Discussion about proposed commercial zoning has been moved to February 9 and additional meeting dates will be announced.
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, has canceled tonight’s MVMatters meeting due to inclement weather and travel concerns. The planned discussion of proposed commercial zoning and details of the Montgomery Village Master Plan is rescheduled for February 9, 2015 at the Watkins Mill High School cafeteria (10301 Apple Ridge Road, Gaithersburg, MD). Additional meeting dates will be announced by the Planning Department in coming days.
The PowerPoint presentation and other materials from the last MVMatters meeting on January 12 are posted on the MVMatters webpage. The purpose of this session was to explain the updates to the existing zoning for Montgomery Village – the Town Sector Zone –with new zoning categories. Discussion focused on proposed zoning for residential properties.
At future MV Matters meetings, commercial properties and use of the former golf course will be discussed, as well as strategies for retaining and preserving open spaces in the community.
What is MV Matters All About?
MVMatters is a series of outreach events meant to engage the community in the Montgomery Village Master Plan. Village residents are invited to learn about specific subject areas, such as urban design, land use, parks, environment and transportation at the sessions. Through the meetings, planners have received initial feedback from residents on what they view as the most valuable places in the village. For more information on the Scope of Work for the Montgomery Village Mater Plan, go to www.montgomeryplanningboard.org/meetings_archive/
Stay Connected:
Sign up: for the Montgomery Village Master Plan eNewsletter
Call: the MVPlan Hotline for updates on upcoming planning events: 301-495-4723
Learn More: www.montgomeryplanning.org/mvp
Use: #MVPlan
Master Plan Background:
Montgomery Village has not been part of a Master Plan review since the 1985 Gaithersburg Vicinity Master Plan, nor has it been the subject of a discrete County master plan in the past. Although Montgomery Village was within the boundaries of both the 1971 Gaithersburg Vicinity Master Plan and the 1985 Master Plan, neither plan contains recommendations or guidance for this community because the Village fell within the Town Sector Zone, which did not allow the rezoning of properties for a 50-year period that comes to a close in 2015. When the Planning Department initiated an update to the Gaithersburg Master Plan in 2007, Montgomery Village was originally included within its boundaries. However, with large swaths of land on both sides of I-270 presenting different planning issues and challenges, the Planning Department realized the area was too big to be analyzed effectively.
In 2008, the Planning Department divided the large Gaithersburg Master Plan area into two planning efforts – one for the west side of I-270, which became the Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan (GSSC) – and one for the east side of I-270 – Gaithersburg East. In 2014, the County Council directed the Planning Department to further refine the Gaithersburg East Plan to have one plan for Montgomery Village and one plan for the remainder of Gaithersburg East. The Council also directed the Planning Director to work efficiently on the Montgomery Village Plan, with the goal of having a draft plan transmitted to the Council within 12 months of the plan start date, because it wanted the zoning to be reassessed holistically before the prohibition on piecemeal rezoning of Town Sector property expired in 2015.