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Home / News / Attend the Next Montgomery Planning Department Winter Speakers Series – Feb. 27

Attend the Next Montgomery Planning Department Winter Speakers Series – Feb. 27

Public invited to the second session of presentations focusing on housing issues

SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department is hosting the second session of the Winter Speakers Series which is focusing on housing. The event is being held on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m.at the Park and Planning Montgomery Regional Office Building Auditorium in Silver Spring and will feature speakers Mildrilyn Davis and Helen McIlvaine, from the City of Alexandria, VA Office of Housing.

The City of Alexandria has had success with a number of innovative housing efforts over the past decade, including redevelopment of numerous blocks of public housing into mixed income communities and co-location of affordable housing with new public buildings. In addition, the City has recently approved a new Housing Plan that offers creative ideas for the future. Ms. Davis and Ms. McIlvaine will share a range of best practices from Alexandria.

“We are pleased to host our colleagues from the City of Alexandria to discuss housing solutions at a regional level,” said Gwen Wright, Montgomery Planning Director. “This presentation will build on the momentum of the first session, and keep the conversation moving forward as it pertains to solving the housing issues in Montgomery County.”

The sessions are free and open to the public and there will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions. This event is hosted in partnership with APA National Capital Area Chapter.

The first presentation of the Winter Speakers Series, held on Jan. 31 featured Lisa Sturtevant, Executive Director for the Center for Housing Policy and Vice President for Research of the National Housing Conference. Ms. Sturtevant presented information on housing trends related to the links between the cost of housing and access to transportation to a full house in the Planning Department’s Auditorium. View the video of Ms. Sturtevant’s presentation.

More sessions are being planned for March and April.

Second session details:

Montgomery Planning Department Winter Speakers Series
Featuring Mildrilyn Davis, Director of Housing, City of Alexandria and Helen McIlvaine, Deputy Director of Housing, City of Alexandria
Thursday, Feb. 27, 6 p.m.
Montgomery County Planning Department – Auditorium
8787 Georgia Ave.
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Free parking available in the Planning Department parking lot
Located one mile from the Silver Spring Metro Station and on the Metrobus Q, Y, and J5 lines

About the speakers:
Mildrilyn Stephens Davis has been the Director of the Alexandria Office of Housing since 1991. She joined the department as a Housing Analyst in 1982, and served as its Program Administration Division Chief from 1983 until her appointment as Director. Prior to her employment with the City of Alexandria, she spent four years as a research analyst for the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in the Office of Policy Development and Research. Mildrilyn was a driving force in the formation of the Alexandria Housing Development Corporation (AHDC), Alexandria’s local non-profit housing organization, and in the development of the City’s recently-adopted Housing Master Plan.

Helen McIlvaine is the Deputy Director of the Office of Housing for the City of Alexandria. She works primarily with external private and nonprofit development partners to structure and finance projects that include affordable housing. She is also Housing’s liaison to recent City small area planning processes that involve affordable housing. Before joining Alexandria’s Office of Housing in 2006, she was director of development for the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH), executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia (HFHNV), and executive director of Catholics for Housing (CFH). Prior to her transition to nonprofit housing development, Helen was a practicing attorney.

About the series:
The Planning Department’s 2014 Winter Speakers Series is focusing on housing. It is an opportunity for residents, business owners, planners, elected officials and community leaders to learn more about national and regional trends pertaining to housing issues. Learn more about the series.

Who should attend:
Residents, business owners, planners, elected officials and community leaders

Contact:
Bridget Schwiesow
Communication Manager
M-NCPPC Montgomery County Department of Planning
Bridget.Schwiesow@montgomeryplanning.org or 301.641.0457