Planning

How a devastating hurricane launched a planning career

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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

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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

Findings from the 2024 American Community Survey: Montgomery County, Maryland, and the United States

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This September, the U.S. Census Bureau released the 2024 American Community Survey data, 1-year estimates, providing a wealth of new statistics about Montgomery County. This blog highlights key demographic and housing information about the county from this new data release and how the county compares with Maryland and the United States.

Key demographic statistics for 2024

Montgomery County had 1,082,273 residents in 2024 and continued to be Maryland’s most populous county with 17% of the state’s population. Since 2020, the county’s population has increased by more than 20,000 people, or 1.9%, higher than the state’s growth rate (1.4%) but lower than the national growth rate (2.5%).

In addition, the county had 389,161 households in 2024. However, the number of … Continue reading

Building community one bike ride at a time

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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

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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

How rethinking stairwells could boost housing in Montgomery County

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

A key contributor to Montgomery County’s housing crisis might surprise you: Stairwells.

As in most of the United States, Montgomery County apartment buildings taller than three stories must have two stairwells connected by a hallway. It’s part of a century-old building code requirement to help residents quickly escape in case of a fire.

But many experts now say double stairwells have become redundant amid modern sprinkler systems, fire-resistant walls, and other vastly improved fire-protection technology. Moreover, the requirement significantly increases building costs, takes up space that could be used for additional or larger apartments, prices out smaller developers, and makes it difficult to build on smaller lots … Continue reading

Meet the new Montgomery Planning

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Following the adoption of Thrive Montgomery 2050 in 2022, the big question on our minds at Montgomery Planning has been – what’s next in terms of implementation? Thrive, the county’s updated General Plan, has big implications on how we grow as a county in the decades to come and marks a shift in how we plan. As we began developing Montgomery Planning’s new Strategic Plan, which outlines internal goals and objectives over the next five years, we realized we need to look at the department’s structure to position our organization for that shift.

We felt the timing was right to do so. The last time we had a comprehensive organizational structure update was in 2011. A lot has changed … Continue reading

Seeking regional solutions for the future of our communities

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Over the past year, I had the honor of serving as the Chair of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). Our impact on the bi-county region of Prince George’s County and Montgomery County is enormous and cannot be understated. I have the pleasure of serving alongside my counterpart Peter Shapiro, who is the Chair of the Prince George’s County Planning Board. Every new fiscal year, on July 1, we swap the position of Chair and Vice Chair of the Commission. I would like to take a moment to reflect on the great work that we have done together over my first term.

Housing

I know the importance of affordable housing. My parents were able to access government-subsidized housing … Continue reading

The status quo is no longer an option

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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

From Here to There: Montgomery County’s Big Shift in Transportation Planning

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

Montgomery County has long been a great place to work, live, learn, and visit—and our transportation choices affect every aspect of our daily life.

As the 21st century unfolded, Montgomery County has seen a growing demand for diverse transportation options and a shift away from the low-density, car-centric development that followed World War II. Over the past 15 years, the county has refocused to prioritize mixed-use developments, pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly infrastructure, enhanced public transit, and creating vibrant, walkable communities.

Today, Montgomery Planning’s recommendations emphasize a multi-modal future where residents have a meaningful range of safe, convenient, and efficient transportation choices.