“2012 Park, Recreation and Open Space Plan” provides foundation to address the most pressing park and recreation issues associated with Montgomery County’s growing population.
SILVER SPRING, MD –The Montgomery Parks Department of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) unveiled its award-winning 2012 Park, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan today, providing a framework for the next decade for how Montgomery Parks will balance the need for open space and recreational facilities in a county that is becoming increasingly urbanized. The 2012 PROS Plan (with the companion Vision 2030 Plan) won the National Capital Area Chapter Planning Association Award for an Outstanding Regional or Comprehensive Plan. Key points of the plan include:
- Urban Parks: provide new development guidelines for six new types of urban parks and new urban park facility types, including civic greens, community open space, urban wooded areas and urban forms of dog parks, skate parks, and community gardens;
- Recreational Needs Analysis and Future Priorities: determine what types of facilities are in demand, and in which locations, to prioritize land acquisition, development and renovation;
- Natural Resources Stewardship: protect the County’s air, water, land, wildlife resources and natural beauty while managing growth;
- Cultural Resources Stewardship: continue to make historical, archaeological and landscape properties useful to residents and visitors, as well as consider selection of new cultural resources that become available;
- Agricultural Land Preservation: continue agricultural preservation programs by securing funding sources; preventing fragmentation of farmland to development; and allowing transfer of development rights from agricultural parcels to lands in designated growth areas.
“The 2012 PROS Plan has been developed over two years with the input of county residents, leaders, and staff,” said Brooke Farquhar, Supervisor, Park and Trail Planning in the Park Planning and Stewardship Division of M-NCPPC Montgomery Parks Department. “It builds on previous efforts and also incorporates several innovative ideas to ensure that the parks and recreation system meets the needs of our growing population and continues its major role in shaping Montgomery County’s high quality of life.”
A central new component of the 2012 PROS Plan is the creation of “Service Delivery Strategies” to ensure the “right parks” are put in the “right places.” The strategies are informed by the Vision 2030 Strategic Plan, a joint project of M-NCPPC Department of Parks and the Montgomery County Recreation Department. It recommends the type, number and location of lands and facilities needed by the Year 2022. The focus is on renovating and repurposing existing parkland and facilities to address needs while taking into consideration limitations on current resources.
Current and future plans for urban parks, trails, dog parks, community gardens, and other needed facilities will be guided by the 2012 PROS Plan.
About the 2012 Park, Recreation and Open Space Plan
The 2012 PROS Plan Update is required under State law, and builds 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.
About M-NCPPC and the Montgomery Department of Parks
M-NCPPC Montgomery Parks Department manages more than 35,000 acres of parkland, consisting of 416 parks throughout the County. The Department of 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 ranked as a national model of excellence in park and recreation management by other park systems and by the National Recreation and Parks Association. www.MontgomeryParks.org
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