City’s Minor Master Plan Moves Ahead

At their meeting on July 7th, City Council approved a resolution in support of the draft proposal for a Minor Master Plan Amendment.

A Minor Master Plan Amendment (MMA) is a tool used by Montgomery County to update the long-term plans for a specific geographic area when there is an unexpected change in the economic or land use circumstance. If those changes are unaccounted for in the City’s Master Plan (last updated in 2000 in Takoma Park), then an MMA allows the County to reimagine the way the area is used. This can involve updates to zoning and allow the City and County to set new goals for housing, economic development, open space, and transportation.

The departure of the Washington Adventist Hospital, formerly the largest employer in Takoma Park, prompted the City to partner with the County on an MMA that would include an area covering the full Washington Adventist Hospital and University Campus, as well as the civic buildings, retail, and multi-family housing located along Maple Avenue, from Philadelphia Avenue to Sligo Creek Parkway.

The City Council’s action on Wednesday offers an endorsement of the County staff’s proposed plan; however, the final project boundary and scope of work will not be finalized until the County Planning Commission votes to approve the boundary and scope of work in early September.

In the meantime, Montgomery County Planning will begin some initial community engagement with large stakeholders, including Washington Adventist University. Once the scope of work is finalized, a full-scale engagement process will begin for both residents within the MMA boundary and residents who live outside the boundary that would be impacted by any changes that the MMA could yield.

Visit the  Minor Master Plan project for more information.

Visit the City’s project page for a complete listing of projects.