Great Seneca Plan: Connecting Life and Science

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What do you want your community to look like? What do you love? What is missing?

In 2010 the County created a vision for a dynamic live/work community that would support a globally recognized biotechnology hub in the Shady Grove Life Science Center, through the 2010 Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan (2010 Plan).

A decade later, we are checking in on the vision set in the 2010 Plan and with the community on their experiences, needs, and desires in their neighborhoods.

Download the Great Seneca Plan: Connecting Life and Science flyer: English | 汉语 | Español

Sign-up to receive the latest news and information about this project. For more information about other initiatives in the area, visit the Great Seneca Science Corridor page.

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We want to hear from you about what you want to see in the Great Seneca area!

Complete our questionnaire.

Plan Boundary

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The planning area is located in the heart of the I-270 Corridor. It includes Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Universities at Shady Grove, and the Johns Hopkins Montgomery County College Campus and the Life Sciences Center.

In addition to the life science industry hub, the plan area is home to residential communities and neighborhoods such as Quince Orchard and Rosemont areas, and Camden Shady Grove, the Axis at Shady Grove, Mallory Square, Londonderry, Decoverly and Traville Apartments.

The area contains the Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, Washington Grove Elementary School, Ridgeview Middle School, as well as the Noyes Children’s Center. The area is served by an additional thirteen public elementary, middle and high schools.

The Seneca Creek State Park, Quince Orchard Valley Neighborhood Park, Orchard Neighborhood Park, Traville Local Park, and Traville Neighborhood Park are all within the Plan boundaries.

The planning area is completely or nearly completely surrounded by the City of Gaithersburg, the City of Rockville and the Town of Washington Grove. The City of Gaithersburg occupies 10 square miles in the center of the Plan area. These municipalities have their own planning departments, so while Montgomery Planning staff will coordinate with their municipal counterparts, areas within the municipalities are not included in the Plan boundary area.

Project Timeline

Fall 2021

Pre-Planning and Engagement
Planning Staff will begin gathering background information, compiling relevant policies, and making connections with community members, including residents, business owners, workers, and students in the area.
Winter 2021 – Fall 2022

Existing Conditions Analysis
Planning staff will document the existing conditions of the area including transportation, parks, land uses, zoning, and housing. The Planning team will summarize these conditions and share them with the Planning Board and public. This phase will happen concurrent with initial phases of engagement to update and involve the community. No recommendations are made in this phase.
Winter 2022 – Winter 2023

Visioning and Community Engagement
Plan visioning work—defining what is desired in the community—with stakeholders will unfold through a series of virtual and in person conversations, events, and other strategies. Visioning work, combined with the existing conditions analysis and community input, will result in preliminary recommendations.
Spring 2023

Preliminary Recommendations
Planning Staff will present preliminary recommendations to the Planning Board and share with community members, organizations and partner agencies for their feedback.
Spring 2023

Working Draft
Drawing on research, analysis, and public input, and the preliminary recommendations, Planning staff develop a draft of the Master Plan including draft recommendations. Staff present the draft to the Planning Board who decide to hold a public hearing.
Spring – Fall 2023

Planning Board Work Sessions
After the working draft is completed, The Planning Board holds a public hearing to get feedback and input from the public before holding work sessions to refine the document. The work during this phase culminates in the Planning Board draft which will be sent to the County Council for review.
Summer 2023 – Winter 2024

County Council Work Sessions
The Planning Board draft goes to the County Executive and County Council for review, including Planning, Housing, and Economic Development (PHED) Committee work sessions.
Winter 2024

M-NCPPC Plan Adoption
Once the County Council approves The Planning Board Draft, the Council Approved Sector Plan will go before the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Full Commission for Adoption.
Winter 2024

Sectional Map Amendment
The Sectional Map Amendment (SMA) process is the final step in the Sector Plan Process. The SMA implements all zoning recommendations approved and adopted in the plan. Staff prepares the documentation, and the Planning Board authorizes the filing of the SMA with the County Council. There will be a public hearing on the SMA, followed by work sessions, and finally a vote by the full Council before the SMA can be approved and the zoning map officially changed for public use.

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Last Updated: May 17, 2022

Montgomery County
Planning Department
2425 Reedie Drive, 14th Floor
Wheaton, MD 20902

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