Cross-cutting
New! Montgomery County Hotel Market Study – Hotels and motels are important to the county’s economic competitiveness by providing places for tourists and business travelers to stay and offering venues for meetings and events. They can also contribute to placemaking in complete communities, serving as neighborhood anchors with restaurants and other gathering spaces for the public. For this study, the Research and Strategic Projects (RSP) division conducted a hotel market study to better understand market trends, assess drivers of supply and demand, and identify implications for master planning.
Study of Downtown Wheaton Market & Financial Feasibility (2023) – To support the recently completed Wheaton Downtown Study, RSP contracted consultants Partners for Economic Solutions (PES) to explore Downtown Wheaton’s economic health and redevelopment feasibility. Entitled Wheaton Market Overview & Financial Feasibility, the economic analysis is intended to support development of strategies to implement the Sector Plan. It includes a market analysis, case studies from successful redevelopment efforts in similar markets and financial analysis of the feasibility of new development and redevelopment. This research builds upon the earlier Retail in Diverse Communities Study. View the PES report.
Study of Mixed-Use Development Trends (2021) – Montgomery County Planning Department staff, along with the consulting firm HR&A Advisors, completed an analysis on mixed-use development trends in the county. The study looked at mixed-use development from 2010-2020, both on-the-ground development as well as approved projects in the Development Pipeline.
Advancing the Pike District Development Trends Report (2020) – Research and Special Projects supported an analysis of development in the Pike District 10 years after completion of the White Flint Sector plan. The report summarizes development patterns and trends, identifies challenges inhibiting development, and highlights successful planning and development practices used in other cities to activate areas like the Pike District.
Retail
Retail in Diverse Communities (2021) – The Montgomery County Planning Department, in partnership with the Small Business Navigator and the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation, studied tools and policies to help preserve and strengthen clusters of retail that provide goods and services heavily catering to minority and ethnic sub-groups.
Long Life for Long Branch: Tools to Preserve Independent Retailers (2019) – Students at the University of Maryland (UMD) in a Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) class in Fall 2019 studied the diverse international retail cluster in Long Branch. The class produced a report documenting current conditions and providing a comprehensive set of potential tools that could help preserve and enhance retail in the area.
Montgomery County Retail Market Study (2017) – Recognizing the importance of retail to the County’s economic competitiveness, as well as its role in creating vibrant commercial areas, a countywide Retail Market Study was prepared by Streetsense, a Bethesda-based retail design and strategy firm. The purpose of the study was to assess the strengths, challenges, and competitive position of retail in the County to develop strategies that will foster successful retail centers and keep them poised for the future.
Office
Future of the Office Market Blog Posts (2020) – What does it mean for the 73.3 million SF of leasable office space in Montgomery County if 40%-50% of the 472,126 jobs here could be performed at home? How might office demand change coming out of the Covid pandemic? In our latest blog post on the Third Place we begin to explore these issue as the first of a three-part series. See part two, and part three.
Montgomery County Office Space Conversion Blog Post (2017) – In a previous blog post, we explored trends likely to impact the adaptive reuse of office buildings, as illustrated through the Octave 1320 office-to-residential conversion in downtown Silver Spring. With its final unit now sold, the successful project prompted us to think about the future of office conversions in Montgomery County.
Adaptive Reuse Technical Report: Executive Boulevard and Rock Spring Office Markets (2016) – The study analyzed factors pertaining to possible reuse of office properties at Executive Boulevard and Rock Spring in North Bethesda. The report highlights the difficulties in these conversions, and presents a matrix for evaluating the potential of conversion of an office property into other uses. The report further explores the factors through case studies of adaptive reuse of office properties in the Washington D.C. region.
Office Market Assessment Report (2015) – The Montgomery County Planning Department has completed an in-depth assessment of regional office market conditions and the implications for Montgomery County. Prepared by Washington, DC-based Partners for Economic Solutions (PES) and Research and Special Projects Division staff, the 106-page study examines an array of economic forces changing the Washington, DC region’s office market and best practices for next-generation office development. Staff presented this study to the Planning Board at its public meeting on June 25, 2015 and to the Montgomery County Council’s Planning, Housing & Economic Development (PHED) Committee on July 13, 2015.
Industrial
Study of Industrial Land Use (2013) – The Montgomery County Planning Department commissioned Partners for Economic Solutions (PES) to prepare an analysis of industrial use and zoning trends. This information can be useful inputs into our master plans and other planning efforts. In particular, it may be useful to know if the declining supply of industrially zoned ground is a long-term problem.
Read The Future for Montgomery County’s Industrial Lands, Third Place blog post
Other Markets
Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities Retail and Office Market Study (2021) – The Downtown Silver Spring Retail and Office Market Study evaluates the existing conditions within the Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities study area. The report highlights the impact of the COVID Pandemic on already high vacancy rates. The analysis includes the final report, presentation to the Planning Board presented on 2/25/2021, and an accompanying staff report.
Forest Glen/Montgomery Hills Market Analysis (2018) – The market study, done in support of the Forest Glen/Montgomery Hills Sector Plan, found that there is limited demand for new office space, a potential for modest amounts of new retail, but evidence of healthy demand for additional rental housing.
Retail Planning Strategy for the Downtown Bethesda Plan (2015) – The Retail Strategy evaluated the conditions for the retail market in 7 sub-districts within Downtown Bethesda to support the Bethesda Downtown Plan.
Aspen Hill Minor Master Plan Amendment Market Analysis (2015) – The Aspen Hill market analysis consists of three reports: Office Market Analysis, Retail Market Analysis, and the Residential Market Analysis. These reports assess the feasibility of future office, retail, and residential uses within the Aspen Hill Minor Master Plan Amendment area.
Sandy Spring Rural Village Market Analysis (2015) – The Sandy Spring retail market report analyzes the existing commercial retail environment as well as future types of retail businesses supporting the village center concept of the Sandy Spring Rural Village Plan. The report recommends suitable retail niches for the village center and characterizes the building spaces needed to accommodate these types of businesses. Review the Industrial Land Use Trends Study for Montgomery County (presentation and white paper).
Trendsheets
Montgomery County Office & Retail Market Data (2016-19) – Countywide and Select Markets.