County growth and infrastructure issues presented at October 19 meeting
Silver Spring, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, has started to update the Subdivision Staging Policy (formerly called Growth Policy) for review and approval by the County Council in 2016. The intent of the Subdivision Staging Policy is to ensure public facilities, particularly schools and roads, are adequate to meet the needs of new development and growth.
View the short recap video from the October 19 Subdivision Staging Policy Open House.
View the Overview presentation from the October 19 Subdivision Staging Policy Open House.
“The update to the Subdivision Staging Policy is one of our most important initiatives,” says Planning Director Gwen Wright. “This effort happens every four years and lays the groundwork for how our County can grow and thrive.”
A public forum addressing the policy update was held on Monday, October 19 at the Montgomery County Planning Department. The open house was attended by about 35 people. Planners provided an overview of the Subdivision Staging Policy and answered questions about infrastructure and growth, particularly with respect to school capacity. Also in attendance were County Councilmember Marc Elrich and members of the Montgomery County Public Schools and Department of Transportation.
The session builds on the Infrastructure Forum held in March 2015 that was co-sponsored by the Planning Department and County Councilmember Roger Berliner to address issues and concerns associated with schools and transportation.
Next steps include a presentation to the Planning Board in December 2015 about possible changes to the Transportation Policy Area Review (TPAR) guidelines.
Background on Subdivision Staging Policy:
The County’s Subdivision Staging Policy is revised every four years. Planners are currently researching new ideas in transportation and school capacity planning to help them revise the regulations to make them as useful as possible in managing growth in the county. The policy update will first be presented to the Planning Board in May 2016 for comment. This quadrennial policy includes criteria and guidance for the administration of the County’s Adequate Public Facility Ordinance (APFO), which matches the timing of private development with the availability of public services.
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. Where 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 occurring through infill development and redevelopment. This type of growth creates pressure on transportation systems and school facilities. In updating the Subdivision Staging Policy, staff will evaluate whether the existing methodologies effectively account for these changing growth patterns.