The Council will hold a public hearing for the plan on November 12 with Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee work sessions to follow
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, transmitted the Planning Board Draft of the Forest Glen/Montgomery Hills Sector Plan to the Montgomery County Council and County Executive on September 24, 2019 for their review. This action follows the Planning Board approval of the plan on July 25, 2019 after Planning Board work sessions were conducted in June and July to refine the plan.
The Council has set a tentative date for a public hearing on the sector plan on Tuesday, November 12, 2019. Consult the Council’s public hearing agenda for details about testifying.
The sector plan’s recommendations focus on transportation and road improvements, pedestrian and bicycle safety and connectivity, environmental upgrades, affordable housing and land use considerations. The planning area stretches along the Georgia Avenue corridor to encompass the Montgomery Hills commercial area and Forest Glen neighborhood located between Dennis Avenue and Spring Street.
About the Forest Glen/Montgomery Hills Sector Plan
The Montgomery County Planning Department launched the Forest Glen/Montgomery Hills Sector Plan in 2017 with a study of traffic conditions along the Georgia Avenue corridor from 16th Street in Silver Spring to the Forest Glen Metro Station.
Previous plans for the area, including the 1996 Forest Glen Sector Plan and 2000 Silver Spring North and West Master Plan, need to be updated due to recent changes planned for the corridor. The Maryland State Highway Administration initiated planning for road improvements along Georgia Avenue between 16th Street and the Capital Beltway, and these upgrades will affect properties on both sides of the road.
The Montgomery Planning team has explored ways of improving pedestrian and bicycle access, connectivity and safety within the Forest Glen/Montgomery Hills plan area. Strategies to help implement the county’s Vision Zero policy to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and severe injuries by 2030 are included in the plan.
Opportunities for redevelopment at strategic locations to provide walkable, neighborhood-serving development were examined, as well as previous plans and studies of streetscape designs to improve sidewalks, street trees and lighting.
All previous meetings, presentations, videos and outreach materials related to the Forest Glen/Montgomery Hills Sector Plan are available at montgomeryplanning.org/forestglen
For more information, contact lead planner Melissa Williams at 301-495-4642 or Melissa.Williams@montgomeryplanning.org.
For information on the County Council public hearing process, contact County Council staff.