Planners and developers reveal how politics and policies influenced transformation of car-centric areas into walkable, mixed-use communities
SILVER SPRING, MD –The Montgomery County Planning Department is hosting the second session in its Winter Speakers Series on Wednesday, December 10 at the Planning Department Headquarters (8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, Md.) from 5:30 – 7 p.m. The series is called “A Once and Future County: Lessons on How Planning Politics Shaped Montgomery County” and is hosted by Royce Hanson, former chairman of the County’s Planning Board.
The December 10 session, “Retrofitting the Suburbs: From Friendship Heights to White Flint,” will trace the evolution of strategic land use decisions in key areas of Montgomery County. Discussion among the invited speakers will focus on the influence of residential and commercial interests, the County Planning Board and its staff, County Council and County Executive, and changing approaches to planning.
“The speed and scale of the growth and change in Montgomery County over the past few decades made land development the most important component of our suburban political agenda,” says Hanson. “The next session will address the redevelopment of obsolete commercial centers and strips in the county as a result of master plans and engagement by developers and citizens.”
A question-and-answer session will conclude the panel discussion among the following experts:
Julie Davis is a retired partner of Caplin & Drysdale, a Washington law firm specializing in national and international tax issues. For more than 40 years, Davis represented Montgomery County communities and civic associations on a pro bono basis in planning and zoning matters. She served on the Citizens Advisory Committee appointed by the Montgomery County Planning Board for the Friendship Heights Sector Plan, on the Planning Board’s Transportation Policy Review (“TPR”) group and, most recently, the Zoning Advisory Panel. In addition, Davis has been a member of the Montgomery County Charter Review Commission, Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board and Friendship Heights Transportation Management District Advisory Committee.
Evan Goldman is Vice President of Development for Federal Realty Investment Trust. He is responsible for managing the transformation of Rockville’s Mid-Pike Plaza Shopping Center into the mixed-use district called Pike & Rose, and is an active participant in the White Flint Partnership, an advocacy organization of commercial property owners. Goldman led the grassroots community campaign to secure the passage of the White Flint Sector Plan by the Montgomery County Council in 2010. Prior to joining Federal Realty in 2008, he was a partner at the Holladay Corporation, a development company in Washington, D.C., where he began his involvement with the White Flint Partnership.
John Robinson is an attorney who has practiced real estate, finance, employment and railway law. He served on the Montgomery County Planning Board from 2001 through 2009. A citizen activist for many years, Robinson has served as president of organizations as varied as the Rock Creek Hills Citizens Association, Noyes Children’s Library Foundation and Kensington Historical Society. In addition, he has co-chaired the Silver Spring Redevelopment Advisory Board and the Montgomery County Infrastructure Finance Working Group. He also served on the board of the Washington Area Housing Partnership.
The 90-minute “Retrofitting the Suburbs” event is free to the public and will be streamed online live. It will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Planning Department headquarters at 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, Md.
The next session, “Trials and Errors of Corridor Cities Planning,” will be held on January 14 at the same time and place. It will examine the planning politics and development in the Rockville-Gaithersburg area; the challenges of a new town in Germantown; and the planning and development of Clarksburg.
Learn more about the Once and Future County Speakers Series.
Learn more: https://www.montgomeryplanning.org/department/onceandfuture/
Use hashtag: #onceandfuturecounty