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Montgomery Planning hosts several opportunities for community to get involved with Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan

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Community members are invited to take an online questionnaire in support of the fall placemaking festival, sign up as a festival volunteer, and attend a series of virtual and in-person Visioning Workshops about the future of the plan area

WHEATON, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), is hosting several opportunities for the community to get involved with the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan. These include efforts to support the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Placemaking Festival as well as the plan’s Visioning Phase, starting on June 27 and taking place through the summer.

The Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan is an update to a portion of the 1997 Fairland Master Plan and will establish a clear vision for an equitable, just, and prosperous future for the Fairland community, mirroring the county’s long-term priorities, which include a vibrant economy, equity for all residents, and a healthy environment. The master plan boundary consists primarily of property and communities of Fairland and Briggs Chaney along the US 29 Corridor from near Paint Branch on the south to Greencastle Road on the north.

Fairland and Briggs Chaney Placemaking Festival

On June 1, Montgomery Planning staff held a virtual kickoff meeting for the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Placemaking Festival. During the kickoff event, Montgomery Planning launched the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Placemaking Festival effort. In addition, community members were invited to participate in this effort by providing their ideas and feedback on how to temporarily transform a small portion of the parking lot shared by the Montgomery County Services Center, Eastern Montgomery Regional Services Center, and the Briggs Chaney Park and Ride into a fun and inviting place for residents to visit. The placemaking festival will culminate with a free, community-led event scheduled for October 21 and October 22. If you were unable to attend the virtual kickoff meeting, you can access the kickoff meeting recording and presentation on the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Placemaking Festival webpage.

aerial map of the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Placemaking Festival site denoted with a blue star. The site area is located in the parking lot of the Briggs Chaney Park and Ride.

All community members are welcome to respond to the Montgomery Planning team’s questionnaire from now until June 20 to guide the festival’s program and design. Some potential temporary changes could include ground murals, greenery and landscaping, shade, seating, and opportunities for community gathering. Additionally, Montgomery Planning staff hope to test some ideas and get feedback that will be incorporated into the ongoing master planning efforts for the Fairland and Briggs Chaney communities and Montgomery County.

Take the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Placemaking Festival Questionnaire.

The Fairland and Briggs Chaney Placemaking Festival team also invites community members to volunteer to later help create the temporary public open space. Community members will work with the Better Block Foundation team through the summer and fall to build, paint, and construct their ideas and bring them to life. This transformed outdoor space will host food and retail vendors, Montgomery Parks’ activities and features, and a welcoming place for residents to gather with their family, neighbors, and friends during the October 2022 public celebration.

Sign up to volunteer to help create the temporary festival space this fall.

Fairland and Briggs Chaney Visioning Workshops

The community is invited to attend virtual and in-person events to share ideas for the future of the Fairland and Briggs Chaney plan area. This phase will kick off with a virtual Visioning Workshop on June 27.

Each Visioning Workshop will include a presentation of the equitable engagement efforts to date, followed by a discussion facilitated by Story Tapestries on the community’s vision. The feedback and ideas collected during the Visioning Workshops will inform Montgomery Planning’s preliminary recommendations for the master plan.

There are two virtual and four in-person Visioning Workshops scheduled. RSVPs are required unless otherwise stated. Please provide at least 10 business days’ notice for ADA or language translation assistance. Virtual sessions will be recorded and posted on the plan’s website.

Virtual Fairland and Briggs Chaney Visioning Workshops

Join Montgomery Planning via Zoom from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on June 27 and July 19 to discuss the master plan update and share your ideas and recommendations for the future of the Fairland and Briggs Chaney communities through a series of interactive activities.

Monday, June 27

Tuesday, July 19

In-Person Fairland and Briggs Chaney Visioning Workshops

A map of the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan boundary with sub-focus areas for each of the three in-person visioning workshops. The northern focus area includes residential communities along Greencastle Road for the July 14 workshop at the Greencastle Lakes Community Center. The central focus area includes residential communities, commercial properties, and schools along Briggs Chaney Road for the July 24 workshop at East County Community Recreation Center. The southern focus area includes residential communities at Old Columbia Pike and Tech Road, as well as the US 29 corridor north to the ICC for the July 6 workshop at the Seventh-Day Adventist Headquarters. An additional community event is shown on the map at the north lot of the Fairland Recreational Park, to be held on July 22.

The community is invited to share ideas and feedback in person on July 6, 14, 22, and 24 to help envision the future of the Fairland and Briggs Chaney communities. Each meeting will include a recap of community feedback heard at prior Visioning Workshops. While three of the in-person meetings will be facilitated by Story Tapestries through a series of engaging small group activities that focus on a specific part of the Fairland-Briggs Chaney Master Plan area, ideas for the entire area are welcome at every meeting.  Additionally, community members are invited to share their ideas with the master plan team at a family-friendly community event on July 22 at Fairland Recreational Park.

Wednesday, July 6 – Meet at the Seventh Day Adventist Headquarters (12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD) from 6 to 8 p.m. The conversation will focus on the southern portion of the master plan area.

Thursday, July 14 – Meet at the Greencastle Lakes Community Center (3661 Turbridge Drive, Burtonsville, MD) from 6 to 8 p.m. The conversation will focus on the northern portion of the master plan area.

Friday, July 22 – Meet Montgomery Parks and Planning staff and other community partners for this fun and engaging, family-friendly community event at the M-NCPPC Fairland Recreational Park (3928 Greencastle Road, Burtonsville, MD) in the north lot from 5 to 8 p.m. Food, music, and entertainment will be provided. Participants are encouraged to share ideas on the future of parks and recreation in the Fairland and Briggs Chaney communities, meet community partners from across the county, and grab some free treats. (No RSVP required, community members are invited to stop by between 5 and 8 p.m.)

Sunday, July 24 – Meet at the East County Community Recreation Center (3310 Gateshead Manor Way, Silver Spring, MD) from 2 to 4 p.m. for the last in-person Visioning Workshops with Story Tapestries. The conversation will focus on the central portion of the master plan area.

Community members who register for these events will receive a reminder 48 hours before the event with a request to let Montgomery Planning know if they can no longer attend.

Learn more about what to expect at the Visioning Workshops with the FAQs section of the plan’s webpage.

Additional ways to get involved

Equitable approach to planning

Equity is a foundational goal of the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan, and racial equity and social justice is an essential theme throughout the planning process. Montgomery Planning is making every effort to understand the historical context and current experience of inequity within the plan area. Community engagement efforts are designed to meet people ‘where they are’ in the community and to provide welcoming, accessible, inclusive, and safe environments in which to learn about the master plan and offer meaningful input in the process. As a complement to the planning process Montgomery Planning is also striving to develop a stronger social network that embraces the advantages of a multi-racial and multi-cultural community.

About the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan

The Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan is an update to a portion of the 1997 Fairland Master Plan and will establish a clear vision for an equitable, just, and prosperous future for the Fairland community, mirroring the county’s long-term priorities, which include a vibrant economy, equity for all residents, and a healthy environment. The master plan boundary consists primarily of property and communities of Fairland and Briggs Chaney along the US 29 Corridor from near Paint Branch on the south to Greencastle Road on the north. The update will examine and provide policies and recommendations on existing and future land uses and zoning, housing inventory and needs, transportation systems, historic preservation opportunities, area park facilities, and the environment. This master plan will take cues from the equity framework in the update to the county’s General Plan, Thrive Montgomery 2050, which describes how places with equitable access to opportunity produce strong, successful communities. Goals of the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan include:

About Montgomery Planning’s Equity Agenda for Planning

Montgomery Planning recognizes and acknowledges the role that our plans and policies have played in creating and perpetuating racial inequity in Montgomery County. We are committed to transforming the way we work as we seek to address, mitigate, and eliminate inequities from the past and develop planning solutions to create equitable communities in the future. While it will take time to fully develop a new methodology for equity in the planning process, we cannot delay applying an equity lens to our work. Efforts to date include: