May 1, 2015
 
Planning Board Agenda

Attend or watch the Montgomery County Planning Board Thursday, April
May 7. View the full agenda for that meeting here.

Wheaton Outdoor Living Room

 

Join the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County at Wheaton Veterans Park  on May 6 from 5-7 PM for a unique conversation! Explore and take a seat in an Outdoor Living Room where families, youth, residents and business owners will be invited to talk about Wheaton's needs, strengths, importance and more. Visit www.creativemoco.com/OutdoorLivingRoom for more information! 

Updated Concepts for Greater Lyttonsville Sector Plan Presented at April 29 Community Meeting

Topics discussed included recommendations for the four districts and new zoning proposed particularly near future Purple Line stations and Silver Spring business district
 

The Montgomery County Planning Department will hold a community meeting to discuss the concepts for the Greater Lyttonsville Sector Plan on Wednesday, April 29 at the Gwendolyn E. Coffield Community Recreation Center (2450 Lyttonsville Road, Silver Spring, MD).

 

Since the last public meeting on January 21, staff has been refining the Greater Lyttonsville Sector Plan to reflect community feedback about specific areas. Changes to the Sector Plan include:

  • Providing pedestrian and bicycle paths and connections across proposed Purple Line light rail tracks and around the Rosemary Hills-Lyttonsville Local Park;
  • Preserving, rather than rezoning, the majority of industrial areas;
  • Preserving single-family residential areas;
  • Proposing zoning changes primarily around future Purple Line stations and close to the Silver Spring central business district.

At the April 29 meeting, Planning Board member Natali Fani-Gonzalez introduced the goals of the Sector Plan before Planning Department staff presented more detailed plan concepts for four areas of Greater Lyttonsville and heard feedback from the community. Residents and business owners will have the opportunity to make additional suggestions about the proposals. The Greater Lyttonsville Sector Plan concepts will be presented to the Planning Board on Thursday, May 7. Learn more about the plan here.

Bicycle Master Plan Previewed on April 20 at Johns Hopkins Montgomery County Campus

Initial planning effort focuses on the area surrounding the future Corridor Cities Transitway.

 

The Montgomery County Planning Department hosted a community meeting on Monday, April 20 from 7-9 p.m. at the Johns Hopkins Montgomery County Campus to kick off an update to the Bicycle Master Plan, particularly as it relates to the planned Corridor Cities Transitway, a 15-mile bus rapid transit line extending from Shady Grove to Clarksburg.

 

At the meeting, County planners explained that they will be focusing on the areas surrounding the future Corridor Cities Transitway over the next few months to ensure the latest thinking in bicycle planning is reflected in the many projects now underway in the area. The goal is to develop a regional bikeway network plan for the Great Seneca Science Corridor area to maximize the coordination, connectivity and effectiveness among the various transportation modes. Learn more here.

County Planning Board Supports New Maryland Law on Designating Bicycle and Pedestrian Priority Areas

 

The Montgomery County Planning Department helped to initiate a new Maryland law requiring the State Highway Administration to act within one year on local designations of Bicycle-Pedestrian Priority Areas. Work on the newly enacted law began with a collaborative effort among County Transportation Planner Larry Cole, Maryland House Delegate Alfred Carr, Jr. and Kelly Blynn of the DC regional Coalition for Smarter Growth.

 

Maryland Senator James Rosapepe introduced the bill on February 6, 2015 and, on February 12, 2105, the Planning Board voted to support it. The final Senate Bill 371 was signed by Governor Larry Hogan on April 14, 2015.

 

Learn more here.

Downtown Silver Spring Design Excellence Tour

 

The Planning Board and others took a tour of Downtown Silver Spring to see the product of some of the plans they approved as well as get a better look at what it means to practice design excellence. Watch the recap here.
 

Japanese Delegation Visits the Montgomery County Department of Parks

 

View the recap video of a recent tour of Montgomery Parks with a delegation from Japan. The visiting group made up of Japanese parks officials toured the Capital Crescent Trail, Sligo Creek Trail and Brookside Gardens. The group visited with Chair Casey Anderson, Parks Director, Mike Riley and Parks Planner Rachel Newhouse to learn more about urban parks and promoting health. Watch the recap here.

Check Out The New Development Review Real-Time Tracker Promo

 

The Montgomery County Planning Department is coming out with new tools to better assist residents. Find out how easy it is to follow development review applications with the Real-Time Tracker with this promo!

Are You Ready for the Summer?

 

The 2015 Montgomery County Recreation and Parks Camps and Programs Guide is here! Registration is open and we have early bird specials to save $25 on select camps. www.MontgomeryParks.org/camps

View Infrastructure Forum Videos

 

View every presentation for March 7's Infrastructure Forum (sponsored by Council member Roger Berliner) at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.

  • Trail Volunteer Workdays throughout the spring! - Click here!
  • Bats are Back Mini-fest, May 15, Locust Grove Nature Center - Click here!
  • Summer Camp Counselors and other Nature Program Volunteering - Click here!
  • Underground Railroad and Oakley Cabin Tour Guides - Click here!