Revisions will affect the Transportation Policy Area Review and Local Area Transportation Review governing traffic congestion
Silver Spring, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is updating the Subdivision Staging Policy (formerly called Growth Policy) for review and approval by the County Council in fall 2016. The intent of the Subdivision Staging Policy is to ensure that public facilities, particularly schools and roads, are adequate to meet the needs of new development.
A public forum addressing the policy update was held on Monday, October 19, 2015 at the Montgomery County Planning Department. Planners provided an overview of the Subdivision Staging Policy and answered questions about infrastructure and growth, particularly about school capacity.
Next Steps in Updating Subdivision Staging Policy
Planners will make a presentation to the Planning Board on December 3, 2015 about updates related to the Transportation Policy Area Review (TPAR) process and trip generation rates used in support of Local Area Transportation Review (LATR). TPAR is used to determine adequacy of roadways and transit from a policy area-wide perspective. LATR is used to determine the adequacy of roadway intersections located in the vicinity of proposed new development.
In addition, the potential for the development of additional “pro-rata share” districts in the County (such as already exists in White Flint and is being developed in White Oak) will be discussed. In “pro-rata share” districts, TPAR and LATR are replaced by a district-wide traffic mitigation payment system.
In January 2016, planners will hold an evening community meeting focused on the effect of growth on public schools. The event will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. in the auditorium of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission headquarters (8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring). The date will be announced in December.
Background on Subdivision Staging Policy
Planning staff is researching new ideas in transportation and school capacity planning in preparation for revising the Subdivision Staging Policy, which will first be presented to the Planning Board in May 2016 for comment. This policy, which is reexamined every four years, includes criteria and guidance for the administration of the County’s Adequate Public Facility Ordinance (APFO), which seeks to ensure that the timing of private development is linked to the availability of public infrastructure.
In the past, the APFO was designed to ensure that road and school capacity – as well as water and sewer and other infrastructure –kept pace with growth. As new areas of the County were developed, infrastructure to support new homes and businesses was needed.
Today, much of the County has been developed. Growth is primarily occurring through infill development and redevelopment. In addition, homes are turning over in many of the County’s established neighborhoods. This type of growth creates pressure on transportation systems and school facilities; however, the current tools used to evaluate the impact of such growth may not be adequate to assess these changing growth patterns and are being examined for their effectiveness.
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