2007 Growth Policy Study
What makes a community a great place to live?
Many Montgomery County residents would list hassle-free roads and uncrowded schools. Others also might mention convenient mass transit and rapid response times from public safety agencies.
The Montgomery County Planning Board helps ensure those basic amenities for both current – and future – residents. This spring, its professional planning staff began updating the guidelines that govern where new development takes place, matching that growth to the availability of public services like transportation and schools.
These guidelines are called the growth policy. The growth policy implements a 1973 law, the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance, which directs development to areas where public services are in place.
The 2007-2009 Growth Policy looks to:
- Strengthen transportation guidelines to better consider surrounding roads and transit
- Link the evaluation of school capacity to MCPS program capacity
- Expand the definition of public facilities to include the environment (water pollution, air pollution, etc), energy, and affordable housing
- Establish a better way to measure the impact of growth and propose a fair impact tax for developers
- Consider ways to raise the standards for well-designed communities
Below is a link to the 2007-2009 Growth Policy Resolution adopted by the County Council on November 13, 2007. In addition, a link is provided to the resolution stating the impact fee rates that were also adopted on November 13, 2007. For a summary of the growth policy actions, LATR/PAMR draft guidelines, policy area maps depicting school moratorium areas: Einstein, Kennedy, and Clarksburg clusters, a policy area map depicting PAMR mitigation requirements, and maps outlining the 1/2 mile MARC train boundary, see the chart below.
2007-2009 Growth Policy Legislation |
The adopted 2007-2009 Growth Policy Resolution is based on the Planning Board's recommendations: Toward Sustainable Growth for Montgomery County: A Growth Policy for the 21st Century. Below is a link to the Planning Board's recommendations as well as the accompanying cover letter written by Chairman Royce Hanson.
FINAL PLANNING BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS- TOWARD SUSTAINABLE GROWTH FOR MONTGOMERY COUNTY: A GROWTH POLICY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY |
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May 21, 2007 |
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May 21, 2007 |
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May 21, 2007 |
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May 21, 2007 |
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| History of the Growth Policy | May 21, 2007 |
| APFO Reform Part 1 | May 21, 2007 |
| APFO Reform Part 1 appendix | May 21, 2007 |
| APFO Reform Part 2 Transportation | May 21, 2007 |
| APFO Reform Part 2 appendix | May 21, 2007 |
| Infrastructure Financing | May 21, 2007 |
| A Vision for Sustainable Development in Montgomery County | May 21, 2007 |
| Design Excellence | May 21, 2007 |
Throughout the spring, the Planning Board heard from a diverse slate of planning experts about ways to guide growth. The growth management speakers series will continue this fall. For more information on upcoming speakers go to Excellence in Planning Speaker Series.
MEMOS PREPARED FOR THE PLANNING BOARD WORK SESSIONS |
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May 8, 2007 |
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May 10, 2007 |
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May 15, 2007 |
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May 15, 2007 |
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The Montgomery County Planning Department participated with graduate students in George Washington University's Public Policy and Public Administration Programs this spring. Two groups of students under the guidance of their professors and Planning Department staff researched, analyzed, and prepared reports on policy issues facing the County. The reports, titled: Considering Quality of Life in the Master Planning Process and Sustaining Smart Growth in Montgomery County are found below.
Additional links to research material:
- 2004 ADAC Report
- 2006 Highway Mobility Report
- APFO Maryland
- APFO Maryland Models
- APFO Schools
- This is Smart Growth
- M-NCPPC Quality of Life 2000
- LEED-ND Rating System
- Growth Managment and Affordable Housing, Part 1 Growth Management and Affordable Housing, Part 2
- MC Quality of Life--GWU Capstone Report
- Sustaining Smart Growth in Montgomery County- GWU Capstone Report
If you have questions about the growth policy, please contact:
Pamela Dunn, Planner Coordinator
Pamela.Dunn@mncppc-mc.org
301-650-5649
Remeber to check out the schedule for our Excellence in Planning speaker series.
