Deadline to submit letters of interest is March 15; Selected candidates will support planners with their community knowledge and technical expertise.
Wheaton, MD –The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), is seeking members of the community from Gaithersburg, Rockville, and other areas of Montgomery County with diverse perspectives and experience to participate in its Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan Implementation Advisory Committee (GSSC IAC). The deadline to submit letters of interest is Monday, March 15.
The GSSC IAC was established to provide input to the Montgomery County Council and the Planning Board on the implementation of the 2010 Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan and monitor development in the plan area. The next two years of the committee’s work will be critical to the area due to anticipated development and ongoing master plans such as amendments to the 2010 Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan and Corridor Forward: The I-270 Transit Plan.
The GSSC IAC is composed of residents, property owners, government representatives, and key stakeholders appointed by the Montgomery Planning Board to serve two-year terms. The committee meets monthly on a weekday evening and currently, all meetings take place virtually.
To apply to become a member of the GSSC IAC, please submit a letter of interest of no more than 300 words that highlights your interest and background. All letters of interest should be submitted no later than Monday, March 15 to the attention of Holly Adams at holly.adams@montgomeryplanning.org or by mail to: Montgomery County Planning Department, 2425 Reedie Drive, 13th Floor, Wheaton, MD 20902. For more information, please contact Maren Hill at maren.hill@montgomeryplanning.org or (301) 650-5613.
Background on Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan
The Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan (2010 Plan) was approved by the County Council on May 4, 2010. The Plan established a 21st-century blueprint for the Shady Grove Life Sciences Center.
Home to a major hospital, academic institutions, and private biotechnology companies, the Life Sciences Center (LSC) serves as the County’s premier location for and has the largest concentration of advanced technology companies. Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, Johns Hopkins University-Montgomery County Campus (JHU-MCC), the Universities at Shady Grove, and biotechnology companies such as Human Genome Sciences, BioReliance, and the J. Craig Venter Institute are all located in the Life Sciences Center. The federal government’s General Services Administration recently selected the JHU-MCC site for the National Cancer Institute’s consolidated headquarters.
The Planning Board established the GSSC IAC as a committee of property owners, residents, and interested groups (including adjacent neighborhoods in Gaithersburg and Rockville), with representation from the county government’s Executive Branch, the City of Rockville, and the City of Gaithersburg that are stakeholders in the redevelopment of the Plan area. The GSSC IAC responsibilities include monitoring the plan recommendations, monitoring the Capital Improvement Program and Growth Policy, and recommending action by the Planning Board and County Council to address issues that may arise, including, but not limited to, community impacts and design, and the status and location of public facilities and open space.
A planning initiative, the Great Seneca Science Corridor Minor Master Plan Amendment, is currently underway to identify strategies to advance progress toward the 2010 Plan vision and goals.