Community members invited to testify on the draft recommendations of the plan via written, video or audio comments
WHEATON, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Board, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), will hold a public hearing for the update to the county’s General Plan, known as Thrive Montgomery 2050, at their virtual meeting on Thursday, November 19. Residents can testify on the Public Hearing Draft of the plan live online or over the phone, but must sign up to testify by 12 p.m. on November 18, 2020. Community members can also submit written comments by email to mcp-chair@mncppc-mc.org by the deadline of 12 p.m. on November 18.
Thrive Montgomery 2050 is a long-range policy framework for guiding future land use and growth. The public record will stay open until December 10, 2020. Learn more about how to testify while social distancing.
View the Thrive Montgomery 2050 Public Hearing Draft.
View the Thrive Montgomery 2050 Outreach Appendix.
Planning staff presented draft recommendations to the Planning Board at their online meeting on October 1, 2020. The Planning Board unanimously voted to make the Public Hearing Draft available to the public with the condition that the Planning Board’s comments be incorporated into the plan document during the work session phase of the plan.
“This is just the beginning of the formal public process,” says Planning Director Gwen Wright. “We invite and encourage the community to provide comments during the Planning Board public hearing on November 19, during the many work sessions and during the County Council public hearing and work sessions. We have approximately nine months before the plan is scheduled to be approved and there are many opportunities for public comment. It is very important that the recommendations in the plan reflect those of the community.”
There are nine themes that form the basis for recommendations in Thrive Montgomery 2050:
- Compact form of development/urbanism.
- Corridors are the place for new growth.
- We must stop planning for cars.
- Eradicate greenhouse gas emissions.
- Attainable housing for all income levels.
- Evolution of single-family neighborhoods near transit.
- A diverse county.
- Champion the importance of place.
- Regional solutions and strategies.
For at-a-glance information on the plan, visit thrivemontgomery.com to view the Thrive Montgomery 2050 two-sheeter explainer document in English as well as in multiple languages.
Community Engagement
Over the summer, Montgomery Planning hosted several virtual community engagement sessions— even during this time of social distancing—on the initial draft Thrive Montgomery 2050 Policies and Actions released in June to obtain feedback to be included in the Thrive Montgomery 2050 Working Draft Plan that was published in September. Planning staff invited the community to participate in the June Thrive Montgomery 2050 Virtual Community Chats. Each chat offered community members a chance to converse online with Planning staff about policy recommendations related to planning for the future of the county’s housing, transportation, economy, environment and more. The community chats followed the Ask Me Anything virtual townhalls that Planning Director Wright hosted in May. View all of the distance engagement events for Thrive Montgomery 2050.
What’s Next?
Below is a timeline leading up to transmitting Thrive Montgomery 2050 to the County Council:
- November 19, 2020: Planning Board holds Thrive Montgomery 2050 Public Hearing. (Public comment period to remain open until December 10, 2020).
- December 17, 2020 through January 28, 2021: Planning Board holds work sessions.
- February 11, 2021: Planning Board provides final comments for Thrive Montgomery 2050.
- March 2021: Planning Board approves Thrive Montgomery 2050 Planning Board Draft for transmittal to the County Council and County Executive.
About Thrive Montgomery 2050
During summer 2019, the Montgomery County Planning Department launched the update of Montgomery County’s General Plan, the county’s long-term framework for land use and development. This effort, called Thrive Montgomery 2050, will result in new countywide policies to help Montgomery County thrive in the decades to come by addressing challenges and opportunities. A lot has changed in the county since the General Plan was originally approved in 1964. Thrive Montgomery 2050 will guide future growth in response to the demographic shifts, technological innovations, changing lifestyles and economic disruptions that have taken place in recent decades. The new General Plan will consider many issues framed by three pillars: economic health, environmental resilience and equity. This framework will help guide the recommendations of the plan with input from the community.
Reach the Thrive Montgomery 2050 Team
Planning staff encourages members of the public to provide written comments on Thrive Montgomery 2050 by sending an email to: thrive2050@montgomeryplanning.org or call and leave a message on our feedback line in English or Spanish at 240-630-2526.