Monday, March 11, 2013
Projects are on the board's March 14 agenda.
Planning staff is expected to recommend approval, with conditions, a request for three lots for three, one-family residential units (one of which already exists), located at 15615 Riding Stable Road in Burtonsville, according to a department memo. *** The first work session for the Glenmont Sector Plan is scheduled, with a discussion for the board to provide guidance to staff. Possible topics in the discussion include land use, zoning and transportation, according to the meeting's agenda. *** County planning staff is expected to recommend the approval, with conditions, of a plan to redevelop 7535 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda at the March 14 meeting of the county Planning Board. According to a planning department memo: "The Applicant is …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
The county's zoning rewrite would allow a residential neighborhood to change, gradually, to diversify its housing stock.
The revisions in the works for Montgomery County's aging zoning code—which dates to 1977 and is more than 1,200 pages long—are meant, among other things, to help Montgomery County's residents age in place, architect and sustainability expert Carl Elefante said. In the planning department's December 2012 cable show Montgomery Plans, Elefante—who served on the planning department's advisory panel when planning staff drafted the zoning code rewrite—explained how the county's ambitious Zoning Rewrite Project would make it possible for residents to stay in their communities as they grow older. The zoning rewrite—which is entering into its final stages of revisions—is meant to allow for more variety in residence size and type within a …
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
A discussion of the county's recently updated Athletic Field Use Permit Policy has been postponed to a later date.
When the Montgomery County Planning Board meets on Thursday, board members will be in for a long day, according to the meeting's agenda. In the morning, the board will consider a revision to a property plat in the Bethesda neighborhood of Bradley Hills, and a revision to a property plat in the Churchill Town Sector of Germantown. Design guidelines for the Chevy Chase Lake Sector—a large development still in the planning stages—will be presented by county planners to the board. Planners are suggesting ways to make new buildings in the sector appear smaller through design tweaks, the use of traditional materials and other design methods, Patch reported. Next, the board will discuss a preliminary plan to re-subdivide an existing 11-acre lot …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Planning staff recommend that the board's comments on the proposed subdivision regulation amendments be sent to the county council for a public hearing on Jan. 22.
The Montgomery County Planning Board will consider three amendments to county subdivision regulations at its meeting on Thursday, Jan. 17, at the county planning headquarters at 8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. All three subdivision regulation amendments will be discussed in the morning portion (approximately 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) of the meeting, according to the meeting agenda. Planning staff recommend that the board's comments on the proposed amendments be sent to the county council for a public hearing on Jan. 22. The first amendment (SRA No. 12-02) regards platting exemptions for small parcels of land in Community Legacy Plan Areas. When small parcels of land in Community Legacy Plan Areas are developed, the platting requirements can be …
Monday, July 30, 2012
The traffic disasters on Rockville Pike and I-270 were enough to make you wish for an ATM that dispenses cupcakes.
If you weren't caught in massive backups on Rockville Pike or I-270 last week, consider yourself lucky. If you were –– heads up –– Montgomery County planners would like to change your usual view of the ubiquitous strip malls on your commute. It started Wednesday during rush hour when a fire at Marlo Furniture closed the Pike at Wootton Parkway and forced traffic into downtown. Flames were seen shooting through the roof of the giant box full of kindling in the form of mass-produced home furnishings. Then Thursday, a truck hauling thousands of gallons of Budweiser rolled over and hit a guardrail near the Old Hundred Road exit on I-270. Crews spent nearly seven hours cleaning things up, perhaps while crying over spilt beer. Where would …
Monday, May 21, 2012
Community members can learn more at public meetings Monday afternoon and evening.
The Montgomery County Planning Department for the Maryland-National Park and Planning Commission has proposed a zoning text amendment that would make it easier for county residents to operate accessory apartments without always going through an extensive special exception approval process. What is an accessory apartment? The county defines it as "a completely independent living facility with separate cooking, eating, sanitation and sleeping facilities that is either in or added to an existing single-family dwelling or in a separate accessory structure on the same lot as an existing dwelling." Community members can learn more about this proposed ZTA at two public meetings today, from 3-4:30 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Both meetings will be held in …
Friday, May 18, 2012
The Montgomery County Planning Board appointed Rose Krasnow to serve as interim director of the planning department, while the search continues for a permanent replacement for Rollin Stanley.
The Montgomery County Planning Board appointed Rose Krasnow to serve as the interim director of the county's planning department, according to a statement issued by the planning department Friday. Krasnow will begin directing the 130-member agency on Monday, following the departure of Director Rollin Stanley, who resigned last month. The board has begun a nationwide search for a permanent director, and intends to hire one within six to nine months, said Montgomery County Planning Board Chair Françoise Carrier. Krasnow has worked for the planning department since 2004. For the last year and a half, she directed the department’s Area 1 team, which crafts master plans and reviews development applications for the inner-ring communities around …
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Known nationally for his smart-growth strategies, the planning director will be tough to replace, a county councilwoman said.
Update (April 23, 2012): Rollin Stanley will leave his position as the director of the Montgomery County Planning Department to head the planning, development and assessment department of Calgary, Alberta. Original post (April 19, 2012): Montgomery County Planning Director Rollin Stanley announced his resignation Thursday, reported Maryland Juice. Stanley will leave his post in mid-May, The Gazette added. "When asked about the matter, [Montgomery County] Planning Board member Casey Anderson stated simply: 'He got a fantastic offer. A much bigger job,' " Maryland Juice reported. Anderson also provided details on Stanley's new position to Maryland Juice, saying, "It is a major city that has grown rapidly and is expected to continue growing …
ED
8:36 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
Commentous - this zoning text amendment only applies to "home owners", not renters - you have to live in the house in order to have an accessory apartment. Regardless, there are no plans to increase code enforcement regardless of where you live. It will hit the "lower-cost areas" such as Wheaton much harder, but it will hit Bethesda, Potomac, and Chevy Chase also and it is in those areas that … more ›