Community invited to RSVP for March 19 community meeting on updates addressing adequacy of public facilities for development in Montgomery County
Wheaton, Md. – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), briefed the Montgomery County Planning Board March 14 on preliminary recommendations for the 2024-2028 update to the Growth and Infrastructure Policy (GIP). Updated every four years, the GIP ensures infrastructure, such as roads, sidewalks, and schools, is adequate to support growth and that the tools used for evaluating and mitigating the impact of new development on essential public facilities reflect the county’s latest growth context and policy priorities.
Read the GIP preliminary recommendations.
Watch the Planning Board presentation of the preliminary recommendations.
Focus of the 2024-2028 GIP update
The GIP is also vital to advancing the goals established in Thrive Montgomery 2050, the recently approved and adopted General Plan for Montgomery County. As part of the 2024 GIP update, Montgomery Planning staff is focused on:
- Examining policy outcomes to ensure that the existing tools are equitable, fair, and effective.
- Ensuring the policy helps advance the goals established in the county’s General Plan, Thrive Montgomery 2050.
- Analyzing the county’s current growth trends.
- Evaluating implementation guidelines, such as the Local Area Transportation (LATR) Guidelines and Annual School Test Guidelines.
- Reviewing development impact taxes.
“The GIP is one of the many ways Montgomery County ensures we get the housing and commercial development we need while maintaining and enhancing the excellent quality of life we enjoy in the county,” said Montgomery Planning Director Jason Sartori. “Whereas the master-planning process is aspirational in creating a long-term vision for our communities, the GIP has a more focused, shorter-term view to evaluate individual development proposals to determine if the county’s public infrastructure, such as its transportation network and school facilities, can accommodate development demands.”
March 19 community meeting
Montgomery Planning invites community members to participate in a virtual meeting on Tuesday, March 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. to learn more about the preliminary recommendations for the 2024-2028 update to the GIP and provide feedback to planners. The meeting will be conducted online only via Microsoft Teams and there will be opportunities for Q&A. The presentation will be recorded and posted to the GIP website. Community members are encouraged to remain updated and informed by signing up for the GIP eletter.
RSVP for the Tuesday, March 19 virtual community meeting.
Next steps
Montgomery Planning will consider Planning Board and community feedback in developing a Working Draft of recommendations for the GIP, and will brief the Planning Board on Thursday, May 2, 2024. This will be followed by a public hearing on Thursday, May 23, 2024. The Planning Board must transmit the draft 2024-2028 GIP to the County Council by August 1, 2024. The Council will adopt an updated policy by November 15, 2024.
About the Growth and Infrastructure Policy
The Growth and Infrastructure Policy ensures infrastructure is adequate to support growth. It includes criteria and guidance for the administration of Montgomery County’s Adequate Public Facility Ordinance (APFO), which matches the timing of private development with the availability of public infrastructure. Every four years, an effort to update the Growth and Infrastructure Policy originates with Montgomery Planning before working its way through the Planning Board and the County Council. The purpose is to ensure that the best available tools are used to test whether infrastructure like schools, transportation, water, and sewer services can support future growth. View the 2020-2024 Growth and Infrastructure Policy.