SILVER SPRING – For drafting a county Growth Policy that goes beyond typical congestion management to focus on broader sustainability goals such as giving more residents access to transit, county planners won an international “best program” award from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) in early May.
ITE annually honors outstanding achievements in transportation engineering by recognizing organizations that develop innovative ways to improve transportation systems. The educational and scientific organization comprises nearly 17,000 transportation engineers and planners working in more than 90 countries.
The 2009-2011 Montgomery County Growth Policy breaks new ground by focusing on ways to encourage smarter, greener, more sustainable growth. The policy document features a new set of standards that allows developers who create a mix of uses near transit in energy-efficient buildings to reduce their development impact taxes by as much as 25 percent. The standards reinforce the idea that building near transit can reduce vehicle trips and that placing jobs, retail and other services near housing can eliminate or shorten driving times.
Along with other incentives for developers to reduce traffic demand from their new buildings, the 2009-2011 Growth Policy encourages more travel options for residents as well as more private investment in transportation infrastructure.
The Growth Policy, drafted bienially by the Planning Department, reviewed by the Planning Board and approved by the County Council, sets policies that deem where and when growth can occur based on the adequacy of public services like roads and schools.
Planning Director Rollin Stanley said he was pleased to receive an award that recognizes how the latest Growth Policy emphasizes sustainability and promotes healthier lifestyles by encouraging compact mixed-use development near transit.
The 2009-2011 Growth Policy encourages the best kind of infill development, a crucial strategy in a county where only 4 percent of buildable land remains undeveloped but 200,000 new residents are expected in the next 20 years.
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