Sessions with architects and developers help planners update 1992 guidelines in response to infill development and changing County demographics
Silver Spring, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, held a meeting on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 with developers and consultants in its efforts to update the 1992 Recreation Guidelines and is planning its next session for Friday, January 15, 2016.
The Recreation Guidelines are used to inform and evaluate recreational amenities for private residential development and are now being revised in response to the County’s demographic changes and need for more varied spaces. Planners are studying new types of recreation facilities for all age groups to improve the quality of developments, particularly in more urbanized areas of the County.
At the December 9 session, professionals from the building industry offered their suggestions to Planning Department staff on updating the 1992 Recreation Guidelines. The group of 10 included architects, land use planners, engineers, landscape architects and developers. View the presentation from the December 9 meeting.
The next session on January 15 will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the Planning Department headquarters (8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD). Although not open to the public at large, a summary of the discussion will be posted online. Participants will weigh the pros and cons of the 1992 guidelines and consider potential revisions to urban, suburban and rural solutions for recreation facilities in the County.
Meeting Participants Stress Dual Purpose
Participants in the December 9 session characterized the current Recreation Guidelines as inflexible, unresponsive to fitness trends and difficult to apply to small developments, among other drawbacks. The discussion illuminated the need to integrate individual amenities into a whole system to benefit the public. To achieve this goal, a “recreation envelope” (or recreation zone) was discussed in the context of coordinating private projects with each other to support recommendations for recreation set forth by various County master plans.
One way of dealing with the high land costs for providing new recreation facilities, suggested the session attendees, is to create dual-use facilities across a development site. For example, a storm water management area could be used for a running track, a picnic area or a rock garden; and a green roof could serve as a meditation garden.
Background on the Recreation Guidelines
The Recreation Guidelines are currently being updated in response to increasingly dense, mixed-use and high-rise development and changing demographics in the County. New types of recreation facilities, including fitness clubs, roof decks and pocket parks, are being studied. The revised Guidelines will provide standards for developers to follow in providing recreation facilities and encourage spatial creativity and top quality design.
Goals of the Recreation Guidelines update include:
- Meeting the needs of specific age groups, including teenagers, young adults, and seniors.
- Ensuring sustainability of facilities.
- Coordinating public and private recreational facilities to better benefit the public.
Questions, comments about the update to the Recreation Guidelines:
Contact: Mary Beth O’Quinn, 301-495-1322, Marybeth.oquinn@montgomeryplanning.org