At the Mill Creek Towne Elementary School event, planners will discuss existing transportation conditions within the plan area and future bus rapid transit projects
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is inviting anyone who has an interest in the future of the areas surrounding the Shady Grove Metro Station to attend a public meeting on Monday, May 20 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Mill Creek Towne Elementary School (17700 Park Mill Drive, Derwood, MD).
This event will focus on existing transportation conditions in the Shady Grove Sector Plan area and Montgomery County’s Vision Zero policy to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2030. In addition, the discussion will explain long-term mobility projects, including the county’s future bus rapid transit line called the Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT) and bus rapid transit routes on Frederick Road (MD 355).
Existing and future transportation conditions will serve as the foundation of the minor master plan amendment to the 2006 Shady Grove Sector Plan. Another transportation meeting will take place in June to discuss potential mobility improvements to the plan area.
Background on the Shady Grove Sector Plan
The 2006 Shady Grove Sector Plan envisions a mixed-use residential community that redevelops industrial and commercial uses, including the County Service Park (CSP), and creates new parks and open spaces, bikeways and public facilities to enhance the Derwood community. Already, the site of the CSP is being transformed into the Shady Grove Station-Westside development with townhouses and the Daley, a multifamily apartment building.
Since the Shady Grove Sector Plan’s approval 12 years ago, several substantive changes have been made to the county’s land use planning policies and practices, including the adoption of a new zoning ordinance in 2014, an update to the county’s Subdivision Staging Policy in 2016 and new data-driven approaches to transportation planning.
For these reasons, planners are revisiting some of the transportation implementation recommendations in the Shady Grove Sector Plan. They are launching a minor master plan amendment to reexamine the 2006 plan’s three, sequential stages of development as well as the requirements, particularly the transportation requirements or triggers, that must be implemented prior to the initiation of each phase of development. Review the 2006 Shady Grove Sector Plan for more information.
Goals of the Minor Master Plan Amendment to the Shady Grove Sector Plan
- Raise awareness of the plan’s goals and communicate that its vision is still viable and being implemented, but that the staging elements, such as the transportation requirements of the plan, need to be reexamined.
- Provide an opportunity for all audiences to participate in the plan amendment process and provide feedback on ideas, concerns and recommendations.
- Deliver a plan amendment with updated staging triggers that are in line with current planning best practices.
- Invite stakeholders to learn more about the planning process in general and Montgomery Planning’s goals for the current and future quality of life for the county.
For more information, contact lead planner Nkosi Yearwood at nkosi.yearwood@montgomeryplanning.org or tel. 301-495-1332.