The plan revisits transportation recommendations from the 2006 Shady Grove Sector Plan
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 participate in a public hearing on May 14, 2020 for the Shady Grove Sector Plan Minor Master Plan Amendment. Community members will be able to participate remotely in the public hearing, which will include a call-in feature and will be streamed online.
View the Public Hearing draft of the plan.
The public hearing was scheduled after Planning Department staff presented the working draft of the Shady Grove Sector Plan Minor Master Plan Amendment to the Planning Board at their meeting on March 26, 2020. This Planning Board meeting included call-in public testimony, and the meeting was streamed online. The recommendations in the Working Draft plan focus on modifications to the existing staging plan, incorporation of Vision Zero principles to address transportation safety issues along key roadways, including Shady Grove Road, and new bikeway connections in the plan area. The current plan revisits recommendations from the 2006 Shady Grove Sector Plan, which was approved and adopted in 2006.
Community members interested in testifying at the hearing may sign up online. They can also submit comments about the plan via email. These comments will become part of the public testimony and public record for the plan.
Update on Montgomery Planning Operations During COVID-19
The Montgomery County Planning Department building is closed to the public until the end of April due to the COVID-19 virus. During this time, staff are teleworking and will continue to accept development applications, work on master planning efforts and be available for any inquiries from the public. Inquiries to Montgomery Planning’s information counter may be made during regular information counter hours (9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) via email or telephone (301.495.4610).
Please visit the Planning Department website and Shady Grove Minor Master Plan Amendment website for updates.
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.
The Plan will also include a concurrent amendment to the Master Plan for Historic Preservation to potentially designate one historic site within the plan area: the Derwood Store and Post Office building.
For more information, contact lead planner Nkosi Yearwood at nkosi.yearwood@montgomeryplanning.org or tel. 301-495-1332.