Wheaton Placemaking

Montgomery Planning is in the process of a placemaking effort for the Wheaton Central Business District to advance the recommendations of the 2012 Wheaton Central Business District and Vicinity Sector Plan and the 2023 Wheaton Downtown Study and Streetscape Standards. Through the Wheaton Placemaking project, Montgomery Planning will work with the community and local businesses to launch community-driven interventions, some semi-permanent and others temporary, to concretely augment an evolving city center and build momentum for further downtown improvements. This effort will consider how to make existing plans into physical reality, from public space improvements and art to improved safety and connectivity for those walking and rolling. At every step of the process, community outreach and participation will be critical to developing ideas, establishing recommendations, and making decisions. 

Montgomery Planning will be spending the next year collaborating with residents, businesses, civic associations, and other stakeholders to reimagine the Core District’s public realm and its connectivity.

We want to hear from you!

This fall, there are several opportunities to engage with us about Wheaton Placemaking. Visit our booth at the Wheaton events listed below and complete our questionnaire.

• September 19 – Montgomery Planning Park(ing) Day exhibit
• September 29 – Wheaton Arts Parade
• October 6 – Hispanic Heritage Festival
• October 27 – HalloWheaton

What is placemaking?

Placemaking inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of the community. Strengthening the connection between community and the places they share. Placemaking refers to a collaborative process that shapes our public realm in order to maximize value.  This concept goes beyond just promoting better urban design principles, placemaking facilitates creative thinking, capitalizes on community assets, and contributes to the community’s health, happiness, and well-being. More than livable; these places are loved.

It encourages improvements to a public space that makes it better for and more welcoming to the people who use it. This can include everything from key amenities to beautification to pedestrian and transit accessibility, as well as community events and more. It also gives county residents a more tangible sense of what’s possible in their communities and of what a Master Plan can really do—as well as what they can themselves create, with guidance on making it happen. 

Beyond typical planning practices, placemaking deeply enhances the connection between people and the places around them to foster a stronger sense of shared local identity and a shared vision for an area’s potential for improvement. The process also allows planners and developers to test ideas and lay the groundwork for strategic, equitable engagement of diverse and impact communities.

Past events

Project kickoff

On August 22, 2024, the project team hosted project partners and major stakeholders for coffee, donuts, and conversation about how this project can take shape. Attendees participated in an interactive walking tour with the project team to discuss existing conditions and opportunities and challenges within the Core District.

Project timeline