Source: Montgomery Planning

1. What is the purpose of the Planning Board work sessions?  How is a given topic selected and by whom? 

Maryland law requires the Planning Department to conduct a “comprehensive review” of the numerous aspects related to land development (e.g., land use, environment, transportation, schools, and more) before zoning can be changed for a defined Plan Area.  As also required by the law, the Planning Board holds a Public Hearing on the Public Hearing Draft Plan to receive public comment.  Oral testimony provided at the Public Hearing and written testimony provided to the Planning Board within the designated timeframe collectively constitute the Public Record for the plan.  To restate: the purpose of the Public Hearing and the Public Record is to receive testimony.  The Public Hearing does not include discussion of the testimony provided. 

The purpose of work sessions is for the Planning Board to discuss the comments received on the Public Record and determine if zoning, text, or other changes are needed to the Public Hearing Draft Plan.  After reviewing the Public  Record, Montgomery Planning staff will schedule work sessions during the Planning Board’s regular meetings, with recommended topics to discuss at each.  The Planning Board ultimately determines the topics to be addressed at a work session.

2. How does a Planning Board work session function?  Who leads it and who participates?

Planning Board work sessions are held during the Board’s regular public meetings online and in the 2nd Floor Auditorium, M-NCPPC Wheaton Headquarters, 2425 Reedie Drive. A staff report is posted one week before the work session that will outline the topics recommended for discussion.  The Planning Board Chair leads the work sessions and facilitates the conversation between staff and the Planning Board on the issues being discussed at that session. At the Chair’s discretion, other individuals may be permitted to answer specific questions raised by the Planning Board.  During each work session, the Planning Board will direct staff to make any changes to the recommendations or may ask for additional information to be presented at a subsequent work session. 

3. What is the product of these work sessions and what time is allowed to reach a conclusion or recommendation?  

During each work session, the Planning Board will direct staff to make any changes to the recommendations or may ask for additional information to be presented at a subsequent work session. The Planning Board will decide how many work sessions are required.  After the Planning Board has reviewed and addressed at work sessions the issues raised on the Public Record, at a final work session Planning staff will present an updated version of the Public Hearing draft that reflects the Planning Board’s changes.  At this work session, Planning staff will request that the Planning Board approve designation of the updated Public Hearing Draft Plan as the Planning Board Draft Plan, which will be transmitted to the County Council for their review. 

4. What happens with findings or recommendations developed in the sessions? 

During each work session, the Planning Board will direct staff to make any changes to the recommendations.  After the Planning Board has reviewed and addressed at work sessions the issues raised on the Public Record, at a final work session Planning staff will present an updated version of the Public Hearing draft that reflects the Planning Board’s changes.  At this work session, Montgomery Planning staff will request that the Planning Board designate the updated Public Hearing Draft Plan as the Planning Board Draft Plan, which will be transmitted to the County Council for their review. 

5. How much of a work session is shared with the public?

All of the work sessions are public.  Planning Board work sessions are held during the Board’s regular public meetings online and in the 2nd Floor Auditorium, M-NCPPC Wheaton Headquarters, 2425 Reedie Drive. A staff report is posted one week before the work session that will outline the topics recommended for discussion.  As part of the regular agenda, each work session is recorded and streamed live as part of the Planning Board meeting. You can access live an on-demand videos on the Planning Board’s website.  

Source: Montgomery Planning and City of Takoma Park

The Draft Minor Master Plan Amendment proposes the implementation of a few new zoning types for this area of the city. The Commercial/Residential (C/R) Zones are a family of mixed-use zones that allow a range of densities and heights. These zones are designed to encourage a mix of commercial and residential uses, create interactive streets, provide meaningful public spaces and foster jobs and services where people can live, work, shop and play within a given neighborhood.

The family of zones allows for a range of densities and heights – as low as 0.25 floor area ratio (FAR), near single-family neighborhoods, to 8.0 FAR, which may be used in areas with direct access to Metro Stations such as our Central Business Districts. Within this range, master plans use the flexibility of the zones to ensure that development fits within the context of each community. The density and height limits included in the zoning create a ceiling for what can be developed; a developer is able to build to lower densities or heights.

There are three Commercial/Residential Zone classifications which define the types of uses and the method of development allowed:

• CR Neighborhood (CRN)
• CR Town (CRT)
• Commercial Residential (CR)

The CRN zone allows standard method development; the CRT and CR Zones allow standard and optional method development. Optional method development requires the provision of public community benefits, which are based on a point system specified in the zoning ordinance. Public community benefits might include dedicated public green space, public recreation or meeting facilities, improved bike or pedestrian infrastructure, etc. Standard method development is the baseline set of parameters defined by the zone type; if a proposed project falls within those, then there are usually no requirements for added public community benefits.

By creating CR zoning classifications for neighborhood, town, and metro settings, the zones offer:

• ways to soften the transition between mixed-use and residential areas
• address concerns about the proximity of some uses to single-family residential properties
• create rules for parking and drive-through design
• For example, more intense uses are prohibited or require a public review process to mitigate impacts with increased setbacks, screening, or noise/light abatement. In addition, public benefit requirements are adjusted for small properties and lower density areas to address concerns about revitalization and redevelopment in particular areas.

To learn more about the details of the different zoning types, visit https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/montgomerycounty/latest/montgomeryco_md_zone2014/0-0-0-60221.

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Given some community questions about climate assessments for master plans, the Montgomery County Planning Department would like to provide additional information about the County Council’s requirement to conduct climate assessments for master plans.

As part of its consideration of legislative matters and typically prior to its public hearing, the County Council requires different types of impact statements or assessments. These include economic impact statements for county bills and racial equity and social justice impact statements for bills and zoning text amendments (ZTAs), all of which are prepared by the county’s Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO). Impact statements produced by the OLO can be accessed here. The Council also requires fiscal impact statements for bills and master plans and climate assessments for bills, ZTAs and master plans.

In July 2022, the Montgomery County Council passed Bill 3-22, “Climate Assessments”. This law requires OLO to conduct climate assessments of county bills starting January 1, 2023 and requires the Planning Board to conduct climate assessments of ZTAs and master plans starting March 1, 2023. This law updated a previous requirement that began in 2008 for the Planning Board to provide a carbon footprint analysis for master plans transmitted for County Council review and approval. That previous requirement specifically directed the Planning Board to assess a master plan’s potential impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the county, including a carbon footprint analysis; to consider ways to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT); and consider options that would minimize GHG emissions. Accordingly, for 15 years between 2008 to early 2023, when the Planning Board transmitted a master plan to the County Council for final review and approval, the Board also provided a carbon footprint analysis. These carbon footprint analyses varied from a one-page assessment to a more detailed analysis, depending on the scope of the plan.

Both the current climate assessment requirement and the previous carbon footprint analysis requirement apply only to the Planning Board Draft Plan that is transmitted to the County Council for final approval, and not to the Working Draft Plan or Planning Board Public Hearing Draft Plan that are prepared by the Planning Department for Planning Board review prior to Council review.

Bill 3-22’s requirements for what issues are to be considered in a climate assessment apply to both OLO’s climate assessments as well as those provided by the Planning Board. Bills, ZTAs and master plans are to be assessed for potential impact on GHG emissions, carbon sequestration, adaptive capacity to climate change and community resilience. The law allows for qualitative or quantitative analysis. OLO and the Planning Board (through the Planning Department) are responsible for developing their methodologies to comply with the law. The Planning Department’s methodology as approved by the Planning Board can be found here.

Environmental considerations, and more specifically potential impacts of climate change and how to address them through land use policies, are a major component of master plans. Area master plans typically include recommendations to address environmental issues and the impacts of climate change on particular communities. Montgomery Planning staff incorporate these considerations during each phase of the master plan process—scope of work, community engagement, Working Draft Plan development, and Planning Board review, culminating in the Planning Board Draft Plan approved by the Board that is transmitted to the Council for its final approval.

Climate assessments are one tool the Council considers during its review of master plans, but they are not part of the master plans and therefore not approved by the County Council. Master plan recommendations that address climate impacts are the ones that receive final adoption by the County Council and then are implemented by public agencies and the private sector over multiple years.

As noted earlier, climate assessments for bills, ZTAs and master plans are requirements for the County Council’s process and must reflect the item as transmitted to the Council for its review. Master plan recommendations can change during Planning Board review, therefore the climate assessment cannot be completed until the Planning Board Draft Plan is approved by the Planning Board to be transmitted to the Council.

Community members have multiple opportunities during the master plan development process led by the Planning Department, the Planning Board’s public review, and the County Council’s public review before final approval to provide feedback on climate-related issues and draft recommendations. We encourage community members to review the current draft for the Takoma Park Minor Master Plan Amendment and to participate in the upcoming Planning Board public hearing. After transmittal to the County Council, the Council will hold its public hearing on the Planning Board Draft Plan. The climate assessment will be available no later than seven days prior to the Council’s public hearing.

Source: Montgomery County Planning 

The County Racial Equity and Social Justice Act (Bill 27-19) requires the County Office of Legislative Oversight to prepare a Racial Equity and Social Justice Impact Statement for bills and Zoning Text Amendments and the Planning Board to consider racial equity and social justice impacts when preparing a Master Plan. 

In accordance with Bill 27-19, Montgomery Planning’s Equity Agenda for Planning is an ongoing commitment to systemically dismantle the institutional and structural racism that exists in and has long influenced planning and zoning processes and to prevent that influence in the future.  As part of this agenda for Master Plans, Montgomery Planning closely considers equity in examining the history and existing conditions of communities, engaging with the county’s diverse residents during plan development, conducting data analysis, and developing plan recommendations.

The Takoma Park Minor Master Plan efforts included:

• analysis of the demographics and history of the planned area
• providing authentic and informative engagement opportunities
• educating stakeholders on how to advocate for their community
• crafting goals that reflect the desires of the community.

During staff work sessions following September 14, 2023, Public Hearing, the Planning Board will consider and discuss the racial equity and social justice impacts of the Minor Master Plan Amendment.

Additional information on Montgomery Planning’s Equity in Agenda for Planning can be found online at https://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/equity-agenda-for-planning/

GET EXCITED!  The Takoma Park Police Department has teamed up with the Sligo Seventh Day Adventist Church for our National Faith & Blue event.

Do you love LEGOS?  We invite you to bring your wildest architectural dreams to life with LEGO bricks at our Building Bridges event for National Faith & Blue! Team up with an officer, a faith leader, or a family member or friend to construct breathtaking bridges that defy imagination (or whatever you want to build)!

Join us:
Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023
Time: 2-5 PM
Location: Corner of Maple Ave & Sligo Creek Parkway

We can’t wait to build bridges together! Keep what you build! Learn more on the City of Takoma Park Community Policing webpage.

Source: Montgomery County Planning; City of Takoma Park

The zoning for a property sets parameters for how much building can be built on that land. One important piece of that equation is the Floor Area Ratio, or FAR. FAR determines a site’s allowed development as a ratio of building area over lot area.The bulk allowed by FAR can be configured in different ways. Conceptually, for example, an FAR of 1 would allow a one-story building that covers the entire property area or a two story building that covers half the lot or a three-story building that covers a third of the lot. 

In urban areas, FARs tend to be high, around 6 or 7 in downtown Washington and around 19 or 20 in midtown Manhattan. To planners and developers, FAR is the most fundamental dimensional standard of a zoning code. It determines a lot’s development potential and hence its value. An FAR of 4 is worth twice as much as an FAR of 2.

FAR allows a great  variety of building designs, but can’t address the details of setbacks (the required distance from the lot lines for a building), build-to lines, and human-scale features like windows, doors, and materials. The configuration of a lot and the natural features such as topography, trees, stream buffers will all influence the shape and design of a building. FAR controls bulk, but the character of a street comes from the fine grain.