Attend the Wheaton Downtown Study Open House on June 14 and join the first virtual Visioning Workshop for the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan on June 27

The Montgomery County Planning Board has announced the June 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.


Federal Realty is submitting applications for approval of a Preliminary Plan of Subdivision and Sketch Plan, for consideration by the Montgomery County Planning Board, for the property located at 1776 E. Jefferson Street, North Bethesda, Maryland (many consider the area Rockville). The Property is currently known as Federal Plaza West, which includes approximately 135,446 square feet of retail, including a Planet Fitness gym and other retailers located in a two/three story structure constructed along the Property’s shared property line with Lot 1. A Panera Bread pad site and associated surface parking is located in the southwest quadrant of the Property, according to project plans.

Per the project plans,  Federal Realty is proposing to transform this underutilized site into a thriving mixed-use development containing up to 500 units, up to a total of 108,965 square feet of retail uses (103,965 square feet of existing to be retained, and up to 5,000 square feet new), a half-acre public open space, and street-scape improvements. The orientation of the development along East Jefferson Street, combined with the implementation of the road diet (discussed within), will begin to transform this suburban-styled area of North Bethesda into a more urbanized, walkable community in furtherance of the County’s goals.


For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 26, 2022

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 26, 2022 —The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution approving the Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities Plan. The Plan makes recommendations within the Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities Plan area for land use and zoning, housing, economic development, urban design, transportation, parks and public spaces, environmental resiliency, community facilities and historic resources.


Community members are invited to attend in-person and virtual events in June and July to share ideas for the future of the plan area

WHEATON, MD The Montgomery County Planning Department announced the launch of the Visioning Phase of the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan. The community is invited to attend virtual and in-person events to share ideas for the future of the Fairland and Briggs Chaney plan area. This phase will kick off with a virtual Visioning Workshop on June 27.


Most pressing challenge in Montgomery County is poverty concentration and not displacement

WHEATON, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) presented an analysis of neighborhood change to the Montgomery County Planning Board at their meeting on Thursday, May 19. Montgomery Planning staff briefed Planning Board members on the research project which looks at changes in the economic and racial composition of Census tracts across the region with a focus on Montgomery County. The two most notable findings are 1) the neighborhood change trend in most urgent need of addressing in Montgomery County is poverty concentration – and not displacement, and 2) new housing construction is associated with diverse, inclusive neighborhood economic growth.  The work is based on the methodology developed by the University of Minnesota and has been updated and advanced by Montgomery Planning’s Research and Strategic Projects Division.


Montgomery Planning will provide background on the study, and initial strategies to advance the vision of the 2012 Wheaton CBD and Vicinity Sector Plan

WHEATON, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, will hold a community open house for the Wheaton Downtown Study on June 14, 2022 (4 – 7:00 p.m.) at M-NCPPC’s Wheaton Headquarters Auditorium (2425 Reedie Drive, Floor 2, Wheaton, MD 20902). At the open house, Montgomery Planning staff will provide an overview of the purpose of the study, discuss strengths, opportunities and challenges within the Wheaton Central Business District, and present initial strategies to further the implementation of the 2012 Wheaton CBD and Vicinity Sector Plan. The open house is in-person only and the presentation will be made available on demand.


 Montgomery Planning is celebrating Bike Month in May by participating in Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 20. Montgomery Planning staff will be stationed at bicycling pit stops in Pike and Rose, Rockville-Fallsgrove Village Center, and Veterans Plaza in downtown Silver Spring.

The regional Bike to Work Day events are organized by Commuter Connections, a division of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and the Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA). Bicyclists are invited to join convoys led by experienced cyclists and commute to their workplaces. Montgomery Planning will be promoting the latest on the implementation of the approved Bicycle Master Plan for Montgomery County, Vision Zero efforts and ongoing master plan efforts.


Montgomery County’s first AAPI Heritage Project is examining the history of AAPI county residents as early as the 1900s By Karen Yee, published on MontgomeryPlanning’s Department Blog

Of the 86,000 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the nation’s repository of historic structures, sites, buildings, districts and objects that are deemed significant to American history, less than 8% relate to Asian Americans and other underrepresented communities. In Montgomery County, where 15% of residents are Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI), there is only one locally designated resource associated with AAPI heritage, the Pao-Chi and Yu Ming Pien House. Even this house was only recently recognized—it is located within the Potomac Overlook Historic District, designated in April 2022. In order to address this disparity, Montgomery Planning’s Historic Preservation Office applied for and was awarded a non-capital grant by the Maryland Historical Trust in 2021 to identify historical and cultural resources associated with AAPI communities in Montgomery County.


Montgomery Planning’s Historic Preservation Office staff briefed the Planning Board on preliminary research findings and ongoing work to identify historically and culturally significant sites to the county’s AAPI communities

Wheaton, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department provided an update on the county’s first Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Projectto the Montgomery County Planning Board at its May 5 meeting. During the presentation, which was held in AAPI Heritage Month, staff from Montgomery Planning’s Historic Preservation Office highlighted the necessity of the project due to a critical underrepresentation of AAPI heritage in local, state, and federal inventories of historic resources.


The Montgomery County Planning Board and the Montgomery County Planning Department have announced their May 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. For accessibility accommodations, contact us.


Report will serve as the foundation, along with community feedback, for plan recommendations

The Montgomery County Planning Department presented the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan Existing Conditions Report to the Montgomery County Planning Board on April 21, 2022. The Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan will update a portion of the 1997 Fairland Master Plan by identifying goals, policies and strategies to address community challenges, with a focus on a portion of the US 29 corridor between the Paint Branch stream valley and Greencastle Road.


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