Community engagement is essential to the sector plan process. Through engagement we plan to:
- Reach a wide range of stakeholders
- Deliver clear and straightforward information
- Provide a variety of opportunities so that people of all ages and abilities can participate
- Collaborate with community partners and agencies
- Meet people where they are
Engagement Summary Report and Presentation, November 2025
Engagement consultant Brick & Story summarized key takeaways from the public engagement so far in an Engagement Report. The report includes demographic data about who we heard from, as well as qualitative and quantitative data on what we heard from stakeholders.
On November 18, the Planning team presented an overview of engagement events along with key takeaways in a webinar format. Watch the presentation and download the slides.
Visioning phase, June-October 2025
During this phase, Montgomery Planning and Parks staff and the community began conversations about a vision for the future of Friendship Heights. From June through October 2025, the Plan team received feedback from over 1,000 people in and around the plan area about what they want Friendship Heights to be in 20 years.
Spring Workshops, June 2025
The June workshops focused on the future identity of the Plan Area, parks, pedestrian network issues and more. The June 11 workshop was held at the Wisconsin Place Community Recreation Center and was an open house format where participants left comments on posters staffed by team members. The June 24 workshop was online and covered the same material, although in a modified virtual format.
If you missed the workshops, please check out the community comments and recordings below.
Community comments from the June 11 virtual visioning workshop (click thumbnails to expand)
June 24 virtual visioning workshop
Introduction
Breakout Room 1
Breakout Room 2
Breakout Room 3
Breakout Room 4
Conclusion
Focus Groups, July–August 2025
Throughout July and August, nearly 30 people participated in focus groups for business owners, renters, and parents of children under 18. They shared their thoughts on what Friendship Heights should be like in 20 years, and what changes could help support their needs in the future.
Key takeaways:
- Friendship Heights needs a stronger identity/brand to be a successful business environment
- Bringing more people to the area will help businesses thrive
- Families would like more kid-friendly activities in the area
- Renters love living in Friendship Heights because of the access to transit, but worry that with rising costs they will not be able to stay.
Questionnaire on Amenities and Housing, August–September 2025
This questionnaire asked participants to prioritize future amenities in Friendship Heights. It also provided an opportunity for people to weigh in on hopes and concerns regarding the future growth of the area. The questionnaire received over 550 responses. Key takeaways include:
- Over 50% of respondents said a movie theater would be one of their top choices for a future amenity in Friendship Heights. The second and third most popular choices were a library and a pharmacy with extended hours. Participants were asked to choose up to three top amenities.
- The two most significant concerns about housing when thinking about the future were being able to stay in one’s community as one gets older and affordability.
- More than 50% of respondents feel positive or somewhat positive about more housing and people in Friendship Heights in the future. Common Participants highlighted cia desire for stronger retail, entertainment and amenities in the future.
- Conversely, just over 25% of respondents feel negative or somewhat negative about increased housing and population. Many mentioned traffic, parking and congestion as key concerns.
View the full questionnaire results.
Questionnaires for Chevy Chase Village and Town of Somerset, August–September 2025
Chevy Chase Village and the Town of Somerset are two adjacent municipalities to the Friendship Heights Sector Plan area. These questionnaires focused on how often residents of these locations visit Friendship Heights and how they get there (walk, drive, etc).
Key takeaways:
- Over 70% of respondents from Chevy Chase Village and over 50% of respondents from the Town of Somerset visit Friendship Heights at least once a week.
- The majority of respondents from both locations walk into Friendship Heights, and the top destinations are doctors’ offices and Whole Foods.
Fall Visioning Workshop and Web-based Activity, September–October 2025
The last visioning in-person event took place on September 30, 2025. This workshop began with a presentation focused on sector plan implementation and the relationship between development and major amenities. Community members then participated in small discussion groups about future housing and amenities for three major sites in the Plan area: the GEICO property, the properties along Wisconsin Avenue currently occupied by Saks and The Collection, and 5550 Friendship Boulevard.
Following the workshop, a web-based activity that covered the same material was launched and remained live for the first two weeks of October. This was an effective way of collecting more feedback on the three opportunity sites mentioned above.
Key takeaways:
- Overall, people are supportive of plans to build more housing, particularly on Saks and GEICO sites, but there is a wide range of views about how much and what types.
- There was considerable feedback that additional parks and green spaces are key amenities and should be provided along with any development on these sites.
- Across all discussion groups there was considerable support for townhouses and moderate support for mid-rise buildings.
- There was some support for a high-rise building on 5550 Friendship Boulevard, but also a lot of concern that the community would lose the privately owned publicly accessible green space at this site.
Existing conditions phase
May 20 – Friendship Heights Today: Existing Conditions Summary (online)
Staff presented an overview of the data and observations collected during the existing conditions phase of the plan. This event was an online webinar with a presentation followed by Q & A.
Watch the May 20 webinar recording.
Download the Existing Conditions Summary presentation slides.
View Planning staff’s written responses during the Q&A session.
Meetings with community groups
Staff has been meeting with community groups from in and around Friendship Heights since Fall 2024. We would love to meet with your group or come to your event! Please email lead planner Atara Margolies at Atara.Margolies@montgomeryplanning.org to set up a time to meet.
Pre-scope engagement
Thank you to the many stakeholders who participated in our kickoff events for the plan! If you missed the events, recordings of the virtual kickoff on December 3, 2024 are available below. Over 150 people joined us both in-person and virtually to discuss their initial thoughts about the future of Friendship Heights. Please watch the opening presentation first before checking out the recordings of the breakout room discussions.
Staff contact
Atara Margolies
Planner III
301-495-4558
Email
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