Public event at Silver Spring Civic Center and meetings with planners explore the challenges, applications and regulatory issues associated with design guidelines
Silver Spring, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, invited nationally recognized urban design and planning expert Noré Winter to discuss community design guidelines with staff, residents and the Planning Board from Tuesday, January 27 through Thursday, January 29. This initiative is part of a broader effort to implement design excellence throughout the County.
“Montgomery County deserves to have the highest quality design reflecting its educated citizen base and sophisticated public policy,” said Planning Director Gwen Wright. “Developing design guidelines as part of our master plans is an important step that we have been taking toward improving the quality of life in all our communities. Noré is helping us to focus on the best ways of creating new and more effective guidelines for buildings, streetscapes and neighborhoods.”
On January 27, Winter met with planning staff to talk about the creation and implementation of effective design guidelines and then presented ideas to the public at the Silver Spring Civic Center. Following his public presentation, a discussion was held with panelists John Carter, Chief of the Area 3 Team and one of the leaders in generating guidelines in the Planning Department; William Kirwan, a Bethesda architect and Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission Chair, and Karen Kumm Morris, a landscape architect who recently served on the Arlington Planning Commission in Virginia. For a recap of the presentation including videos and presentation materials, check out the Montgomery County Planning Department Design Excellence page.
In a morning meeting with planning staff on January 28, Winter discussed issues relating to the creation of design guidelines, including neighborhood context, building massing and transitional zones in residential areas. An afternoon session focused on project review and implementation of guidelines through master plans and zoning regulations.
Winter’s presentation to the Planning Board on January 29 recommended the creation of easy-to-use guidelines that can reinforce County policies, inspire high quality development while maintaining flexibility, and help create a climate for investment that generates value for our neighborhoods and community as a whole.
“We’re seeing communities all across the country using design guidelines to create identity and enhance livability,” said Winter, who stressed that there can be flexibility in applying the standards. “You want a strong set of principles on which to anchor your decisions, but leave room for new design approaches.”
Next steps in the Planning Department’s Design Excellence Initiative include drafting design guidelines for active master plans (Downtown Bethesda, Westbard, Greater Lyttonsville, and Montgomery Village). As a result of the planners’ recent consultation with Mr. Winter, these documents will include greater detail and guidance for achieving community goals and ideals.
Another goal of the Design Excellence Initiative is to consider the creation of a Director’s Design Advisory Panel. This group of community members and urban design experts would make recommendations to the Planning Director about best practices related to the design of buildings, public spaces and streetscapes.
Review more details on the Montgomery Planning Department’s Design Excellence Initiative.
About Noré Winter
President of Winter & Company in Boulder, Colorado, Noré Winter specializes in developing guidelines for communities with distinctive natural settings and traditional neighborhoods at the urban, suburban and rural levels. He has worked on projects in 48 states for both local governments and federal agencies, and from large cities to small private developments.
Winter is frequently a featured speaker at conferences sponsored by organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Park Service and American Planning Association. From 1992-1996, he served as Chairman of the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions.