County Planning Department have announced their August 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.

Study Released on Predicting and Preventing Traffic Crashes in Montgomery County

By MCS Staff

Published July 22, 2022 at 8:19AM

Predictive Safety Analysis’ provides county leadership with data-driven strategies to advance its Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic-related deaths and severe injuries by 2030

The Montgomery County Planning Department briefed the Montgomery Planning Board on Thursday, July 21 at their meeting on the findings of a transportation safety study, the Predictive Safety Analysis, that uses data to estimate the number of crashes at all roadway segments and intersections in the county. The analysis will help county decisionmakers make targeted changes to the roadway network to advance the county’s goal to eliminate traffic-related deaths and severe injuries by 2030.

Montgomery Planning Releases Pedestrian Master Plan’s Draft Design, Policy, and Programming Recommendations

By MCS Staff

Published July 16, 2022 at 4:19AM

After years of analysis, planners of the Pedestrian Master Plan have released their draft recommendations and are asking the public to provide feedback. According to Montgomery Planning, recommendations offer strategies for enhanced pedestrian connectivity, safety and accessibility across Montgomery County.

Per Montgomery Planning: The Montgomery County Planning Department has released the draft Design, Policy, and Programming Recommendations for the Pedestrian Master Plan. Part of Montgomery Planning’s first dedicated effort to specifically improve the countywide pedestrian experience, these recommendations offer solutions and strategies to make walking and rolling safer, more equitable, and more direct in support of the plan’s four goals: