the third place

How Montgomery Planning Board Commissioner Shawn Bartley came to “champion” single-family homes

Posted by & filed under Planning.

By Montgomery Planning staff

Montgomery Planning is celebrating Black History Month by sharing the voices, journeys, and impact of Montgomery Planning’s Black leaders.

Shawn Bartley remembers how safe he felt growing up in his family’s house in Moreno Valley, Calif., especially the small but private yard where an introverted 8-year-old like him could play in peace and quiet.

His family of four had been so excited to move there that they’d often drive out to the construction site to photograph their new home as it took shape. The house was small, about 1,200 square feet. But it would allow them to escape a gang-ridden area of nearby East Riverside. An apartment complex there had been what his family … Continue reading

Montgomery Planning Board Chair Artie Harris grew up learning to give back

Posted by & filed under Planning.

By Montgomery Planning staff

Montgomery Planning is celebrating Black History Month by sharing the voices, journeys, and impact of Montgomery Planning’s Black leaders.

Artie Harris worries that Montgomery County’s skyrocketing home prices will leave too many residents, including his two adult daughters, unable to afford a home in a neighborhood like the one where they grew up.

It’s one reason why helping the county get “unstuck” from its affordable housing crisis feels personal–and remains Harris’ top priority as chair of the Montgomery County Planning Board.

As Harris helps chart Montgomery’s future, he wants the county to offer more reasonably priced homes in all sizes, from large apartments for growing families to starter homes for young buyers and smaller … Continue reading

Planning starts with people: Inside Montgomery County’s new academy for civic engagement

Posted by & filed under Planning.

University of Maryland student Ricardo Hernandez wonders how he’ll afford to continue living in Montgomery County when he moves out of his parents’ home. Community organizer Sergine Yango is concerned about clean air. Restaurant owner Radwan Chowdhury has wondered how local governments decide to issue new construction permits.

They and 45 other Montgomery residents were among the first graduates of our new Community Planning Academy, a free online course that explains the ins and outs of the planning process. The 10 interactive and self-paced lessons, each 30 to 45 minutes long, cover everything from zoning basics to the development review process to how to weigh in on your community’s Master Plan.

Starting December 1, the virtual academy will open … Continue reading

How a devastating hurricane launched a planning career

Posted by & filed under Planning.

Montgomery Planning is proud to have a team of planners who reflect Montgomery County’s rich culture. As part of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we are highlighting some of our planners working to craft a better future for our diverse county.

When Hurricane Maria roared through Puerto Rico, Justine Gonzalez Velez saw how homes that had been allowed in areas prone to landslides and flooding were destroyed and swept away.

“A lot of people, a lot of families in Puerto Rico, lost their houses,” said Gonzalez Velez, who was in his first year of college at the time. “They lost their lives. They lost all the things they had worked for their entire lives – and that was a byproduct … Continue reading

Montgomery and Prince George’s planning directors celebrate and reflect on Community Planning Month

Posted by & filed under Planning.

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 … Continue reading

Building community one bike ride at a time

Posted by & filed under Planning.

By Montgomery Planning Staff

Montgomery Planning is proud to have a team of planners who reflect Montgomery County’s rich multiculturism. As part of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we are highlighting some of our planners working to craft a better future for a diverse Montgomery County.

Almost every Friday, Mario Emanuel Perez and his two children set off for a 30-minute bike ride to their Silver Spring elementary school, picking up dozens of other students and parents along the way.

Perez, who goes by “Ema,” organizes the weekly “bike bus” to encourage people of all ages to ride. The cycling trips, he said, benefit their health, take traffic off the road, and shorten the school’s car drop-off line. Meanwhile, he … Continue reading

Planning for the storm: Solutions for more resilient communities

Posted by & filed under Planning.

By Montgomery Planning staff

Flooding is a growing threat to Montgomery County due to severe storms caused by climate change. Whether it’s damaging homes, disrupting traffic, or harming local ecosystems, the impacts of flooding are real and intensifying.

As the agency responsible for land use and planning for the future, we’re uniquely positioned to help reduce flood risks and build a more resilient county. Our approach is rooted in smart growth, environmental stewardship, and interagency collaboration.

Understanding the problem

Flooding happens when rainfall overwhelms the land’s ability to absorb water and the capacity of natural and built drainage systems like streams, wetlands, and storm drains. In Montgomery County, many neighborhoods were built before modern stormwater standards existed, leaving them … Continue reading

The status quo is no longer an option

Posted by & filed under Planning.

By Montgomery Planning Board Chair Artie Harris and Montgomery Planning Director Jason K. Sartori

Note to the reader: this content was originally published in the Affordable Housing Conference of Montgomery County, MD 2025 Journal

Montgomery County is a great place to live, work, play, and learn. Like many communities nationwide, though, our status quo is no longer working when it comes to housing. Currently, the county has over 1 million residents and is expected to add 200,000 more over the next 25 years, but we are not building housing fast enough to keep up with this growth. As prices and rents have skyrocketed in recent years due to a lack of supply and other real estate market forces, current … Continue reading

Cooling Montgomery County’s corridors

Posted by & filed under Planning.

By Montgomery Planning Staff

Residents who walk, ride bikes, and wait for buses along busy roads in the Washington, DC region more often feel the unhealthy effects of traffic-related air pollution and blistering summer days.

Asphalt roads and parking lots, as well as concrete sidewalks, absorb the sun, creating “heat islands” with higher temperatures. A 2022 heat mapping study of Montgomery County found that these areas reached up to ten degrees hotter than rural areas.

As Montgomery Planning Environmental Planner Steve Findley explained: “Obviously, anybody who is outside a vehicle—anybody who is walking, biking or rolling along the corridor or waiting for transit—is going to be exposed to these heat island impacts.”

This seemingly complex problem has a simple … Continue reading

Answers to the community’s questions about the University Boulevard Corridor Plan

Posted by & filed under Planning.

By Montgomery Planning Staff

Community engagement is a cornerstone of the planning process. During the process for the University Boulevard Corridor Plan (UBC), we heard about the concerns and aspirations for the plan area from community members, businesses, and other key stakeholders.

During the outreach process, it was important for us to meet this community where they were. Through community meetings, conversations, mailings, door knocking, and more, we were able to get a sense for a vision that the community wanted to see. This feedback directly inspired the draft recommendations that are currently being reviewed by the Montgomery County Planning Board. View a complete list of our engagement efforts.

Part of the Planning Board’s review included a public hearing … Continue reading