Digital map allows community residents to comment on land use, zoning, open space and other proposed plan recommendations
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, has posted the interactive feedback map for the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Area Minor Master Plan on its website. Staff created the map to share the preliminary recommendations for the plan with the public and collect comments from community members about these ideas.
The map complements Planning Department outreach efforts, allowing participants to voice their opinions about the recommendations, which are categorized according to three topics: land use and urban design, open space and placemaking, and connectivity.
The feedback map is accessible to anyone with an interest in the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Area, including Montgomery County residents, visitors to Strathmore, people who live within the plan area and commuters who use the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Station.
Planning staff hope to gauge support for specific recommendations and identify other possible ideas or issues. Comments on the map will be shared with the Planning Board before it reviews the plan recommendations.
The feedback map will be available for comments through July 6, 2017, one week after the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Area Minor Master Plan public hearing is held at the Planning Board meeting (8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD) on June 29, 2017. Planning Board work sessions on the plan are scheduled for July 13 and July 27, 2017.
County residents may sign up online to testify at the June 29 Planning Board public hearing. Written comments must be submitted at least one full business day before a scheduled hearing (by 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning before a Thursday hearing). They may be emailed to the Montgomery County Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson at mcp-chair@mncppc-mc.org or mailed to Chair Casey Anderson, Montgomery County Planning Board, 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910; or faxed to (301) 495-1320.
About the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Minor Master Plan
The current plan is an amendment to the 1992 North Bethesda Garrett Park Master Plan. The 1992 Master Plan made significant recommendations to concentrate density around the Metro stations within the plan area, including residential development around the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Station.
Since that plan was adopted, the Strathmore Music Center was built to the north of the Metro station. The center includes a 1,976-seat concert hall, which has rapidly become a regional arts destination.
In 2013, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), which operates the Metro system, requested development proposals for its parking lot facility at the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Station and selected Fivesquares Development for the project.
The pending redevelopment of the WMATA property is a primary reason the Planning Department is undertaking the Grosvenor-Strathmore Minor Master Plan and the plan boundaries were modified to narrow the scope of issues and expedite the schedule. The purpose of this plan is to enhance the vitality and longevity of Strathmore, improve connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists, and encourage a shared Grosvenor-Strathmore identity through public space and art.
Learn more about the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Area Minor Master Plan and sign up for the plan e-newsletter to hear about future meetings.