County planners release Public Hearing Draft of MV Master Plan
The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is pleased to announce that the Public Hearing Draft of the Montgomery Village Master Plan is now available online at www.montgomeryplanning.org/mvp. The online document allows Montgomery Village residents and business owners to review the latest draft of the Montgomery Village Master Plan before the public hearing for the plan. The hearing is scheduled for Thursday,
Sept. 10 in the 3rd Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville.
Limited printed copies of the plan are available at the Department's Information Counter, 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring. Residents may also view the publication at the Gaithersburg Library, during regular business hours.
The public is invited to testify at the Public Hearing on September 10, and is encouraged to sign up prior to the hearing; call 301-495-4605 or visit www.montgomeryapps.org/planning_board/testify.asp. Written comments are also welcome. The public may submit comments via e-mail to
At the conclusion of the work sessions, the plan will be revised per the planning board's direction, and transmitted to the county council and county executive. The county council will then hold a public hearing on the Planning Board Draft of the Montgomery Village Master Plan, possibly in January 2016.
Montgomery Village Master Plan
The new Montgomery Village Master Plan builds on the assets of Montgomery Village through four major recommendations:
- Preserve the Village's character: Built in the 1960s by Kettler Brothers, Montgomery Village was purposefully planned with a vast range of housing types. From the apartment communities clustered in the lower Village to the grand colonials of Whetstone, the homes appeal to different lifestyles with a wide selection of designs and prices for residents. The master plan recommends preserving this variety and expanding housing choices in the future.
- Maintain the public recreation and open spaces: The Village's sylvan environment is one of its greatest assets. The master plan strongly recommends that its recreation and open spaces be maintained and preserved. When new development or redevelopment occurs, developers should emulate the Kettlers' town planning principles to provide ample green spaces, vistas and recreational opportunities. Additional trail connections, with natural or hard surfaces, should be provided to enhance community connectivity.
- Encourage reinvestment: Small town autonomy includes conveniently located retail centers throughout the community. The Village's six centers serve the everyday retail needs of residents; however, over several decades, as retail competition has grown in the mid-county area, consumer preferences have shifted, as has the tenant mix in the Village's centers. Limited redevelopment opportunities exist in the Village, and the master plan strongly recommends a sustainable and competitive Village Center. Short blocks with identifiable edges to reinforce the mixed uses and the introduction of new housing units can potentially transform the suburban blocks into walkable, connected and inviting areas, reinvigorating a sense of community and creating attractive centers for community life.
- Enhance connectivity: The master plan encourages increased options for mobility and connectivity by all modes—transit, walking, biking and private motor vehicles. The Village's private street network, coupled with many trails and pedestrian connections, offers unique opportunities to enhance multimodal links. Montgomery Village can improve connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists by providing missing links to open spaces, parks, the Village Center and other destinations around the community and beyond.
In order to help achieve these goals, the master plan recommends an overlay zone as an implementation measure, since the Town Sector Zone will not be used going forward, which means all the properties in the Village must be rezoned. A large-scale rezoning of this kind is rare, and concerns have been raised about its implementation and potential consequences. The Montgomery Village Overlay Zone is intended to preserve the unique Village character; protect existing open space and conservation areas; and ensure a compatible relationship between new and existing development.