October 23, 2015
 
Planning Board Agenda
Attend or watch the Montgomery County Planning Board Thursday, October 29. View the full agenda for that meeting here.
Montgomery County Planning Department's First Annual Design Excellence Award and Citations Announced at Gala on October 22

The Montgomery County Planning Department announced the winners of its first annual Design Excellence Award competition at the Celebrate Design reception, held on Thursday, October 22 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Silver Spring Civic Building 
(1 Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring, MD).

Montgomery County Council President George Leventhal and Councilmembers Nancy Floreen and Hans Riemer presented the top award and citations, along with Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson. Keynote speaker Christopher Leinberger, a real estate expert and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, made the business case for design excellence. Learn more here.
Help Us Scare the Heck out of People (and earn Student Service Learning hours)

We are looking for volunteers to be zombies, ghosts, monsters and witches Wheaton Regional Park's Haunted Train! Learn more.
Latest Update to Subdivision Staging Policy Discussed at Public Open House

The Montgomery County Planning Department has started to update the Subdivision Staging Policy (formerly called Growth Policy) for review and approval by the County Council in 2016. The intent of the Subdivision Staging Policy is to ensure public facilities, particularly schools and roads, are adequate to meet the needs of new development and growth.

View the short recap video from the October 19 Subdivision Staging Policy Open House.

View the Overview presentation from the October 19 Subdivision Staging Policy Open House.

Learn more here.
Celebrate Them Apples at Cider Days
 
Come out to Locust Grove Nature Center and learn about cider, apple varieties, and apple history. Sample lesser-known apple types, and try your hand at pressing cider. For more info, click here.
Montgomery County Planning Department Invites Community to Attend Rock Spring Community Meeting on October 28
 
The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is inviting residents, business owners and anyone with an interest in the Rock Spring area to attend a community meeting hosted by the Rock Spring Master Plan team on Wednesday, October 28 at  Walter Johnson High School (6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, MD) from 7 to 9 p.m. RSVPs are encouraged, but not required. Learn more here.


View the Rock Spring Master Plan Scope of Work presented to the Planning Board on October 8.

View the Rock Spring Master Plan Scope of Work presentation from October 8.
Montgomery Modern Book to be Launched at Writer's Center on October 30
 
The Montgomery County Planning Department is hosting a launch party for the new book, Montgomery Modern: Modern Architecture in Montgomery County, Maryland, 1930-1979, on Friday, October 30 from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Writer's Center (4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD).

The event, sponsored by the Planning Department's Historic Preservation Office, is free. Kelly will give a presentation about the County's midcentury modern architecture and attendees will have an opportunity to purchase a signed book. RSVPs are encouraged but not required. Learn more here. 
Kingsley School House Free Tours! Sunday, November 1, 1 - 4 p.m.

Come take a free interpretive tour of this late 19th-century one room schoolhouse - one of the only ones still in existence in Montgomery County. The site is furnished to reflect its historic appearance in the late 1920s based on oral histories taken from former students throughout the years. No registration required. Watch this video for a sneak peek!
MARC Rail Communities Plan Will Launch on November 4 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Public Open House in Germantown

The Montgomery County Planning Department is launching the MARC Rail Communities Plan, focused on the Boyds and Germantown stations, on Wednesday, November 4, 2015 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Upcounty Regional Services Center (12900 Middlebrook Road #1000, Germantown, MD). RSVPs are encouraged but not required.


The MARC Rail Communities Plan centers on the historic communities of Boyds and Germantown in western Montgomery County. The stations are located approximately three miles apart along the Brunswick line of the Maryland Transit Administration's MARC system. Each of the two communities has a distinct development pattern and requires a different approach to land uses, design and multimodal access around the stations. Learn more here.
Maryland Emancipation Day Celebrations
On November 1, 1864, Maryland freed by a new state constitution all those held in bondage within its boundaries.

Join us the weekend of November 6 - 8 to celebrate Maryland Emancipation Day at historic sites throughout the county! Hike on the Underground Railroad, tour 1800s log cabins, visit a museum dedicated to the legacy of slavery, enjoy living history demonstrations and eat great food! Park events on Saturday and Sunday are FREE, unless otherwise noted, and open to the public. Visit HistoryInTheParks.org. 
Park Projects:
 

  • UPDATE: Indian Spring Terrace Local Park: Renovations to the parking lot to improve access will continue through November. Park facilities will remain open but parking lot will be closed. Park users should use caution around construction sites.  
  • Sligo Creek Parkway: WSSC Project will require the parking lot on Sligo Creek Parkway south of Wayne Avenue to be closed for 6-9 months. For more info on WSSC projects in the park, please click here.
  • Ellsworth Urban Park:  Park improvements are underway to construct a new Dog Park. Parts of the park will be inaccessible to the public as work includes improved storm water management and better access to park. Tennis Courts and playground will not be affected. Click here for more info.
  • Waters Landing Local Park: Playground renovations are underway requiring playground to be closed this fall. Work will include storm water management and improved access to park facilities. Public should use caution getting to tennis courts and picnic shelter as paths will be repaved. Click here for more info.
  • Layhill Village Local Park: Improvements are scheduled for better access through October. Portion of the work will require the tennis courts to be temporarily closed. A part of the parking lot and access to the trail will also be closed. Access to the Mid-County Recreation Center and playground will not be affected.
  • NOTICE: Battery Lane Urban Park: Scheduled tennis court improvements have begun closing the courts this fall.  Work, will include the repaving of the asphalt court and temporary relining of court and is scheduled to be completed by November, weather permitting. Permanent color coating of court to be completed in the spring. For further information, please contact click here. 
  • Accessibility Improvements at Potomac Community Neighborhood Park, Pleasant View Local Park, Damascus Regional Park, and Ayrlawn Local Park. For more information on these and other accessibility projects please visit: Accessibility Information for Montgomery Parks webpage.
Trail Work in Parks
 
Bikers and Runners should use caution as improvements are taking place on several trails in Montgomery Parks:
  • NEW: Black Hill Trail Connector Project to build a new shared-use natural surface six-mile trail along the western side of Little Seneca Lake in Black Hill Regional Park is scheduled to begin this fall. Numerous construction phases will take place over the course of the next year until the trail is complete.  
  • Rock Creek Trail work continues on the trail in the Rock Creek Regional Park area around Baltimore Road and Norbeck Road begins this October. Project will require partial closure of trail for bridge work, stream work and the repaving of the trail leading to bridge. A detour will be posted when trail repaving begins. Watch for detour signs and use caution around work areas.
  • Capital Crescent Trail tree work continues south of Dorset Avenue to the DC Line with trail access intermittently interrupted. Please watch for flaggers and use caution around work areas.
  • Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail Storm water management work is scheduled to continue this fall, between Franklin Street and Knowles Avenue. Trail will be intermittingly closed. Please follow detours.
  • Western Piedmont Trail is closed below Hyattstown Mill where the trail crosses Little Bennett Creek for installation of a new bridge. Work is expected to continue for a year.
  • Paint Branch Trail will have restricted use between Randolph Road and Fairland Road due to WSSC work.  
For more information on Montgomery Parks Trails please visit www.MontgomeryTrails.org.
Trail Sign Installation Project on Rock Creek Trail
 
Signage Installation for better wayfinding on the trail and adjacent neighborhood trail connectors leading to main trail continues south on the 14 mile Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail. Please use caution around work areas scheduled to go from Rock Creek Regional Park- Lake Needwood to the DC Line. For more information, click here.
Brookside Gardens Parking Update
 
Parking at Brookside Gardens for the Wings of Fancy Exhibit and general garden access may be limited, due to ongoing construction. Visit parking alternatives and the Garden Gateway project for more information.
Watch: Subdivision Staging Policy Update
 
The Subdivision Staging Policy is being update in Montgomery County. Watch this short video to find out why it is so important.
Watch: Interview With Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson
 
Find out what Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson had to say about some of the plans and projects in Montgomery County in this extend interview. Watch here.

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