Herstory: Q&A with Planning Board Vice Chair Mitra Pedoeem

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In the 1970s, when girls in Iran were largely deemed unworthy of a college education, Mitra Pedoeem became the only woman in a class of 60 students at the University of Tehran’s Civil Engineering College.

While Pedoeem was on vacation in the United States, the Islamic Revolution broke out in Iran. Her family told her it wasn’t safe to return home. She hasn’t been back since.

Growing up in Iran – and finding a new home in the United States – helped forge a resolve that Pedoeem says has served her well.

After retiring as the deputy director of Montgomery Parks in 2018, and then as the director of the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services (DPS) in 2022, … Continue reading

Honoring Clarksburg’s Legacy: The Enduring Impact of Black Activism and Community in Rocky Hill

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Nestled just off Frederick Road, half a mile from downtown Clarksburg, sits Rocky Hill, one of Montgomery County’s earliest African American communities. Established toward the end of the 19th century, the Rocky Hill neighborhood grew as Black families rented and bought land in and around Clarksburg and built a church and school. As part of the Clarksburg Gateway Sector Plan, Montgomery Planning is proposing to designate a site and district to the Master Plan for Historic Preservation: The Community of Faith United Methodist Church and Cemetery and the Clarksburg Heights subdivision founded and built by Wilson and Sarah Wims.

Community of Faith United Methodist Church: A Pillar of Strength

 

Formerly known as the Pleasant View Methodist Episcopal … Continue reading

Spotlight on Wheaton’s Black History

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As you travel east on University Boulevard from downtown Wheaton, past the commercial strips and gas stations, you’ll encounter a Georgian Revival brick house with imposing chimneys. This simple but elegant home, with its symmetrical design and matching bay windows, stands in stark contrast to the modernist Art Deco WSJV Transmitter across the street and the post-WWII Ranch and Split-Level houses scattered throughout the nearby neighborhoods. The historic house was the home of Romeo and Elsie Horad. Built on Elsie’s ancestral land, the house stands as a testament to the achievements of the Websters, Sewells, and Horads who worked tirelessly to improve conditions for African American residents throughout Montgomery County and Washington, DC.

The Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission … Continue reading

A special tree grows, again, in Twinbrook

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By James Hedrick, Commissioner, The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC)

Among the many agenda items that come before the Montgomery County Planning Board, some projects will stick with you. On February 22, 2024, the Planning Board held a hearing regarding an apartment complex in Twinbrook: 210-plus units, 25% subsidized, a stone’s throw from a Metro station. All good. Nothing too unusual.

Except for one thing. A crabapple tree.

Specifically, the National Champion Southern Crabapple (Malus angustifolia).

The tree immediately reminded me of the Truffula tree from Dr. Seuss’s “The Lorax.”  Although Montgomery County does not have an orange mustachioed gremlin voiced by Bob Holt (or Danny DeVito, if you prefer the 2012 version) to speak for … Continue reading

Montgomery County’s Population Rebound, Part 2: A comparison with our neighbors

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Montgomery Planning’s Research and Strategic Projects Division tracks population trends to help planners and public officials plan the county’s future and determine how we can best create attractive communities and remain economically competitive in the Washington, DC region and beyond. In Part 1 of this blog series, we explained the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates showing how Montgomery County’s population has started to rebound from the losses it experienced from COVID-19 pandemic. In this follow-up analysis, we can see how it has fared compared with the rest of the region.

Overview of our analysis

Census data estimates show Montgomery County lost fewer people to other areas of the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic and has begun recovering … Continue reading

Progress on Process Part II: We’ve made great strides on the Development Review Process Workgroup recommendations

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Montgomery Planning is working to streamline development review

Earlier this year, I wrote about how The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) collaborated with Montgomery County government, State agencies, public utilities and community representatives to agree on a set of recommendations to improve the review and approval process for development projects and to make it easier for the public to understand and get more involved.

We have made considerable progress on several of these recommendations. In particular, I am excited about the Community Planning Academy, a curriculum-based program to inform community members about all aspects of the planning and development process—from master plans to transportation to historic preservation.

Planning and development processes are inherently complex, with technical and … Continue reading

Attainable Housing Strategies is not a new concept

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With its endorsement of Montgomery Planning’s Attainable Housing Strategies (AHS) in June 2024, the Montgomery County Planning Board has recommended the county adjust its residential zoning to allow property owners the opportunity to build multi-unit houses in neighborhoods that currently only allow single-family houses. The recommended zoning change aims to meet the county’s growing demand for housing at different price points and with different house types, like those offered in most residential neighborhoods throughout the first half of the 20th century and earlier.

Answers to questions (and misconceptions) about Attainable Housing Strategies

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By Artie Harris and Jason K. Sartori

This blog is also published in Greater Greater Washington as a guest opinion column.

Over the past three years, Montgomery Planning and the Montgomery County Planning Board have heard a lot of passion from people in Montgomery County who are eager to find solutions to the county’s housing crisis. We also heard a lot of misconceptions regarding the Planning Board’s recommendations to relax single-family zoning, also known as Attainable Housing Strategies. That’s why we’re sharing these frequently asked questions about them.

Back in June, the Planning Board issued its Attainable Housing Strategies (AHS) recommendations, which would give property owners more choices in the types of structures they can build on their properties in … Continue reading

The power of placemaking

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Making happier, healthier, and more connected communities

By Montgomery Planning staff

The town of Damascus, in upper Montgomery County, recently saw its Main Street morph into a vibrant pedestrian mall with food trucks, dance performances, and small businesses offering locally produced beverages and other treats. 

The Damascus Placemaking Festival, held Oct. 19-20, helped residents and business owners envision a livelier downtown that would bring people together – all while embracing the area’s small-town country charm.  

But Montgomery Planning’s approach to placemaking goes far beyond a weekend event. It’s part of our people-centered approach to planning and helps make areas like Damascus happier, healthier, and better connected. We have developed a Placemaking Strategic Plan that includes key goals and … Continue reading

Time for a Reality Check: How Are We Doing with the 2002 Potomac Subregion Master Plan?

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Master plans are created as ambitious visions for the future with recommendations for land uses, zoning, transportation, schools, parks, and other community facilities. We write them to guide development during the decades that lie ahead, using our best predictions of how population and priorities will change over those years. To assess the progress of a master plan, it’s beneficial to conduct a reality check as the master plan approaches its horizon date (20 years since adoption). A reality check can help us evaluate how well a master plan has been implemented, understand whether its visions have been achieved, and identify which recommendations worked as anticipated.

With these objectives in mind, the Montgomery County Planning Department initiated the Master … Continue reading