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Master Plan Reality Check

This study evaluates an important, often overlooked part of the planning process, to what extent the vision was achieved and worked as expected.

A master plan establishes goals and recommendations for a physical setting. But how do planners know if the plans were implemented and successful in achieving the vision? Enter the Master Plan Reality Check. This project took a systematic approach to measuring the outcomes of past County master plans, using quantifiable indicators based on the targets set in plans.

The Master Plan Reality Check was initiated to analyze the degree to which select a sample of master plans that have realized the vision, densities, land uses, infrastructure and amenities called upon in their respective recommendations. By assessing the difference between a plan’s aspirations and on-the-ground reality, the study shed light on why some plan aspects materialized as envisioned and others did not.

The 1989 Germantown Master Plan was the pilot study followed by analyses of the 1998 Friendship Heights Sector Plan and the 1997 Fairland Master Plan. The plan reality check assessment tested traditional assumptions to determine whether they should be modified based on indicators and past performance. The results will influence the direction of future planning efforts in the County.

News and events

  • Master Plan Reality Check: Key Findings from the Analysis of Plans for Germantown, Fairland, and Friendship Heights presentation to the Montgomery County Planning Department, May 4, 2017
  • Friendship Heights Sector Plan and Fairland Master Plan Reality Check presentation to the Montgomery County Planning Department, February 23, 2017
  • Germantown Master Plan Reality Check presentation to the Montgomery County Planning Department, July 28, 2016