MVF Board holds annual Strategic Planning Retreat

On Saturday, June 1, the Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF) Board of Directors spent several hours discussing topics related to the future of Montgomery Village. The Board developed ideas and avenues for exploration, including a financial overview in advance of the Annual Budget, traffic concerns, community celebrations, parking considerations and overall communication.

The session began with an addition to the agenda to set the Service Fee rate for townhomes to be built at the Village Center. This rate is normally set following the approval of the budget, when establishing annual assessment rates. However, these units currently do not exist, and the developer is in the process of preparing lots for building. The service fee was needed to keep the timeline moving for this process. The Board set the service fee at $66 per unit per month and authorized the Executive Vice President (EVP) to enter into the Service Fee Agreements for both the townhouse and additional condominium units to be established at the Village Center.

Following that, CFO Daniel Salazar gave a brief financial overview, including an updated 5-Year Plan and projection for the upcoming budget process. Salazar noted that over the next 5 years, additional revenue is expected through the final build out of both Bloom Village and the Village Center; however, the MVF Assessment Ceiling is projected to hit its cap before the 2029 budget. EVP Mike Conroy reminded the Board of the process to increase the ceiling cap, saying that it was last raised in 2011 and projected to only last until 2016. Salazar said the budget comprises approximately 60% Personnel Costs, and the continual increases in minimum wage have a great impact on the budget, especially on the Designated User Fee, which includes seasonal staff costs. He said a more accurate projection would come in the next several months through the budget process.

EVP Conroy provided updates on a few non-MVF projects noting their impact on Village residents. He said state funding was identified to help the county install a Skate Spot at Centerway Local Park; however, there is a current project there and several steps in the planning and permitting phases would need to take place before work begins. He anticipated a 2027/2028 project timeline; information about input opportunities and the project would be released to the public when available.

Conroy also said HOC, county representatives, community user groups, and the District 39 team met to consider updating the soccer field at Cider Mill Apartments. However, HOC, the site’s owner, did not feel the timing was correct for a project onsite.

Regarding the redevelopment of the Lakeforest Mall property, Conroy said recent meetings produced the concept of a county community center on the site, and that the county had added $50,000 to its FY25 budget for a feasibility study. The MVF Board was concerned with duplicative services that could be offered at such a facility, but was in favor of the county exploring the idea to provide supplemental services to MVF’s current offerings. One of the main issues with this—and other community centers in the area—is access to the facility, especially by youth. The Board focused their attention on transportation and discussed advocation for a circulator bus throughout the Village.

Included in the conversation were the impacts of development on the Lakeforest site to existing roads, specifically where Montgomery Village Avenue condenses into two lanes at the site’s border. This, combined with the additional Bloom Village and Village Center housing units, has the potential to create congestion through the Village. The Board discussed engaging traffic engineers to study and propose mitigation options.

On the topic of community celebrations, the Board discussed cultural acknowledgements and Montgomery Village’s upcoming 60^th Anniversary. Conroy presented the idea of using a website banner to acknowledge monthly cultural celebrations such as Black History Month or Women’s History Month. The Board embraced the topic, but felt a more interactive approach may produce a larger feeling of inclusion. They suggested a cultural celebration event, possibly as an extension of the New Resident Welcome Reception, for further consideration by staff. Additionally, the Board was interested in developing a community statement acknowledging the diverse makeup of the Village.

Conroy noted that Montgomery Village will celebrate its 60^th Anniversary in 2026, and said preliminary celebration plans included tie-ins to current programming, logo branding, and promotional giveaways, following the 50^th Anniversary model. Members of the Board also suggested local news outlet marketing opportunities as a way to help showcase the community.

The Board reviewed procedures that MVF follows when trees need to be pruned, removed or replaced. Conroy said staff investigates all tree inquiries and typically involves its contractor’s arborist for analyzing and identifying the best solutions on a case-by-case basis. Based on homeowner experience, the Board resolved to ask staff to attempt and model proactive communication when tree work needs to be performed, hoping homes corporations and condominium associations would adopt similar procedures when conducting tree work on their respective property.

Considering the varied challenges of parking within each community, the Board noted the Pilot Parking Program which was the result of previous retreat discussions. Conroy reported that unfortunately, there was little interest in the program, as it came with additional cost to implement and administer. The Board then discussed alternative relief options, looking to advocate to the county for possible solutions along county roadways. This included more consistent enforcement and potential proper designation of spaces.

To end the retreat, the Board discussed revising its meeting schedule to include additional in-person meetings. Conroy presented attendance statistics, noting that virtual or in-person meetings drew approximately the same number of participants, unless a topic of great community concern was on the agenda. The Board agreed that holding the August meeting in person was appropriate, as this meeting includes the annual Draft Budget presentation, and mirrored the practice of hosting meetings of significant importance in person. This change to the MVF Corporate Calendar will be voted on at the Thursday, June 27 MVF Board of Directors meeting.