By Lakisha Hull and Jason K. Sartori
October marks National Community Planning Month, a time to recognize the visionary work of planners and community leaders in Montgomery County and Prince George’s County who shape the places we call home and who stand out for their thoughtful, methodical, and innovative land use and sustainable development strategies.
We’re not just reshaping landscapes but also enriching lives through transit-oriented development, preservation of green spaces, and inclusive housing initiatives. As planning directors for Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, we are proud to lead departments that not only envision the future but actively engage residents and a variety of other community stakeholders in realizing it. Montgomery Planning and Prince George’s Planning are both departments within The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), which is a nearly 100-year-old agency charged with land use and zoning authority for the bi-county region. Our work is rooted in community engagement, data-driven decision-making, and a commitment to creating and elevating thriving communities.
Montgomery Planning uses a variety of equitable engagement practices to invite residents into the planning process.
Why community planning matters
Community planning is more than land use maps and zoning codes. It’s about listening deeply, collaborating across sectors, and inviting residents to shape the places they call home. Whether it’s a placemaking festival in Damascus that brought over a thousand residents together to reimagine their Main Street or the award-winning Neighborhood Planning Academy in Prince George’s County that equips residents with the tools to participate in planning decisions, our departments are committed to inclusive, community-driven processes.
Community planning helps answer important questions:
- Where will people live, work, play, and recreate?
- How do we preserve green space and the environment while accommodating growth?
- What does an engaged community look like and how can they take part in the development process?
- How do we build trust with our diverse communities and remove barriers to participation?
In counties as diverse and dynamic as Montgomery and Prince George’s, these questions require thoughtful collaboration between planners, residents, elected officials, and more. Community planning ensures shared values, long-term vision, and short-term realities guide growth.
In 2025, both of our departments were honored with multiple American Planning Association awards for projects that exemplify the best of community engagement and long-range planning. From Montgomery’s Pedestrian Master Plan and Mapping Segregation Project to Prince George’s Woodland and Wildlife Conservation Ordinance and Neighborhood Planning Academy, these efforts reflect our shared values: sustainability, equity, and collaboration.
The approved and adopted Pedestrian Master Plan is Montgomery Planning’s first comprehensive vision to create safer, more comfortable experiences walking or rolling around the county, and to make getting around more convenient and accessible for every pedestrian. Watch the video recap.
The role of M-NCPPC planning departments
Montgomery Planning and Prince George’s Planning departments are responsible for preparing long-range planning and visioning of general plans and master plans, reviewing development proposals, environmental protection, transportation, and conducting research that informs land-use policy. As part of The M-NCPPC, they operate with a regional perspective while remaining deeply connected to local needs.
Key responsibilities include:
- Developing and updating master and sector plans.
- Coordinating with transportation, housing, and environmental agencies.
- Engaging residents through town halls, surveys, and advisory groups.
- Promoting equity and climate resilience in all planning efforts.
- Reviewing proposals for new development so that new residential, commercial, and mixed-use development is built in a way that serves the public interest and complies with county and state laws.
- Photo credit: Ryan Craun (Prince George’s County Planning)
Community voice at the center
Montgomery Planning and Prince George’s Planning prioritize deep, audience-centric community engagement in the course of crafting plans and projects. Initiatives like the Community Planning Academy, various brown bag lunches and open houses, corridor studies, and neighborhood-specific plans invite residents to learn, contribute, and lead.
Whether it’s reimagining University Boulevard or celebrating the future of Largo, both departments are ensuring that residents are not just invited to participate—they’re given opportunities to embed themselves in the process.
I was surprised by how much community input actually shapes the master planning process. I didn’t realize we had that many ways to be involved, from surveys to public hearings. It made me feel like our voices really do have power if we use them. — Montgomery Planning’s Community Planning Academy 2025 Summer Learner
I joined the program because through getting involved in my neighborhood and my larger community, I found that there were areas I didn’t understand and things I didn’t know and wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to learn about the zoning, planning and development process to be an engaged and informed member of my larger community.—Prince George’s County Neighborhood Planning Academy, Spring 2024 Cohort member
- The Montgomery County Planning Department’s Community Planning Academy organizers held an inaugural class kickoff meeting in Wheaton. Summer Learners had the option to participate in-person or virtually.
Data and dialogue form better decisions
Montgomery Planning and Prince George’s Planning’s work is grounded in robust data analysis—from housing trends and traffic patterns to environmental impact assessments. But numbers alone don’t tell the full story. That’s why planners pair data and subject matter expertise with deep community engagement, ensuring that decisions reflect best practices, lived experiences, and local priorities.
Both planning departments have robust approaches to GIS mapping, research and data.
As we celebrate Community Planning Month, we invite you to reflect on the role planning plays in your life. Join a community meeting, explore a master plan, or simply walk your neighborhood with fresh eyes. Planning is a shared endeavor, and your voice matters.
Together, let’s continue to build communities that are inclusive, resilient, and full of possibility.
Looking ahead
As Montgomery and Prince George’s counties continue to grow, community planning will remain essential to balancing innovation with preservation, density with livability, and growth with justice. With Montgomery Planning and Prince George’s Planning under the structure of The M-NCPPC at the helm, the bi-county region is well-positioned to build a future that reflects the values and aspirations of the resident, business, and developer communities. We also want to continue to support future planning leaders in the planning profession, as we continue to work with local universities and colleges with graduate assistantships and internship programs.
Both planning departments came together in February 2025 to hear from guest speaker, Leah Rothstein, co-author of Just Action. Trainings and special events are woven into the staff experience for both departments.
Connect with us
Explore current projects, attend public meetings and get involved with the process at Montgomery Planning’s website and Prince George’s Planning’s website.
About the authorsLakisha Hull serves as the Planning Director of the Prince George’s County Planning Department. She leads a team of 240 staff who support planning efforts for 26 cities and unincorporated areas in Prince George’s County, MD. Lakisha’s accomplishments include policy updates, smart growth initiatives, and implementing large-scale development projects. Throughout her 22-year career, she has leveraged partnerships to advance projects with cumulative budgets of over $5 billion across the U.S. She holds a dual master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s degree from University of Michigan. She is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and is accepted in Leadership Greater Washington, Class of 2026.
Jason Sartori has been the director of Montgomery Planning since November 2023. He joined Montgomery Planning in 2016 and led the Countywide Planning and Policy Division starting in 2019 before being appointed director by the Montgomery Planning Board. Jason previously served as the Associate Director of the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland.
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