SILVER SPRING – As Montgomery County continues to grow and change, planners are considering ways to provide diverse housing options for newcomers as well as current residents who seek new dwellings.
On Thursday, May 21, the Montgomery County Planning Board will hold a public hearing on a plan to amend the housing element of the General Plan, which guides the physical development of the county through an overall vision. The housing plan drafted by planners outlines strategies to encourage more affordable housing, energy-efficient housing, dwellings connected to community services and ways to forge desirable neighborhoods.
For example, recognizing that housing costs are affected by commute times and energy costs, planners recommend more housing near transit and job centers. They also seek to reduce environmental impacts by encouraging energy efficient house design, smaller homes as part of a range of housing types and innovative stormwater management techniques.
The detailed housing plan specifies ways to improve neighborhoods by providing day care, public spaces that attract walking and bicycling, and services for seniors that allow them to stay in their communities.
The draft housing plan describes the roles of the various state, federal and local agencies and groups that would implement the range of strategies. Planners say the new range of housing tools are needed to build upon decades of work encouraging transit-oriented growth and requiring workforce housing.
Testimony from the public hearing will inform the Planning Board as it considers the draft plan. Then, the board will transmit its proposed changes to the housing element of the General Plan later this spring to the County Council for consideration and eventual adoption. The new plan will serve as a guide for county policy-makers as they regulate growth and shape the future of Montgomery County’s housing stock.
For more information about the plan, go to www.montgomeryplanning.org/community/housing/index.shtm
WHO:
Montgomery County Planning Board
WHAT:
Public hearing on Housing Element of the General Plan
WHEN:
7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 21
WHERE:
Park and Planning Headquarters
8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring
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