Planning Board and community members provide feedback and direction on next steps for update to the county’s General Plan; Working Draft of the plan scheduled for presentation September 2020
Silver Spring, MD –The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), presented the Thrive Montgomery 2050 Draft Policies and Actions to the Montgomery County Planning Board during a June 11 virtual meeting. Thrive Montgomery 2050 is the update to Montgomery County’s General Plan, its long-range policy framework for guiding future land use and growth. The June 11 staff report, which includes updates to the Plan’s draft vision and goals based on previous community and Planning Board feedback, focused on the newly drafted policies and actions portion of the plan. Montgomery Planning will use comments from community and Planning Board members at the June 11 Board session and feedback from continued community engagement this summer to inform revisions to the draft goals, policies and actions, in preparation for the development of the Thrive Montgomery 2050 Working Draft Plan. The Working Draft Plan, which also will include an added chapter on General Plan implementation, is scheduled to be released in September 2020 for review by the Planning Board and further community feedback during fall 2020.
View the Thrive Montgomery 2050 Draft Vision, Goals, Policies and Actions Report.
View the Thrive Montgomery 2050 Draft Vision, Goals, Policies and Actions Presentation.
Watch the video of the June 11 Thrive Montgomery 2050 presentation to the Planning Board.
The final draft Thrive Montgomery 2050 plan will be submitted to the County Council for its review in March 2021. When finalized, this Plan update will outline shared priorities and guide decision making for the next 30 years. Thrive Montgomery 2050 focuses on three primary outcomes: community equity, economic health and environmental resilience.
“The feedback we received from community members and the Planning Board on June 11th provided insightful perspective and direction as we continue to work to refine the recommendations for the update to the county’s General Plan,” said Planning Director Gwen Wright. “There are still many opportunities to weigh in during this plan process, and I want to encourage the community to continue to provide their thoughts on the future of our county through the summer.”
The Thrive Montgomery 2050 Draft Vision, Goals, Policies and Actions Report includes 46 goals, over 150 policies and more than 210 actions related to overarching themes discussed at the June 11 Planning Board briefing:
- Compact form of development/urbanism.
- Corridors are the place for new growth.
- We must stop planning for cars.
- Eradicate greenhouse gas emissions.
- Attainable housing for all income levels.
- Evolution of single-family neighborhoods near transit.
- A diverse county.
- Champion the importance of place.
- Regional solutions and strategies.
Community Engagement
Throughout the summer, Montgomery Planning will continue community engagement to obtain feedback on the draft Thrive Montgomery 2050 Polices and Actions for inclusion in the Thrive Montgomery 2050 Working Draft Plan. The community is invited to participate in the Thrive Montgomery 2050 Virtual Community Chats during the month of June. Each chat offers community members a chance to converse online with Montgomery Planning staff about policy recommendations related to planning for the future of the county on housing, transportation, the economy, the environment and more. The Community Chats follow the Ask Me Anything virtual townhalls that Planning Director Gwen Wright hosted during the month of May. View all of the Distance Engagement events.
Montgomery Planning will announce additional opportunities for community feedback on the Working Draft Plan when it is delivered to the Planning Board by September. The Montgomery County Council also will hold a public hearing during its review of the final draft plan.
Residents are encouraged to provide comments on Thrive Montgomery 2050 to Montgomery Planning at any time online, by sending an email to thrive2050@montgomeryplanning.org or by calling 301-495-4556.
About Thrive Montgomery 2050
During summer 2019, the Montgomery County Planning Department launched the update of Montgomery County’s General Plan, the county’s long-term framework for land use and development. This effort, called Thrive Montgomery 2050, will result in new countywide policies to help Montgomery County thrive by addressing the challenges and opportunities in the decades to come. A lot has changed in the county since the General Plan was originally approved in 1964. Thrive Montgomery 2050 will guide future growth in response to the demographic shifts, technological innovations, changing lifestyles and economic disruptions that have taken place in recent decades. The new General Plan will consider many issues framed by three pillars: economic health, environmental resilience and equity. This framework will help guide the recommendations of the plan with input from the community.