Community invited to meet with Montgomery County planners, learn about next steps and give feedback on the Montgomery Village Master Plan
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, will hold the first MV Matters community meeting to discuss the Montgomery Village Master Plan on Monday, December 8, from 7-9 p.m. at the Watkins Mill High School cafeteria (10301 Apple Ridge Rd, Gaithersburg, MD). Anyone who lives, works or has an interest in the future of the Montgomery Village community is invited to attend the MVMatters meeting where planners will provide information on the next steps of the planning process and explain how “what matters to MV” will be used in the master plan.
As a follow-up to the successful Montgomery Village Plan Kickoff meeting in October, the planning team is inviting residents to learn about specific subject areas, such as urban design, land use, parks, environment and transportation and more, through the MV Matters Series.
What is MV Matters All About?
MVMatters is a series of outreach events meant to engage the community in the Montgomery Village Master Plan. Planners have received initial feedback from residents on what they view as the most valuable places in the village and are now prepared to discuss these issues in greater detail.
The meeting will consist of a presentation of the existing conditions and the draft scope of work, a discussion of next steps and a preview of the next round of MVMatters sessions scheduled for January and February 2015. Staff planners will present their recommended Scope of Work to the Montgomery County Planning Board for action on December 11. The staff report will be available on or about December 5, 2014 at www.montgomeryplanningboard.org/meetings_archive/
Details:
Montgomery Village Master Plan MVMatters Workshop #1
Monday, December 8, 7 – 9 p.m.
Watkins Mill High School Cafeteria (10301 Apple Ridge Rd, Gaithersburg, MD)
Workshop #2: Monday, January 12
Workshop #3: Monday, January 26
Workshop #4: Monday, February 9
Stay Connected:
Sign up: for the Montgomery Village Master Plan eNewsletter
Call: the MVPlan Hotline for updates on upcoming planning events: 301-495-4723
Follow: updates on Twitter: @mvplan
Learn More: www.montgomeryplanning.org/mvp
Use: #MVPlan
Master Plan Background:
Montgomery Village has not been part of a Master Plan review since the 1985 Gaithersburg Vicinity Master Plan, nor has it been the subject of a discrete County master plan in the past. Although Montgomery Village was within the boundaries of both the 1971 Gaithersburg Vicinity Master Plan and the 1985 Master Plan, neither plan contains recommendations or guidance for this community because the Village fell within the Town Sector Zone, which did not allow the rezoning of properties for a 50 year period that comes to a close in 2015. When the Planning Department initiated an update to the Gaithersburg Master Plan in 2007, Montgomery Village was originally included within its boundaries. However, with large swaths of land on both sides of I-270 presenting different planning issues and challenges, the Department realized the area was too big to be analyzed effectively.
In 2008, the Department divided the large Gaithersburg Master Plan area into two planning efforts – one for the west side of I-270, which became the Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan (GSSC) – and one for the east side of I-270 – Gaithersburg East. In 2014, the County Council directed the Planning Department to refine the Gaithersburg East plan further to have one plan for Montgomery Village and one plan for the remainder of Gaithersburg East. The Council also directed the Planning Director to work efficiently on the Montgomery Village Plan, with the goal of having a draft plan transmitted to the Council within 12 months of the plan start date, because it wanted the zoning to be reassessed holistically before the prohibition on piecemeal rezoning of the Town Sector property expired the next year.