Public invited to provide testimony on draft plan that adds roads to the program and updates details for roads already included in the program
WHEATON, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Board, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, will hold a public hearing for the Rustic Roads Functional Master Plan Update on November 17 at 6 p.m. The public is invited to provide testimony in-person or virtually. Learn about testifying to the Planning Board. The public hearing was set on October 6 after a briefing to the Planning Board.
View the current draft of the plan. Sign up to testify for the public hearing.
This update to the 1996 Rustic Roads Functional Master Plan has two main purposes:
- To consider roads that have been nominated for inclusion in the Rustic Roads Program.
- To provide the necessary details for several roads that are currently in the program but have incomplete descriptions.
As a part of the plan, existing road profiles were reviewed for changes, new maps were created, and an environment section was added. This update revises the descriptions of the significant features, history, traveling experience, environmental setting, and road characteristics of the existing rustic roads and provides new profiles for nominated rustic roads and those roads lacking a complete description. The plan also updates the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways. This plan also considers the programs and policies instrumental in the implementation of the program.
Planners are asking the community to review the changes and provide comments via an online comment map or via a comment form on the project website. Community members are also encouraged to sign up for the plan’s eletter. For questions and comments, please contact project co-lead Jamey Pratt via email or 301-495-4588.
Montgomery County Planning Board update
The Montgomery County Council is planning to appoint an interim Planning Board on October 27, 2022 who will hold the Rustic Roads Functional Master Plan Update public hearing. Following the appointment of these temporary interim Planning Board members, and after the November election, the newly elected Montgomery County Council will conduct the process to appoint the Planning Board members to serve out the full terms of the vacant seats. Learn more about the process.