Planners will discuss the preliminary recommendations for the sector plan amendment and ask for feedback from the community
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is inviting residents, business owners and others with an interest in the future of the areas surrounding the Shady Grove Metro Station to attend a public meeting on Wednesday, October 16 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Mill Creek Towne Elementary School (17700 Park Mill Drive, Rockville, MD). Planners will discuss the preliminary recommendations for the Minor Master Plan Amendment to the 2006 Shady Grove Sector Plan. RSVPs are encouraged but not required.
RSVP to attend the October 16 Community Meeting
The preliminary recommendations focus on modifications to the existing staging plan, which requires transportation improvements and other measures to be implemented before new development in the plan area can begin. The recommendations also incorporate Vision Zero principles to address safety issues along key roadways, including Shady Grove Road, and new bikeway connections in the plan area.
Background on the Shady Grove Sector Plan
The 2006 Shady Grove Sector Plan envisions a mixed-use residential community that redevelops industrial and commercial uses, including the County Service Park (CSP), and creates new parks and open spaces, bikeways and public facilities to enhance the Derwood community. Already, the site of the CSP is being transformed into the Shady Grove Station-Westside development with townhouses and a multifamily residential building called the Daley.
Since the Shady Grove Sector Plan’s approval 12 years ago, several substantive changes have been made to the county’s land use planning policies and practices, including the adoption of a new zoning ordinance in 2014, an update to the county’s Subdivision Staging Policy in 2016 and new data-driven approaches to transportation planning.
For these reasons, planners are revisiting some of the transportation implementation recommendations in the Shady Grove Sector Plan. They launched a minor master plan amendment process to reexamine the 2006 plan’s three, sequential stages of development as well as the requirements, particularly the transportation requirements or triggers, that must be implemented prior to the initiation of each phase of development. Review the 2006 Shady Grove Sector Plan for more information.
Goals of the Minor Master Plan Amendment to the Shady Grove Sector Plan
- Raise awareness of the plan’s goals and communicate that its vision is still viable and being implemented, but that the staging elements, such as the transportation requirements of the plan, need to be reexamined.
- Provide an opportunity for all audiences to participate in the plan amendment process and provide feedback on ideas, concerns and recommendations.
- Deliver a plan amendment with updated staging triggers that are in line with current planning best practices.
- Invite stakeholders to learn more about the planning process in general and about Montgomery Planning’s goals for the current and future quality of life for the county.
For more information, contact lead planner Nkosi Yearwood at nkosi.yearwood@montgomeryplanning.org or tel. 301-495-1332.