From June 26 to June 30, communities will gather to offer ideas about updating the county’s General Plan to improve social equity, environmental resilience and economic health
SILVER SPRING, MD –The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), is launching Thrive Week, a series of five community events between June 26 and June 30, each held in a different location within the county. At these public gatherings, community members will be able to share their ideas about the future of Montgomery County. These ideas will be recorded in words and pictures by a graphic artist.
“Thrive Week is the first step in crafting a new plan for the future of Montgomery County over the next 30 years. We will consider what we want for tomorrow, then develop a shared vision to maintain what is great about the county while taking the actions needed to thrive over the coming decades,” says Planning Director Gwen Wright. “We encourage all members of the community to participate and let us know what is important to them.”
Feedback from Thrive Week will help inform Thrive Montgomery 2050, the update to Montgomery County’s General Plan. The General Plan is the county’s long-range policy framework for guiding land use and growth. Montgomery County’s existing General Plan was last comprehensively updated in the 1960s.
The result of Thrive Montgomery 2050 will be a living and breathing General Plan that guides future planning and decision-making and helps secure resources to ensure Montgomery County is a place where everyone can be successful, have opportunities and enjoy a high quality of life in a beautiful and resilient environment.
Learn more about Thrive Montgomery 2050.
At the Thrive Week events, graphic recording artists will document participants’ ideas and comments, and family-friendly activities will be held at each location:
Wednesday, June 26 – Shady Grove Farmer’s Market, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine, in the rear parking lot on the Rockville campus of Johns Hopkins University (Key West Avenue and Broschart Road, Rockville, MD).
Thursday, June 27 – Yappy Hour, hosted by Montgomery Parks, 6 to 8 p.m., Elm Street Park (4600 Elm Street, Bethesda, MD). Community members are encouraged to bring their dogs.
Friday, June 28 – South Germantown Recreational Park splash park and mini-golf facility, 3 to 6 p.m. (18041 Central Park Circle, Boyds, MD).
Saturday, June 29 – Ellsworth Fountain Plaza Stage, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., in downtown Silver Spring (916 Ellsworth Drive). Come listen to local bands while sharing your ideas about the county’s future.
Sunday, June 30 – Sunday Funday at Wheaton Veterans Urban Park, 1 to 5 p.m. (11200 Amherst Avenue, Wheaton, MD). This event will include activities for families and kids.
What is Thrive Montgomery 2050?
What does your future look like? And how does the community where you live, work and play support your vision for your future—and that of your family?
Montgomery County has seen significant and rapid social, environmental, technological, demographic and economic shifts since the 1964 General Plan and 1969 Update, and more changes are anticipated over the next few decades. It is necessary to update—together—the county’s long-term guiding framework for growth and development, the General Plan, to determine how to proactively manage change in the future and address the challenges and opportunities from technological, social, environmental and economic change.
Thrive Montgomery 2050 is our chance to figure out—together—how Montgomery County can be an inclusive, prosperous and resilient community over the next 30 years. It’s about how we respond to future opportunities and challenges in the county. Together.
Through Thrive Montgomery 2050, we’ll identify and examine the changes occurring, consider what we want for tomorrow, then develop a shared vision that allows us to keep what we love about Montgomery County while taking the actions needed to thrive over the next 30+ years.
The plan will draw on your vision, ideas and care for your community, best practices, expert analysis and innovative responses.
We are starting out with three core themes for the General Plan Update:
Economic health: We want to ensure a vibrant, strong and competitive economy by supporting small businesses and business innovation, and attract and retain a high quality, diverse workforce.
Community equity: We want to create a place where all residents have equal access to affordable housing, healthy foods, employment, education and more.
Environmental resilience: We want to preserve our natural and built resources and use the best strategies to fight climate change and mitigate the impact of development on the land.
Let’s ensure a vibrant economy, equity for all residents and a healthy environment through 2050 and beyond.
Let’s plan to thrive. Together.