Planning
SILVER SPRING, MD – Rose Krasnow, chief of the Montgomery County Planning Department’s Area 1 team, was named interim director today by the Planning Board. She will begin directing the 130-member agency on Monday, following the departure of Director Rollin Stanley, who resigned last month.
Krasnow has worked at the Planning Department since 2004. For the last year and a half, she has directed the Department’s Area 1 team, which crafts master plans and reviews development applications for the inner-ring communities around the Beltway. Before that, Krasnow was chief of the former Development Review Division for six years.
In taking the director’s position, Krasnow will work closely with Deputy Director Piera Weiss and the rest of the department’s management team on managing and delivering master plans, and overseeing staff on reviewing development applications and completing the countywide Subdivision Staging Policy and the Zoning Rewrite Project, among other initiatives. She will be the Department’s main liaison with the Planning Board, County Council and other county agencies.
Stanley announced he was leaving in mid-April to head the Planning, Development and Assessment Department for Calgary, Alberta. Planning Board Chair Françoise Carrier, who announced Krasnow as interim director at a staff meeting this morning, said the Board has begun a nationwide search and intends to hire a permanent director in six to nine months.
Krasnow, a former three-term mayor of Rockville, has worked in both the public and private sectors. She began her career as a bond trader with Oppenheimer and Co., Inc. in New York City, before moving to the Washington, D.C., area. Her stint as the administrator for a Rockville homeowners association led to her decision to run for the Rockville City Council, where she served two terms before being elected Mayor. She also worked as a senior policy analyst in the Smart Growth area for the National Governors Association in 2002 and 2003.
Three times named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women, Krasnow also was honored by the Montgomery County Business and Professional Women’s Association in 2000 and was named Citizen of the Year in 2002 by the Rockville Chamber of Commerce.
Krasnow received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Washington University and a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
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SILVER SPRING – To inform residents about proposed regulations governing accessory apartments in Montgomery County, planners will host meetings on Monday, May 21 at Park and Planning Headquarters. The meetings provide an opportunity for residents to learn more and provide feedback on the draft regulations before the Planning Board considers them for a second time in June.
As Montgomery County housing costs continue to increase, the rental market is becoming increasingly attractive to people who cannot afford to buy a home or do not want to maintain one. Young professionals, seniors and others seeking to live in the suburbs may find accessory apartments built within homes or on single-family properties an attractive option.
Accessory apartments have been permitted throughout Montgomery County for decades. In the 1980s, county policymakers established accessory apartment provisions to provide more affordable housing for county residents. The units provide a source of income and/or allow family members, such as seniors, to stay in their homes with caregivers.
Now, accessory apartments are granted by special exceptions by the county Board of Appeals. In virtually all cases, applications for accessory apartment special exceptions are granted.
The proposed regulations, a Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) to be considered by the County Council after the Planning Board makes a recommendation, would better define accessory apartments and firm up the decision-making criteria now used in special exception cases. For example, the regulations would quantify the application process, limiting accessory apartments based on the location of existing units in the neighborhood. The proposed regulations also would allow small, attached accessory apartments to be licensed and approved by right, without the time or expense required by the special exception process. Small apartments would be up to 800 square feet; large units would range from 801 to 1,200 square feet.
Learn more about the proposed regulations and let planners know what you think at our community meetings. Each meeting will include a brief presentation by staff, a question-and-answer session, and additional time to interact directly with staff.
View the schedule on the accessory apartments webpage. Can’t attend? Let us know what you think by using our online comment board.
WHO: Montgomery County Planning Department
WHAT: Proposed regulations for accessory apartments
WHEN/WHERE:
Session 1: 3-4:30 p.m. Monday, May 21
Session 2: 7-9 p.m. Monday, May 21
Park and Planning Headquarters auditorium
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring
Public Hearing to take place May 24, at *9:00 a.m. at Montgomery Regional Office, 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910
*Time subject to change: Visit www.MontgomeryPlanningBoard.org/agenda/ for updates
SILVER SPRING, MD –The M-NCPPC Montgomery Planning Board invites the public to provide testimony (limited to three minutes) at a public hearing on the draft 2012 Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Plan Update. The hearing will take place:
Thursday, May 24 at 9:00 AM
M-NCPPC Montgomery Regional Office
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20912
The time of the meeting is subject to change. Updates will be posted at www.MontgomeryPlanningBoard.org/agenda/ where members of the public can also download the staff report, sign up to testify and listen to the live public hearing. Sign up to testify at www.montgomeryapps.org/planning_board/testify.asp. (select May 24 from the date pull down menu) or call 301-495-4600. Online sign-up closes 4 p.m. the day prior to the meeting.
Written testimony may be emailed to mcp-chair@mncppc-mc.org or mailed to Planning Board Chairman, 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910 and must be received 24 hours in advance of the meeting.
The 2012 PROS Plan is developed to analyze and prepare for future needs for park and recreation facilities and natural and history resource preservation, and develop specific service delivery strategies to meet these needs. The 2012 plan will include chapters on: Recreation and Parks, Natural Resource Conservation, Historic and Cultural Resources Preservation and Agricultural Land Preservation.
The 2012 PROS Plan Update is required under State law, and will build on earlier public comments and findings from the Vision 2030 Strategic Plan, finalized by M-NCPPC- Montgomery Parks and the Montgomery County Recreation Department in 2011.
Questions and written comments regarding the 2012 PROS Plan Update should be sent to MCP-PROSPlan2012@MontgomeryParks.org
M-NCPPC-Montgomery Parks, manages more than 35,000 acres of parkland, consisting of 416 parks. Montgomery Parks is part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), a bi-county agency established in 1927 to steward public land. The M-NCPPC has been nationally recognized for its high quality parks and recreation services and is regarded as a national model by other parks systems. www.montgomeryparks.org
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SILVER SPRING, MD—Leaders from M-NCPPC Montgomery Parks and Montgomery County gathered with members of the Germantown community this week at the site of the future Germantown Town Center Urban Park for a groundbreaking ceremony. Montgomery Parks Director Mary Bradford was joined by Montgomery Planning Board Member and Commissioner Casey Anderson, Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Floreen, Montgomery County Upcounty Regional Services Center Director Catherine Matthews, staff from U.S. Congresswoman Donna Edwards’ office and Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice’s office, as well as business leaders and residents from the area.
“This park has been a long time in the making and we are so pleased that all of the hard work and planning is now bringing it to the citizens of Germantown.” said Bradford. “We genuinely appreciate the patience and support from the community throughout this process. It shows that building a village center really takes a village.”
“This groundbreaking for the Germantown Town Center Urban Park is the culmination of years of hard work between Montgomery Parks, the County and the community,” said Councilmember Rice. “This is especially bittersweet for me because, as one of the first residents in Germantown Town Center, I was presented with a phenomenal environmentally-sensitive design that finalized the last piece of a vibrant Germantown Town Center.”
The Germantown Town Center Urban Park is slated for completion in 2014 and will be located on 8.8 acres of land adjacent to the Germantown Library on Century Blvd. The park will create plenty of inviting open space, as well as interpretive trails and boardwalks, gathering areas and enhanced wetland areas for education.
Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Floreen, pictured left, shares some thoughts about the park. (also pictured: Montgomery Parks Director Mary Bradford).
“This is a great day for Germantown,” said Councilmember Floreen. “The park completes the town center, making it not only a great place for dining, shopping and culture but now outdoor enjoyment as well. It makes Germantown Town Center the total package.”
The park will also feature public art components created by artist David Hess that will inspire the imagination and complement the cultural setting of the Library and Black Rock Arts Center while serving as gathering spaces.
Hess will create three large pergolas using over 14,000 feet of twisted stainless steel material formed atop six large natural boulders. The pergolas will create gathering places within a raised plaza overlooking a formal lawn and the existing wetlands. Hess will also build sculptural handrails and benches within the Park.
“I wanted to bring a natural looking form into this beautifully controlled space,” said Hess. “The twisted stainless steel can be welded together and is extremely durable. It gives the impression of something architectural in nature, like a nest or beaver dam. Simultaneously, visitors might even think it was somehow “grown” this way.”
The Germantown Town Center Urban Park will be passive in nature and ADA compliant for universal access. The park will feature a fully integrated stormwater management system and improvements to the pond and naturalized wetlands to nurture and protect the various plant and animal wildlife native to the region.
- Andy Frank Montgomery Parks project manager for Germantown Town Center Urban Parks joins Montgomery Parks Director Mary Bradford to celebrate the ground breaking.
“There are a surprising number of birds that visit the wetlands within the park throughout the year, and we wanted to make sure we were able to preserve this natural area within the developed town center,” noted Andy Frank, project manager for the park.
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SILVER SPRING – Once a quiet rural crossroads with a store, post office and not much else, Burtonsville has evolved over 150 years into the busy northern edge of the US 29 corridor. The challenging retail environment, aging streetscapes, poor street pattern, and limited sidewalks and bikeways have left Burtonsville without the attractive, connected community residents want.
Planners have drafted a vision for the Burtonsville Crossroads that emphasizes a complete community with a main street, public green and village center yet retains the area’s rural character. The plan envisions a mix of uses in the town center and connections that both move local traffic and encourage walking and cycling.
The staff draft of the Burtonsville Crossroads Neighborhood Plan goes to the Planning Board Thursday for a first look. The plan, reflecting input from members of the community for more than a year, recommends new mixed-use zoning, a series of street and trail connections, and parks and open space to protect the headwaters of the Patuxent River.
After reviewing the draft, the Planning Board will set a public hearing, likely in June, to invite testimony from residents, business owners and anyone interested in the future of Burtonsville. After the hearing, the Board will refine the plan in work sessions and send a draft to the County Council for consideration and eventual approval.
The plan prioritizes and coordinates future private and public projects. It establishes three areas, with the Main Street/Public Green the most visible, pedestrian-oriented place with retail, housing, services, a new street grid and a public gathering space off MD 198. The Village Center on local Route 29 would benefit from a new grid of streets and a better integrated Park and Ride lot, which, with 500 spaces, is a regional bus transit hub.
For both areas, proposed rezoning from commercial only to mixed commercial and residential uses would encourage redevelopment with homes, providing residents with easy access to jobs and services.
The Rural Edge area in the northern part of the plan area should remain at a low density to protect the tributary headwaters of the Patuxent River Watershed. The plan recommends placing stricter limits on the amount of paved surfaces for new development in the area, from 10 to 8 percent.
Planners develop master and sector plans to create a framework for each community designed to last 15 to 20 years. Those plans help policy-makers – such as the Planning Board and County Council – develop land use strategies and decide on proposed development.
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SILVER SPRING – Planners are beginning work on a community plan for an area called White Flint 2 that lies between White Flint and the Rockville city limits. Yesterday, the Planning Board approved a scope of work that establishes the plan goals.
White Flint 2 is ripe for planning thanks to myriad factors: the community straddles Rockville Pike, which has been identified for change – both in a countywide study of rapid transit and the sweeping vision for a pedestrian-friendly boulevard in the 2010 White Flint plan. Moreover, recent development at the nearby Twinbrook Metro Station and a proposed new MARC train station will create spinoff effects for the area.
The plan will analyze land use, transportation and urban design in that changing context. It also will address the future of one of the county’s few light industrial areas as well as what makes up an appropriate level of new development.
In addition to recommending changes to Rockville Pike in the plan area, planners also will analyze how proposed realignment of area roads, such as Old Georgetown Road and Executive Boulevard, will impact White Flint 2. They also plan to recommend ways to improve the area bicycle network and pedestrian environment.
Since school overcrowding, particularly at the elementary school level, remains a concern in North Bethesda, the White Flint 2 plan will consider school capacity issues.
Planners will host an open house late this spring to engage area residents and solicit their ideas, and will work closely with Rockville city staff, particularly on proposed changes to two miles of Rockville Pike. Stay in the loop as the plan develops by signing up for our community contact list.
The staff draft of the plan is expected to go to the Planning Board for consideration in early 2013, then to the County Council later that year.
Planners develop master and sector plans to create a framework for each community designed to last 15 to 20 years. Those visions help planners and policy-makers – such as the Planning Board and County Council – develop land use strategies and decide on proposed development.
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SILVER SPRING, MD – Rollin Stanley, who has directed the Montgomery County Planning Department for the last four years, announced his resignation last week to head the Planning, Development and Assessment Department for Calgary, Alberta, which consists of 800 employees.
The Canadian city of one million residents, the country’s third largest, recruited Stanley last winter after interviewing him several years ago for another position and after an international search. Stanley did not seek out the position, he said, but considered the offer too good to refuse because it provides the challenge of managing Calgary’s tremendous growth as well as professional opportunities for his wife, also a planner.
Stanley leaves the 140-member Planning Department after making his mark as a strategist for smart growth in a county that is expected to continue to be a magnet for new residents. Stanley not only strengthened the county’s vision for compact growth around Montgomery County’s existing and future transit stations, but he also developed tools to enable the right kind of development to occur.
Stanley oversaw development of the recently adopted Commercial Residential Zone, which allows a mix of uses to reduce driving and create pedestrian-oriented, dynamic communities. He directed the vision in the 2010 White Flint Sector Plan that is changing the face of the mid-county with exciting new building projects, and he has helped advance the countywide Zoning Rewrite Project to modernize an old and outdated code.
“We’re sorry to lose him,” said Planning Board Chair Françoise Carrier. “He motivated all of us with his ideas and energy, and he helped set a great course for the county. Our focus now is to keep up the momentum to implement the county’s vision for its future.”
Commissioner Casey Anderson expressed disappointment at losing Stanley, but said it was a chance to take on broader responsibilities and new challenges. “I would have loved to see him spend the rest of his career in Montgomery County, but I certainly understand why the Calgary opportunity is so attractive,” he said. “It’s a huge undertaking, and they are lucky to have someone with Rollin’s energy and creativity to take it on.”
Carrier said she hopes to hire a new director before the end of the year. In the next few weeks, the Board will make an announcement concerning interim management.
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SILVER SPRING – Property owners and community groups in Montgomery County interested in addressing issues of land use, zoning or other community priorities in their neighborhoods may now submit applications for minor master plan amendments to be considered by the Planning Board and County Council.
Master plans create a community framework designed to last 15 to 20 years. The vision of each master plan helps county decision-makers make policy and decide on proposed development. Each plan sets zoning land uses and includes analysis of transportation, community facilities, environmental assets and issues, and historic structures, among other elements.
With master plans updated just once every two decades or so, residents, community groups or property owners until now have been forced to wait many years to bring about small changes to land use or zoning in their areas. To address community needs more quickly, Planning Director Rollin Stanley devised a process for residents and others to achieve minor amendments to master plans. The small master plan amendment process was embraced by the Planning Board and, last week, by the County Council, which sets the Planning Department work program.
The amendment process is free and open to anyone who would like the Planning Board and County Council to revisit certain aspects of a master plan. Planners will review applications and make recommendations to the Board, which will hold a public hearing and then provide recommendations to the Council.
The Council will determine which amendments to add to the Department work program, which will occur twice yearly at the semi-annual report session. Minor master plan amendments would go through the same public review process as any master plan.
Navigate to our minor master plan amendment page to apply for amendments using a form and learn more about the selection criteria and evaluation process.
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SILVER SPRING – The County Council’s decision last week to approve a redevelopment plan for Wheaton includes relocating the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission-Montgomery County staff from offices in Silver Spring to downtown Wheaton.
Moving the Planning Board, Planning Department and administrative functions of the Department of Parks to a consolidated Wheaton headquarters would both improve the agency’s efficiency and help boost the local Wheaton economy, says Planning Board Chair Françoise Carrier. Moreover, she says that the effort invested between planners and the Silver Spring community two years ago in designing a new headquarters at the agency’s current site on Georgia Avenue is time well spent, as much of that knowledge can be transferred.
MNCPPC-Montgomery County headquarters potential location
Councilmembers last week approved a Wheaton redevelopment plan that features a 150,000- square-foot headquarters building for M-NCPPC on a parking lot bounded by Reedie Drive, Triangle Lane and Grandview Avenue. If it were to move forward, the project would take place in phases, and would be funded as part of the six-year county Capital Improvements Plan starting in 2013.
Three years ago, staff from the Department of Parks and Planning Department oversaw an effort to redevelop the MNCPPC-Montgomery County headquarters on Georgia Avenue into a new, mixed-use development called Silver Place. Silver Place would have housed both departments – now in separate office buildings about a mile apart – as well as the Planning Board.
The Silver Place plan called for structured parking and residences built on what is now a surface parking lot. A week-long public design workshop involved residents from Silver Spring, who reached consensus on how the property might develop. The workshop resulted in a set of goals, such as an emphasis on great design and a spacious public park populated with mature oak trees.
The Silver Place plans fell victim to the recession. Three years later, with changing priorities and an improving economic climate, Council members support moving the agency to Wheaton as a way to jumpstart the community’s economy with an infusion of more than 400 workers. In addition, officials hope the steady stream of customers who regularly visit the agency also will support the Wheaton community.
In Silver Spring, development of United Therapeutics, which has transformed Spring Street near the M-NCPPC headquarters, will help bring new office workers into the area, offsetting the economic impact of the agency’s potential move.
If the move takes place as proposed, the Planning Board will consider the possible sale of the Silver Spring property to help finance the new headquarters, or its possible use by another government agency. The Board will encourage any potential purchaser of the Georgia Avenue site to take into serious consideration the recommendations of the community design workshop in forming their redevelopment plans.
The potential new agency headquarters would also benefit from the work completed as part of the Silver Place project, such as a series of design and space requirements, planners said.
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SILVER SPRING – Planners are rewriting the Zoning Code to modernize antiquated, redundant zoning regulations and create new tools to help achieve goals in community plans. Attend one of six open houses scheduled around Montgomery County in April and early May to learn more about the project.
At the open house meetings, attendees can view graphics and other materials that explain what’s being considered, such as potentially reducing the number of zones and how new zones might apply in communities.
Planners have released several draft sections of the proposed Zoning Code, covering what’s permitted in each zone, how you can build, and the process by which development is reviewed and approved. In addition, planners have analyzed how to reduce or consolidate 123 existing zones into 30 proposed zones, working to ensure consistency with existing height and density rules as well as recommendations in each community master plan. Throughout the revised sections, planners have strived to make the code easier to use by adding diagrams and clearer text.
Participants at each open house will see exactly how what’s proposed applies to their neighborhood. Each meeting will provide information on six different master plan areas. See what master plan area applies to your property, or view a list of which master plans will be addressed at the open houses.
In 2007, the Montgomery County Council directed the Planning Department to undertake a comprehensive zoning ordinance rewrite. Last rewritten in 1977, the current 1,200-page code is viewed as hard to use, inconsistent and outdated. Planners began working with Code Studio, a team of nationally recognized consultants; a citizen panel, the Zoning Advisory Panel (ZAP); and other county agencies to improve the zoning code three years ago.
The Zoning Code Rewrite drafts continue to undergo review and revision as people provide input through the Department’s dozens of outreach efforts and as more details are discussed by the ZAP. Planners will release the preliminary draft of a complete, consolidated zoning ordinance this summer. Residents can comment now, over the summer, when the consolidated release goes to the Planning Board next fall and when the County Council holds hearings and worksessions in 2013.
WHO:
Montgomery County Planning Department
WHAT:
Zoning Rewrite Project Open Houses
WHEN/WHERE/DETAILS:
5-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 10
Park and Planning Headquarters
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring
Master plans: Capitol View, East Silver Spring, Forest Glen, Four Corners, North & West Silver Spring, Silver Spring Central Business District, Takoma Park
5-8 p.m. Thursday, April 12
Eastern County Regional Services Center
3300 Briggs Chaney Rd, Silver Spring
Master plans: Cloverly, Fairland, Kemp Mill, Sandy Spring/Ashton, White Oak
5-8 p.m. Monday, April 16
Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda
Master plans: Bethesda Central Business District, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Friendship Heights Central Business District, North Bethesda/Garrett Park, Potomac Subregion, Westbard, Woodmont Triangle
5-8 p.m. Monday, April 23
Upcounty Regional Services Center
12900 Middlebrook Road, Suite 1000, Germantown
Master plans: Agricultural & Rural Open Space, Boyds, Clarksburg, Damascus, Germantown (1989 and 2009)
5-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 24
Wheaton Regional Library
11701 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton
Master plans: Aspen Hill, Kensington/Wheaton, Olney, Upper Rock Creek, Wheaton Central Business District
5-8 p.m. Tuesday, May 1
Rockville Memorial Library, 2nd floor
21 Maryland Avenue, Rockville
Master plans: Gaithersburg & Vicinity, Great Seneca Science Corridor, Shady Grove, Twinbrook, White Flint
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