Planning Board will vote on accepting the Planning Board Draft for transmission to the County Council and County Executive
Silver Spring, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Board, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, will hold its fourth and final work session for the Westbard Sector Plan at its meeting on Thursday, December 17 at the Planning Department headquarters (8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD).
It is anticipated that the Planning Board will vote to accept the Planning Board Draft of the Sector Plan and transmit it to the Montgomery County Council and to the Office of the County Executive. The County Council has tentatively scheduled a public hearing on the Planning Board Draft of the Westbard Sector Plan for Tuesday, January 26, 2016.
View the Westbard Sector Plan Staff Report for the December 17 Planning Board meeting.
The Planning Board previously held three work sessions on the Westbard Sector Plan to address the following issues:
Work Session #1: Thursday, October 22, 2015 – Overall Concept and Infrastructure – Schools and Transportation
Work Session #2: Thursday, November 19, 2015 – Land Use and Zoning
Work Session #3: Thursday, December 3, 2015 – Land use and Zoning wrap-up; Parks, Open Space and Willett Branch Renovation; Historic and Cultural Resources
Background on Westbard Sector Plan
The new Sector Plan is the first effort since 1982 to develop a unified vision for Bethesda’s Westbard area, which is located near Friendship Heights and the District of Columbia. The Plan builds on the assets of the community by offering ways to improve neighborhood retail, existing light industrial areas, housing options and recreational and open spaces over the next 20 years.
Recommendations in the Plan focus on:
-Encouraging more housing choices.
-Revitalizing older retail areas.
-Emphasizing low-scale development of five to seven stories.
-Preserving local light industrial uses.
-Restoring the Willett Branch stream as a public amenity.
-Creating better access to the Capital Crescent Trail.
-Establishing new gathering spaces and parks.
-Enhancing walkability with sidewalks shaded by street trees.
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