{"id":10883,"date":"2026-02-19T14:25:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T19:25:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/?p=10883"},"modified":"2026-02-19T14:25:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T19:25:49","slug":"how-montgomery-planning-board-commissioner-shawn-bartley-came-to-champion-single-family-homes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/2026\/02\/how-montgomery-planning-board-commissioner-shawn-bartley-came-to-champion-single-family-homes\/","title":{"rendered":"How Montgomery Planning Board Commissioner Shawn Bartley came to \u201cchampion\u201d single-family homes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"lead\" class=\"lead\"><em>By Montgomery Planning staff<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Montgomery Planning is celebrating Black History Month by sharing the voices, journeys, and impact of Montgomery Planning\u2019s Black leaders.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Shawn Bartley remembers how safe he felt growing up in his family\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_10884\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10884\" class=\"wp-image-10884 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/family-photos.png\" alt=\"Three photos: portrait of a young boy; a father sitting with two young sons on his lap and a poster of Martin Luther King Jr that says I Have a Dream on wall behind them; family portrait of a father, mother and two young sons\" width=\"1200\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/family-photos.png 1200w, https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/family-photos-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/family-photos-1024x341.png 1024w, https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/family-photos-768x256.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-10884\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Childhood photos of Shawn Bartley with his family<\/p><\/div>\n<p>His family of four had been so excited to move there that they\u2019d 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 could afford after moving off March Air Force Base and his father had a difficult time finding work after retiring from United States Air Force after 20 years of service. Once his father secured a new job as a nurse and corrections officer for the California corrections system, his family purchased the home.<\/p>\n<p>Now, as a lawyer and member of the Montgomery County Planning Board, Commissioner Bartley looks back fondly on growing up in that house.<\/p>\n<div id=\"metaslider-id-10887\" style=\"max-width: 800px;\" class=\"ml-slider-3-108-0 ml-slider-pro-2-56-0 metaslider metaslider-flex metaslider-10887 ml-slider ms-theme-_theme_1601499156 nav-hidden\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Bartley childhood home\" data-height=\"500\" data-width=\"800\">\n    <div id=\"metaslider_container_10887\">\n        <div id=\"metaslider_10887\">\n            <ul class='slides'>\n                <li style=\"display: block; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10892 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-02-19 12:24:51\" data-filename=\"Shawn-Bartley-Childhood-home-during-construction-1979.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"664\" src=\"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Shawn-Bartley-Childhood-home-during-construction-1979.jpg\" class=\"slider-10887 slide-10892 msDefaultImage\" alt=\"A person stands in front of a partially constructed house with exposed wood and a dirt yard. The garage door is not yet installed, and the ground appears uneven and unfinished.\" rel=\"\" title=\"Shawn Bartley Childhood home during construction 1979\" srcset=\"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Shawn-Bartley-Childhood-home-during-construction-1979.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Shawn-Bartley-Childhood-home-during-construction-1979-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Shawn-Bartley-Childhood-home-during-construction-1979-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Shawn-Bartley-Childhood-home-during-construction-1979-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\">Shawn Bartley's childhood home under construction in 1979.<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10893 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-02-19 12:24:51\" data-filename=\"Shawn-Bartley-Childhood-Home-1985.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"664\" src=\"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Shawn-Bartley-Childhood-Home-1985.jpg\" class=\"slider-10887 slide-10893 msDefaultImage\" alt=\"A single-story house with a dark garage door, a basketball hoop above the garage, a mailbox at the curb, a tree in the front yard, and bushes near the house, seen on a sunny day.\" rel=\"\" title=\"Shawn Bartley Childhood Home 1985\" srcset=\"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Shawn-Bartley-Childhood-Home-1985.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Shawn-Bartley-Childhood-Home-1985-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Shawn-Bartley-Childhood-Home-1985-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Shawn-Bartley-Childhood-Home-1985-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\">Shawn Bartley's childhood home in 1985.<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n            <\/ul>\n        <\/div>\n        \n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cAs an African American, I think I really benefited from growing up in a single-family home with two parents in a suburban environment,\u201d Commissioner Bartley said recently. \u201cNot having shared walls or shared outdoor space, having our own space, was really helpful for me.\u201d Both of Commissioner Bartley\u2019s parents grew up in single family homes. \u00a0It shaped how I view the world and how I view housing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s why, Commissioner Bartley said, he \u201cchampions\u201d the idea that Montgomery County\u2019s more suburban areas should remain reserved for detached single-family homes.<\/p>\n<p>He believes more densely developed, urban parts of the county, such as downtown Wheaton, Bethesda, and Silver Spring, should readily develop and deliver plenty of high-rise apartment and condo buildings.<\/p>\n<p>In those areas, he said, \u201cI&#8217;m pro \u2018build it as big and as high as you can.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Commissioner Bartley, now in his second term as a Montgomery Planning Board member, said he\u2019s concerned that prices for the detached single-family homes that many people seek in more suburban areas will continue to soar if too few are built in favor of townhouses and apartment buildings. More Montgomery residents, he said, should have the opportunity to buy less expensive single-family detached houses, perhaps by encouraging construction of smaller houses on smaller lots, like the one where he grew up.<\/p>\n<p>Commissioner Bartley said his views on housing stem from his belief that Montgomery County should provide opportunities for a diverse population.<\/p>\n<h2>The Path to the Planning Board<\/h2>\n<p>Commissioner Bartley earned his bachelor\u2019s degree at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he also played football. He got acquainted with Montgomery County while visiting the hometowns of two of his college friends \u2013 one grew up in the Hillandale area of Silver Spring and the other in Rockville\u2019s Flower Valley neighborhood. He was attracted to the area because of the county\u2019s diversity and opportunities for upward mobility for African American families.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember visiting them while I was in college, and I said &#8220;Oh my gosh, you&#8217;re African American like me and you\u2019ve got this big ol\u2019 house in this big, pretty neighborhood?\u201d Commissioner Bartley recalled.<\/p>\n<p>While his Silver Spring law practice doesn\u2019t focus on major real estate development, he grew interested in planning issues while watching the redevelopment of downtown Silver Spring in the early 2000s led by former County Executive Doug Duncan. He also represented clients on related issues, such as seeking street terminations and zoning changes. Among those clients was an African American homeowner in Anne Arundel County\u2019s Severna Park, whom Commissioner Bartley helped retain his right to farm his property in an area that had transformed from African American-owned farms to single family homes.<\/p>\n<p>When several positions on the Montgomery County Planning Board came open in 2022, a colleague told Commissioner Bartley, \u201cShawn, you should go for this! You&#8217;re always on fire about these issues!\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_10907\" style=\"width: 260px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10907\" class=\"wp-image-10907\" src=\"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Shawn_Web-1-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"A smiling man in a suit and glasses stands in front of a leafy green background, holding his suit jacket with both hands. He wears a white shirt, checkered pocket square, and a beaded bracelet.\" width=\"250\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Shawn_Web-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Shawn_Web-1.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-10907\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Commissioner Shawn Bartley<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The Montgomery County Council appointed Commissioner Bartley to the planning board in 2023 to finish out the term of a commissioner who had resigned. In 2024, he was reappointed to a full four-year term. He is the board\u2019s sole Republican. (No more than three of the five commissioners may come from the same political party.)\u00a0 Shawn Bartley\u2019s vast experience as a lawyer helps him identify problems, ask tough questions, and find solutions. And as a member of multiple executive boards, including the Maryland Board of Education under former Gov. Larry Hogan, he knows how to synthesize information and make hard decisions. He also readily acknowledges that Montgomery Planning and Parks staff are the experts in their fields, something he relies on.<\/p>\n<p>Commissioner Bartley said he\u2019d also like to see more bike lanes throughout the county and more residents engage in the planning process, including through the new <a href=\"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/montgomery-plannings-community-planning-academy\/\">Community Planning Academy<\/a>. The free, mobile-friendly online course teaches the planning and development process and how residents can get involved in shaping their communities.<\/p>\n<p>Commissioner Bartley and his wife, a middle school teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools, live in the Cloverly area of Silver Spring in\u2013yes\u2013a single-family home with a yard. It\u2019s one of the places he most enjoys spending time with their two teenage children.<\/p>\n<p>He said he\u2019s grateful for the chance he and his wife have had over the years to move from an apartment to a townhouse, and eventually to their current home as their family grew: \u201cI want other families to have that opportunity, also.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"lead\" class=\"lead\"><em>By Montgomery Planning staff<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Montgomery Planning is celebrating Black History Month by sharing the voices, journeys, and impact of Montgomery Planning\u2019s Black leaders.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Shawn Bartley remembers how safe he felt growing up in his family\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>His family of four had been so excited to move there that they\u2019d 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 &#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/2026\/02\/how-montgomery-planning-board-commissioner-shawn-bartley-came-to-champion-single-family-homes\/\" class=\"read-more\">Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[452,747],"class_list":["post-10883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-planning","tag-black-history-month","tag-shawn-bartley"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10883"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10905,"href":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10883\/revisions\/10905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}