Planning
SILVER SPRING – Have an opinion about a plan that would bring rapid transit to Montgomery County? If so, mark your calendar for a May 16 public hearing scheduled by the Montgomery County Planning Board.
The public hearing is to invite input on the draft Countywide Transit Corridors Plan, which recommends a system to place high-quality buses in the county’s most congested areas – inside-the-Beltway communities, suburban activity centers and highly traveled commuter corridors. The draft plan recommends 10 transit corridors spanning 79 miles.
Along with forecast population increases, Montgomery County is expected to add more than 200,000 jobs over the next 30 years without the ability to expand roadway capacity. For the last two decades, policy-makers and planners have encouraged alternative modes of travel to reduce congestion.
BRT provides a flexible, cost-effective alternative to congested roadways, planners say, by offering reliable, fast connections in areas where development and density is not high enough to warrant rail. Planners focused on creating transit connections to Metro’s Red Line, the planned Purple Line and MARC.
The plan also makes recommendations to improve accessibility for bicycles, pedestrians, and train riders, such as designating bicycle-pedestrian priority areas around major stations and adding a third track on part of the MARC train’s Brunswick Line.
The Planning Board will begin a detailed review of the plan in the weeks following the public hearing, before revising and finalizing a new version for transmittal to the County Council in the summer.
Sign up to speak at the public hearing at www.montgomeryapps.org/planning_board/testify.asp; at date prompt, scroll to May 16.
The Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan will amend the Master Plan of Highways, which will be renamed the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways.
Who:
Montgomery County Planning Board
What:
Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan public hearing
When:
6 p.m. Thursday, May 16
Where:Park and Planning Headquarters auditorium
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring
Learn more:http://tinyurl.com/3ce9rlh
SILVER SPRING – Following months of deliberation on revisions to the Montgomery County Zoning Code, the Planning Board has begun considering the implementation of the proposed changes. Their primary focus: to present the rationale for zone conversions, review how the new zones will actually be applied on the ground, and highlight the most significant changes to uses and development standards.
The Board scheduled numerous sessions in the last month and in the next few weeks to evaluate implementation strategies for the proposed Zoning Code. A public hearing on the preliminary Planning Board draft will be held from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday. In May, the Board will send the revised Zoning Code and implementation approach to the County Council for consideration.
Starting last fall, the Board held dozens of worksessions and public hearings on revisions to the text of the Zoning Code, a multi-year effort to modernize an ordinance that has not been redrafted in a comprehensive way since the 1970s.
The process to revise the code began in 2009, starting with a thorough analysis of the existing code followed by drafting a revised code, section by section. Each draft was reviewed and revised with input from a Planning Board-appointed Zoning Advisory Panel as well as residents and stakeholders who interacted with staff at more than 80 public meetings. The resulting draft contains new and existing zones, a consolidated table of uses – some of which have been modernized and/or consolidated with similar uses – updated development standards, and clearer rules for development review.
The implementation work covers the county zoning map and how it would change under the new Zoning Code. Anyone interested in the proposed changes to the code and how they will be implemented is welcome to attend upcoming Planning Board meetings and to offer comments before the draft is finalized and transmitted to the Council for consideration.
Learn more about the the Planning Board schedule.
Who: Montgomery County Planning Board
What: Zoning Revision public hearing
When: 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 23
Where:
Park and Planning Headquarters auditorium
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring
# # #
SILVER SPRING – As planners continue to work on an amendment to the 1994 Clarksburg Master Plan to address the Ten Mile Creek area, the Planning Board has scheduled a public session on Wednesday, April 17 to hear from the public on the plan in progress.
Planners, charged with drafting an amendment to balance development goals approved in 1994 with modern-day concerns about water quality in the Ten Mile Creek watershed, on Thursday presented an analysis of environmental impacts to the Board. The analysis focuses on development scenarios and how they might affect water quality.
The 1994 plan guides Clarksburg’s evolution from a rural crossroads to a vibrant town surrounded by open space. Land use recommendations in the plan weigh the need to protect sensitive environmental resources against higher densities that would warrant transit service.
Development in Clarksburg is managed by a staging plan that balances development with infrastructure like roads and schools. The staging plan highlights the need to undertake significant environmental monitoring before allowing development in the Ten Mile Creek watershed.
On Thursday, staff, working with a consulting team, presented the results of computer models measuring the impact of development on water quality. The development scenarios run in the model used Environmental Site Design, or state-of-the-art stormwater collection techniques. The models simulate storm events and measure impact on stream flow and other water quality indicators.
Board members directed staff to study more development scenarios for environmental analysis as well as its effect in different locations in the watershed. The Board also scheduled a public session in response to property owners interested in building in the area and environmental groups who would like to discuss the scenarios and analysis approach.
Who: Montgomery County Planning Board
What: Clarksburg Master Plan Limited Amendment for the 10 Mile Creek Area public session
When: 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 17
Where:
Park and Planning Headquarters auditorium
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring
Sign up to speak at the public session.
SILVER SPRING – Owners of historic homes in Montgomery County who want to do their part to lessen energy usage have an opportunity to participate in a free home audit available through the Planning Department’s Historic Preservation Section.
Thanks to a $9,000 grant from the Maryland Historical Trust, historic preservation planners will run the local Energy Efficiency Initiative for selected owners of eight-10 historic homes in the county. There are more than 3,000 homes designated historic on the county Master Plan for Historic Preservation or located in a designated historic district.
The audits will reveal a household’s energy usage and recommend measures to conserve energy. Armed with conservation strategies, homeowners can see real savings on utility costs.
Planners hope to include properties from across the county representing a variety of historic home types. Properties will be selected for the audits based on location, age, size and materials used in construction of the residence as well as when applications are submitted.
Learn more and download an application. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. May 10.
The audits, valued at $500 per home, consider heating and cooling systems, water, electricity, air quality and other factors to identify ways to save energy in homes that may have unique challenges. Improving home energy efficiency is particularly important, since buildings account for about 40 percent of all U.S. energy used.
Constructed differently from modern buildings, historic homes, may require special attention when considering how to improve energy performance. Along with audit results, homeowners will receive information about incentives – tax credits, grants and rebates – available to owners improving local historic resources.
Audit findings and trends will be featured in a report and case studies at the conclusion of the Energy Efficiency Initiative.
# # #
SILVER SPRING – Take a look around and it’s easy to see that cycling is booming. The roads of Washington, D.C. are crisscrossed with bike lanes, and the District-based Capital Bikeshare program bills itself as the largest in the nation.
To delve into how good planning equates to safe, accessible, enjoyable cycling, Virginia Tech professor Ralph Buehler will present at the Montgomery County Planning Department’s speaker series on Tuesday, April 9. His talk, Making Cycling Irresistible: Lessons from Europe and North America, will link transportation and land-use policies with bike use.
Co-editor of the recently published book City Cycling (MIT Press), Buehler will report on cycling trends and policies in North American, European, and Australian cities and tie those to how planners and local government officials can promote cycling in their communities.
In his book and classes, Buehler contends that cycling should not be limited to those who are highly trained, extremely fit, and daring enough to battle traffic on busy roads. His presentation will describe ways to make cycling feasible, convenient, and safe for commutes to work and school, shopping, and other daily transportation needs.
Specifically, Buehler’s presentation will offer information on:
- cycling safety
- bikeways and bike parking
- integrating cycling with public transportation
- promoting cycling for everyone
Buehler is assistant professor of Urban Affairs & Planning and a Faculty Fellow with the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech in Alexandria, VA. Originally from Germany, Buehler’s research focuses on comparing transportation and land-use policies in Western Europe and North America and how policies affect travel behavior. In 2008, Buehler’s dissertation comparing German travel behavior and transportation policy was selected as the best planning dissertation by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.
Continuing education credits (1.5 hours) have been approved for planning professionals.
Who:
Ralph Buehler, Assistant Professor of Urban Affairs and Planning, Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech
What:
Making Cycling Irresistible: Lessons from Europe and North America
When:
7 p.m. Tuesday, April 9
Where:
Park and Planning Headquarters auditorium
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring
SILVER SPRING – How challenging is it to file a development application with the Montgomery County Planning Department?
Applicants would attest that it is a big task indeed, requiring filing paperwork for up to 20 submittal items, from a forest conservation plan to a traffic study. To accommodate reviews by representatives from several county and state agencies, applicants must deliver multiple copies of each of those 20 documents.
Starting today, that process got easier for two types of applications with the launch of ePlans, the Planning Department’s new online submittal and review system. Developers will file all application materials for preliminary and site plan applications electronically through ePlans. The applications will remain in electronic form for agency reviewers, negating the need for multiple copies and streamlining the time and cost required to transfer paper around the county and state.
Planners have long recognized the cumbersome nature of the application process. They initiated the development of an electronic system a few years ago, enough time for ePlans to be retrofitted for the Department’s needs and synchronized with an extensive existing database. The department-specific programming resulted in a system that meets the Department’s needs, from initial processing and record-keeping to archiving.
ePlans ensures transparency in the application review process – any user can see a reviewer’s comments in real time – as well as automated scheduling of tasks.
The Department accepts more than 300 applications a year, and reviewing proposed development is one of the Planning Board’s main functions.
On the ePlans webpage, applicants will find a user’s guide and instructions about how to prepare files for upload, as well as links to the application portal and ePlans log-in page. Fees will continue to be paid in person at Park and Planning Headquarters. Applicants will receive an email when fees are due after the application materials have been pre-screened.
# # #
SILVER SPRING – With Montgomery County’s population expected to grow by 30 percent by 2040, planners have drafted a series of recommendations to keep all of those people moving.
On Monday, the Planning Board will review a draft plan for a transit network targeted at some of the county’s most congested areas – inside-the-Beltway communities, suburban activity centers and highly traveled commuter corridors. The plan addresses bus rapid transit (BRT) – high-quality buses that run in dedicated lanes or get traffic signal priority, as well as bicycle and pedestrian needs.
Along with forecast population increases, Montgomery County is expected to add more than 200,000 jobs. For the last two decades, policy-makers and planners have encouraged alternative modes of travel to reduce congestion.
BRT provides a flexible, cost-effective alternative to congested roadways, planners say, by offering reliable, fast connections in areas where development and density is not high enough to warrant rail. The draft plan recommends 10 transit corridors spanning 79 miles. Options include dedicated bus lanes in the median or repurposing curbside lanes for bus use.
To determine which corridors warranted treatments to promote rapid transit, planners analyzed forecast ridership, traffic volumes, existing roadside development and planned land use changes. The plan recommends where busways would require replacing an existing traffic lane based on location – for example, downtown areas typically have limited land area in which to build new bus lanes – and on 2040 forecasts of ridership versus traffic demand. Transportation modeling showed an improvement in traffic speeds on a countywide basis with the introduction of BRT, even after converting some traffic lanes.
In some areas, such as Rockville Pike, where forecast ridership is as high as 2,500 people per hour in rush hour in the peak direction, planners recommend creating median busways by reducing the existing six traffic lanes to four. In other locations, such as northern New Hampshire Avenue, where fewer than 700 passengers are forecast to ride during rush hour, planners recommend mixing buses in traffic. Planners call for more detailed analysis during the planning and design process for each corridor to determine specific lane repurposing strategies and treatments.
As part of the plan, planners focused on creating transit connections to Metro’s Red Line, the planned Purple Line and MARC. They also addressed BRT station locations.
Planners also recommend designating bicycle-pedestrian priority areas around major stations and adding a third track on part of the MARC train’s Brunswick Line.
The Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan will amend the Master Plan of Highways, which will be renamed the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways.
Who:
Montgomery County Planning Board
What:
Review of Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan staff draft
When:
6 p.m. Monday, March 18
Where:
Park and Planning Headquarters auditorium
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring
SILVER SPRING – After reviewing an analysis from their planning staff and hearing testimony from the applicant and scores of residents, the Montgomery County Planning Board last night recommended denial of a proposed special exception to allow a 16-pump Costco gas station at the Westfield Wheaton Mall. The Board will forward its recommendations to the Hearing Examiner for a hearing and a final decision by the county Board of Appeals.
A special exception permits a use that is not allowed by right in a given zone, but may be approved if certain conditions are met. The public hearing by the Hearing Examiner is scheduled for March 11, 15, 18 and 22.
Planning Board members, voting 3-2 to recommend denial of the special exception request, stated that a large gas station would run counter to the one of the main goals of the Wheaton Sector Plan, which is to encourage transit-oriented development. Led by Commissioner Casey Anderson, who made the motion to recommend denial, a majority of the Board agreed that the Costco gas station encouraged automobile use and development tied to vehicular travel rather than moving toward making development compatible with the Wheaton Metro station and planned rapid transit lines.
Anderson said transit is “the cornerstone” of the sector plan, which sets zoning, land use and outlines a 15-year vision for how Wheaton should grow and change. “We’re trying to go toward transit-oriented development, not away from it,” he said. Although the sector plan did not change most of the mall’s commercial zoning, Anderson said a mega-gas station near the new Costco store would nevertheless run contrary to the plan’s overall vision and goals by emphasizing car use.
Staff had recommended denial of the special exception request because, they said, the proposed gas station had the potential to create adverse health impacts for nearby residents due to the gas station’s location, size and the expected queuing of vehicles at the pumps. After researching air quality and other data, planners concluded that the applicant underestimated the health risks to nearby residents, citing the potential for idling vehicles to create a hot spot of emissions.
Of the approximately 50 people who testified before the Board last night, the majority requested that the application be denied. Many of those testifying were parents of students at the nearby Stephen Knolls School concerned about the respiratory health of their children. Those in support of the special exception said it would save car trips because they would not have to drive as far to fill up their tanks with discounted gas.
# # #
SILVER SPRING – To provide new perspective on planning issues facing Montgomery County, the Planning Board will host two planners in the next month who will speak about how to translate visions to on-the-ground successes.
The presentations are part of the Planning Department’s speaker series – free, informative sessions about ways to forge great communities.
Michael La Place, Jr. and Eileen Fogarty, who have directed planning efforts on both coasts, will describe their successes in implementing plans that made a difference in communities from New Jersey to California.
On Wednesday, La Place, planning director for Passaic County, N.J., will present Planning for Heritage Tourism: The Byways Plan for Passaic County, N.J., as an example of how well-executed urban design can boost economic development and help build community identity. As planning director of Passaic County, La Place managed the plan, which played up historic assets as a successful economic tool.
During La Place’s tenure, the Passaic County Planning Department has won two state awards from the American Planning Association, including a smart growth award for transit-oriented design for a commuter rail corridor.
Fogarty’s talk, From Plan to Reality: How Everyone Benefits, is scheduled for February 26 and will focus on the transition from concepts to real change. As planning director in Santa Monica, Calif., and Alexandria, Va., Fogarty oversaw plans that resulted in thriving urban transit centers. The result: multiple transportation options in established neighborhoods that enhance, not detract, from the community’s quality of life.
In Alexandria, Fogarty led the development of Eisenhower East, a 238-acre, 17-million-square- foot urban town center within walking distance of two Metro stations. In Santa Cruz, she managed the rebuilding of the town after the major earthquake of 1989.
Who:
Michael La Place, Jr., planning director, Passaic County, N.J.
Eileen Fogarty, president, The Fogarty Group
What:
Planning Department speaker series presentations
When:
Michael La Place: 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 20
Eileen Fogarty: 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 26
Where:
Park and Planning Headquarters auditorium
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring
Learn more:
# # #
SILVER SPRING – This week, some property owners in Silver Spring and Wheaton will be the recipients of new shade trees, courtesy of the Montgomery County Planning Department.
On Thursday, contractors will plant more than 30 beeches, oaks, elms and other native species to boost the amount of tree canopy in the areas of Montgomery County that need it most. Increasing the tree canopy brings a host of benefits, from reducing local greenhouse effects to providing an economic boon to businesses.
Planners and policy-makers have long made trees a priority in the county, with a strict Forest Conservation Law and Planning Board review of forest conservation plans during the development review process.
Yet, many of Montgomery County’s urban areas lack sufficient tree canopy cover, according to a 2011 analysis. The Planning Department-sponsored analysis, which used high-resolution aerial imagery to gather data on tree cover, revealed significantly lower cover in urban areas than most surrounding suburbs.
Why does that matter? Urban tree canopy improves water quality, reduces air pollution and decreases energy demand. Moreover, urban trees contribute to attractive, quality places that invite consumers to shop, dine and congregate.
Planners launched Shades of Green, which targets downtown Silver Spring, downtown Wheaton and the Montgomery Hills neighborhood, in September. By partnering with property owners to accept planted trees, planners are improving the look and feel of down-County urban districts. All trees will be three inches in diameter or greater, and come with two years of tree watering and maintenance. The Shades of Green website includes an application form for qualifying property owners.
The tree-planting program is financed through the Forest Conservation Fund, contributions paid during the development process to compensate for forest/tree loss and when tree-planting on site is impractical.
Property owners in the Central Business Districts of Silver Spring and Wheaton are encouraged to learn more and apply for trees .
# # #
RSS