Monday, March 18, 2013
Montgomery County is the first county in Maryland to have more than 1 million residents.
Montgomery County is the first county in Maryland to have more than 1 million people living in it, according to a county planning department statement. The county's population, calculated by the U.S. Census Bureau, reached 1,004,709 last July, having gained more than 13,000 people between July 2011 and July 2012, "up from a revised 991,645 the previous year, a 1.3 percent increase," the statement said. "Most of the population increase is due to births, what demographers call a 'net natural increase' of 7,630 people. In the period, 13,097 births exceeded 5,467 deaths," the statement said. The rest of the increase is from 8,700 people migrating into the county from abroad, "offsetting the net loss of 3,100 people moving out of the county …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
The county's zoning rewrite would allow a residential neighborhood to change, gradually, to diversify its housing stock.
The revisions in the works for Montgomery County's aging zoning code—which dates to 1977 and is more than 1,200 pages long—are meant, among other things, to help Montgomery County's residents age in place, architect and sustainability expert Carl Elefante said. In the planning department's December 2012 cable show Montgomery Plans, Elefante—who served on the planning department's advisory panel when planning staff drafted the zoning code rewrite—explained how the county's ambitious Zoning Rewrite Project would make it possible for residents to stay in their communities as they grow older. The zoning rewrite—which is entering into its final stages of revisions—is meant to allow for more variety in residence size and type within a …
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
A discussion of the county's recently updated Athletic Field Use Permit Policy has been postponed to a later date.
When the Montgomery County Planning Board meets on Thursday, board members will be in for a long day, according to the meeting's agenda. In the morning, the board will consider a revision to a property plat in the Bethesda neighborhood of Bradley Hills, and a revision to a property plat in the Churchill Town Sector of Germantown. Design guidelines for the Chevy Chase Lake Sector—a large development still in the planning stages—will be presented by county planners to the board. Planners are suggesting ways to make new buildings in the sector appear smaller through design tweaks, the use of traditional materials and other design methods, Patch reported. Next, the board will discuss a preliminary plan to re-subdivide an existing 11-acre lot …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Planning staff recommend that the board's comments on the proposed subdivision regulation amendments be sent to the county council for a public hearing on Jan. 22.
The Montgomery County Planning Board will consider three amendments to county subdivision regulations at its meeting on Thursday, Jan. 17, at the county planning headquarters at 8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. All three subdivision regulation amendments will be discussed in the morning portion (approximately 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) of the meeting, according to the meeting agenda. Planning staff recommend that the board's comments on the proposed amendments be sent to the county council for a public hearing on Jan. 22. The first amendment (SRA No. 12-02) regards platting exemptions for small parcels of land in Community Legacy Plan Areas. When small parcels of land in Community Legacy Plan Areas are developed, the platting requirements can be …
Monday, July 30, 2012
The traffic disasters on Rockville Pike and I-270 were enough to make you wish for an ATM that dispenses cupcakes.
If you weren't caught in massive backups on Rockville Pike or I-270 last week, consider yourself lucky. If you were –– heads up –– Montgomery County planners would like to change your usual view of the ubiquitous strip malls on your commute. It started Wednesday during rush hour when a fire at Marlo Furniture closed the Pike at Wootton Parkway and forced traffic into downtown. Flames were seen shooting through the roof of the giant box full of kindling in the form of mass-produced home furnishings. Then Thursday, a truck hauling thousands of gallons of Budweiser rolled over and hit a guardrail near the Old Hundred Road exit on I-270. Crews spent nearly seven hours cleaning things up, perhaps while crying over spilt beer. Where would …
Monday, April 23, 2012
Montgomery County Planning Director Rollin Stanley will leave his post next month for a position in Calgary, Alberta.
When Montgomery County Planning Director Rollin Stanley leaves his position next month, he'll head north to Calgary, Alberta, where he will head the city's planning, development and assessment department. Calgary—which, at one million residents, is Canada's third-largest city—recruited Stanley last winter after interviewing him several years ago for another position and after an international search, according to a Montgomery County Planning Department news release. "Stanley did not seek out the position, he said, but considered the offer too good to refuse because it provides the challenge of managing Calgary’s tremendous growth as well as professional opportunities for his wife, also a planner," read the statement. Stanley, who has …
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Known nationally for his smart-growth strategies, the planning director will be tough to replace, a county councilwoman said.
Update (April 23, 2012): Rollin Stanley will leave his position as the director of the Montgomery County Planning Department to head the planning, development and assessment department of Calgary, Alberta. Original post (April 19, 2012): Montgomery County Planning Director Rollin Stanley announced his resignation Thursday, reported Maryland Juice. Stanley will leave his post in mid-May, The Gazette added. "When asked about the matter, [Montgomery County] Planning Board member Casey Anderson stated simply: 'He got a fantastic offer. A much bigger job,' " Maryland Juice reported. Anderson also provided details on Stanley's new position to Maryland Juice, saying, "It is a major city that has grown rapidly and is expected to continue growing …
B Allen
8:45 am on Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Hey frankie, looks to me that the "shoe fits" in your case. You got your "dress" all ruffled up when I stated the guy sees the writing on the wall that MoCo is a worthless place to live and prosper because of the idiots running it in the county council and the exec...raising our taxes and fees, businesses leaving, REgressive attitudes, etc. I am tired of your little kiddy responses...if you don't… more ›