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About the Planning Board

The five-member Montgomery County Planning Board, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, works to maintain and improve quality of life in our community. Acting upon such issues as growth, transportation, environmental protection, agriculture, historial preservation and forest conservation, the Planning Board affects your everyday life. In fact, the Board is largely responsible for setting land use and protecting parkland resources throughout the 323,000-acre county.

 

The Planning Board, which usually meets each Thursday in the auditorium at 8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, welcomes public participation. Meet the Planning Board.

More specifically, the Planning Board:

  • Considers large- and small-scale plans for new development
  • Provides guidelines for the pattern and pace of future development
  • Develops and manages Montgomery County's nationally recognized 32,900-acre park system
  • Recommends to the County Council which sites receive historic designations

Converse with the Chairman

Chairman Royce HansonPlanning Board Chairman Royce Hanson launches a blog to exchange ideas about current parks, planning issues. Tell us what you think.

Learn more

  • The Montgomery County Planning Board has launched a cable show in partnership with County Cable Montgomery (CCM) to highlight the board's monthly activities. "Growing Right" covers the most important Planning Board decisions of the month in a lively format that includes interviews with board members and planners as well as shots on location.
  • Get the scoop on all projects underway by Montgomery County's Department of Parks and Planning Department in the Fall 2008 semi-annual report of activities. View all semi-annual reports.
  • Great communities don’t just happen! Learn how park staff and land-use planners acquire and manage parks, design thriving communities, establish environmental protections, and preserve working farms and cultural sites in "Building Great Communities," our educational video.
    View video stream | Request a copy (specify VHS or DVD)
  • Stay Informed! Subscribe to our e-newsletter
  • Meet Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson
  • See us on "Montgomery Plans!"
    Our current episode takes a look at the community of White Flint and how planners might revitalize the area with new gathering places, new streets and walking routes, and easy access to transit.
  • Sign up online to testify
    The Planning Board welcomes your input on items that come before them. We can accept speakers up to 10 days in advance of a Planning Board hearing.
  • Read our Rules of Procedure specifying how we run public hearings as well as how to testify before the Board.