Montgomery County
Planning Department
2425 Reedie Drive, 14th Floor
Wheaton, MD 20902
Planning Department
2425 Reedie Drive, 14th Floor
Wheaton, MD 20902
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Sandy Spring Rural Village Plan
The Montgomery County Council approved the Sandy Spring Rural Village Plan at their regularly scheduled Tuesday meeting, February 24, 2015. All nine Councilmembers unanimously voted to approve the Plan.
The Approved and Adopted Plan is available and can be found here.
Plan Highlights
In a previous plan, the 1998 Sandy Spring/Ashton Master Plan, the "rural village" character in Sandy Spring was recognized. The village center is of great value to the community. The 1998 Plan proposed the creation of a village center concept for Sandy Spring "that will help ensure that the village center serves its role as a focal point of community life." The concept developed in 1998 for the Sandy Spring village center included the following elements: development of a new fire station as a community focal point, realignment of Brooke Road to improve access, a village green concept, and resolution of parking issues.
The Sandy Spring Rural Village Plan, launched in the fall of 2013, provides an opportunity to further preserve the rich cultural history of the area, identify connections and mobility gaps, and design civic spaces and a village center for the community to gather. Scope of Work
This Plan follows the guidance in the 1998 Master Plan and determine how to best connect the new fire station into a village center concept, design a village green, and determine the feasibility of realigning Brooke Road using the following three goals:
- Preserve- the rich cultural history of the area
- Design- a civic space and village center
- Connect- the community to the village center and examine right-of-way issues
The Sandy Spring Rural Village Plan also examines land use and potential zoning changes. The Plan did not undergo a large scale transportation modeling process, but it examines traffic studies along MD 108 and intersection data.
The Approved and Adopted Plan is available and can be found here.
Montgomery Plans segment
The Sandy Spring Rural Village Plan held their Public Hearing on Sept. 4. Check out this video airing in the current edition of Montgomery Plans featuring planners Kristin O'Connor and Roberto Duke about the progress of the plan:
Background
The Sandy Spring/Ashton Master Plan (1998) proposes creation of a village center concept for Sandy Spring "that will help ensure that the village center serves its role as a focal point of community life." The Plan recommended that the concept focus on three elements:
- design and construction of a new fire station that would serve as a community focal point;
- realignment of Brooke Road to improve both pedestrian and vehicular circulation in the village center; and
- the creation of a village green.
The fire station has been built, but it is away from the intersection of Brooke Road and MD 108. The other elements of the concept remain incomplete.
In May 2010, two groups (one of residents and one representing the business community) met with planning staff, the County Executive, and Main Street, to define their visions for how Sandy Spring can retain its rural character over the next twenty years. The groups defined downtown Sandy Spring as Route 108 from Bentley Road (including the museum) to Norwood Road. The consensus was made about how this historic community can retain its small-town charm while accommodating growth. Below are the items discussed in the draft document "A Vision for Sandy Spring, DRAFT, June 2010" and they include:
- rural character
- buildings
- relationship between buildings and streets
- public spaces
- transportation
- retail, services, and restaurants
- housing
Project schedule
Planning Board Public Hearing: September
4, 2014
Planning Board Worksession No 1: October 2, 2014
Planning Board Worksession No 2: October 23, 2014
Transmit to County Executive and County
Council: October 2014
County Council Public Hearing: January 20, 2015 at 7:30 PM moved to January 22, 2015 at 7:15 PM
County Council Worksessions: PHED, February 2, 2015 at 2 PM
District Council Plan Approved: February 24, 2015 @ 10:15 AM
Full Commission Adoption: March 18, 2015
SMA Hearing: June 9, 2015
SMA Adoption: June 23, 2015
Upcoming
- Full Commission Adoption: March 18, 2015
- SMA Hearing: June 9, 2015
- SMA Adoption: June 23, 2015
Past Meetings
- June 23: The County Council unanimously votes to approve the Sectional Map Amendment (SMA).
- June 9, 2015: County Council holds the public hearing on the Sectional Map Amendment (SMA).
- May 28: The Planning Board votes to approve Sectional Map Amendment (SMA) and transmit comments to County Council at its regularily scheduled meeting (staff report). The SMA implements the Plan's zoning recommendations for a mixed-use, rural village center for Sandy Spring.
- March 26: The Planning Board votes to transmit the Sectional Map Amendment (SMA) to County Council at its regularily scheduled meeting. The SMA implements the Plan's zoning recommendations for a mixed-use, rural village center for Sandy Spring.
- March 18: The Maryland National Captial Park and Planning Commission adopts the Sandy Spring Rurual Village Plan at its regularily scheduled meeting.
- March 12: The Planning Board votes to approve Council Resolution 18-65 and approved the Commission's Resolution 15-01 and sends the Planning Board's Resolution to the full Commission.
- February 24, 2015: District Council approved the Plan (See packet). All nine Councilmembers unanimously voted to approve the Plan. Montgomery County Council sessions and Committees Meetings are available online LIVE and On Demand 24 hours after the meeting has been concluded. The County Council approved Resolution 18-65 which provides the revisions to the Planing Board Draft. The Resolution can be found at the following link. To watch the archived Council Action, please visit: http://montgomerycountymd.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=6&clip_id=8773.
- February 10, 2015: Full Council worksession (See packet)
- February 2, 2015: PHED Committee worksession (See packet)
- January 22, 2015: County Council public hearing.
- January 20, 2015: County Council briefing and postponment of public hearing to 1/22/15.
- October 31, 2014: Planning Board transmits the Plan to County Executive and County Council. worksession.
- October 23, 2014: Planning Board Worksession No. 2 and final worksession. The Planning Board approved to transmit the Planning Board Draft to the County Council and County Executive.
- October 2, 2014: Planning Board Worksession No. 1; focused on the general concepts of the Plan including the vision and history; land use, density and height; transportation capacity; and implementation strategies to create a vibrant Village.(See memo)
- September 4, 2014: Planning Board Public Hearing (written testimony) (Public Hearing Draft)
- July 17, 2014: The Planning Board approved the Staff Draft as the Planning Board Public Hearing Draft and scheduled the Public Hearing for September 4th, 2014.
- July 17, 2014: Sandy Spring Rural Village Staff Draft Presentation, Montgomery County Planning Department Headquarters, 8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD. See Press Release See Presentation See Video
- May 14, 2014: Community meeting discussed the final recommendations on Wednesday, May 14, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Sandy Spring Friends School, Yarnall Hall Library, 16923 Norwood Road, Sandy Spring. See Press Release See Presentation
- April 3, 2014: Staff briefed the Planning Board on the preliminary recommendations. See memo See Presentation See Video
- March 19, 2014: Staff discussed the preliminary recommendations held at the Sandy Spring Friends Meeting House at 17715 Meeting House Road, Sandy Spring, MD from 7 PM to 9 PM. See: slide presentation
- February 3, 4, 5, and 6, 2014: Four-Day Design Workshop, the Library of the Sandy Spring Museum, 17901 Bentley Road, Sandy Spring. The Montgomery County Planning Department hosted a design workshop to capture ideas for transforming the heart of Sandy Spring. Over 130 residents and business owners attended.
Monday, February 3, 2014
7 – 9 pm: Presentation, Charrette Overview, and Visioning Session (Dr. Bird Room)
See: slide presentation - photo album
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
10:00 am – Noon: Visioning Exercise (Library)
1-5 pm: Visioning Session Continued; Land Use and Zoning Workshop (Dr. Bird Room)
See: photo album (days 2 and 3)
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
10 am to Noon: Land Use and Zoning (Library)
1-5 pm: Roadway Design, Connections and Open Space (Library)
See: photo album (days 2 and 3)
Thursday, February 6, 2014
10 am - Noon: Roadway Design, Connections, and Open Space (Library)
1-5 pm: Refine Plan Recommendations (Library)
7-9 pm: Charrette Final Presentation and Workshop Conclusion
See: slide presentation
- December 12, 2013: The Scope of Work was approved by the Planning Board on Thursday, December 12, 2013. The Sandy Spring Rural Village boundary area is part of a larger Rural Village Overlay Zone area that also covers the Ashton Village Center and it is generally defined as follows: by the northern boundary of the Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Department site, on the south by MD 108, Brook Road on the west, and Sandy Spring Museum on the east.
- May 2010: Visioning exercise with Planning Staff, County Executive staff, Main Street, residents and business owners
- October 23, 2013: The Montgomery County Planning Department held its first community meeting for the Sandy Spring Village Center Minor Master Plan Amendment. Thirty-one residents, business owners, and civic association members came to the Oak Ballroom at the Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Department site to share their thoughts and comments with the Planning Department team.
Sandy Spring Museum Exhibt
Check out the online versionof the exhibit featured at the Sandy Spring Museum in March and April 2014..
Press
- Washington Post, Real Esate Section: October 3, 2014: Where We Live: Sandy Spring, Md., is where FDR and Herbert Hoover played
M-NCPPC staff contacts
Roberto Duke, Area 3: Up-County & Rural Planning, Lead Planner
301-495-2168
Roberto.Duke@montgomeryplanning.org
Fred Boyd, Area 3: Up-County & Rural Planning, Land Use, 301-495-4654
Katherine Nelson, Area 3: Up-County & Rural Planning, Environmental Planning, 301-495-4622
Rachel Newhouse,
Montgomery County Department of Parks, Park Planning,
301 650 - 4368
Sandra Youla, Historic Preservation, Preservation Planning, 301-563-3419
Leslie Saville, Area 3: Up-County & Rural Planning, Rustic Roads, 301-495-2194
Jonathan Casey, Area 3: Up-County & Rural Planning, Zoning and Land Use, 301-495-2162
Date of last update: July 24, 2015