| There is no Planning Board meeting next week. The Planning Board is on recess for the month of August. |
Planning Department Will Host Placemaking Events in Silver Spring During August and September 2017
The Montgomery County Planning Department is kicking off a series of placemaking events in downtown Silver Spring this August and September. The "pop-up" events, including outdoor yoga and silent discos, are free and open to the public.This series is being held in partnership with County Councilmembers Hans Riemer and Tom Hucker , and the Silver Spring Regional Services Center to implement some of the ideas generated during the fall 2014 Silver Spring Placemaking Workshops. The goal of these events is to activate existing underutilized and hidden public spaces in downtown Silver Spring, and encourage community interaction. |
Planning Department Launches Digital Interactive Map to Inform Public About Updates to Master Plan of Highways and Transitways
 The Montgomery County Planning Department has posted a digital interactive map of county highways and transitways to solicit feedback from the public on proposed changes to the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways (MPOHT).This tool, called the MPOHT Feedback Map, allows users to see the more than 130 proposed changes and updates in the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways, and leave their online comments. A search tool on the GIS-based map will help citizens find their homes or businesses on the map. Once the 130 changes are finalized, the MPOHT Feedback Map will be placed on the Planning Department's MCAtlas.org site with the property search functionality. Learn more here. |
Montgomery County Planning Department and Potomac Valley AIA Will Hold Design Excellence Award Program on October 19
 The Montgomery County Planning Department is inviting everyone with an interest in excellent architecture, landscape architecture and urban design to attend Celebrate Design on Thursday, October 19, 2017 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Silver Spring Civic Building (1 Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring, MD). Tickets are $35 each and can be purchased online. |
Planning Department Co-Sponsors Bus Tour of Mid-20th-Century Modern Buildings in Montgomery County Designed by Cohen, Haft & Associates
 The Montgomery County Planning Department is co-sponsoring a bus tour of mid-century modern houses and buildings in the county on Sunday, October 8 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, August 30. Learn more here. The event is being organized with Docomomo-DC, the Potomac Valley chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the Bender JCC of Greater Washington as part of Docomomo-US National Tour Day.
The bus tour will be led by architectural historian Clare Lise Kelly, author of the Planning Department's award-winning book, Montgomery Modern: Modern Architecture in Montgomery County, Maryland, 1930-1979. |
Montgomery Planning Department Announces FY18 Work Program
The Montgomery County Planning Department has secured the Montgomery County Council's approval to proceed with its ambitious work program for fiscal year 2018 (FY18), which began on July 1, 2017.The County Council approved the Planning Department's $20 million budget for FY18 at its meeting on May 25, 2017. These funds support the work program for the Department's 148 employees. Staff will continue to work on the master plans and projects that are currently in progress. |
Chevy Chase History Newly Reprinted for Book's Upcoming 20th Anniversary and Available for Purchase Online
The Montgomery County Planning Department is pleased to announce the reprinting of Chevy Chase: A Home Suburb for the Nation's Capital, the definitive reference book on this historic community at Montgomery County's southern border with Washington, DC. Written by historians and former Planning Department staffers Elizabeth Jo Lampl and Kimberly Prothro Williams, the book was originally published in 1998 by the Montgomery County Planning Department and the Maryland Historical Trust Press. The book is now available for online purchase through Lulu.com. |
 Updated M-NCPPC Parks Rules & Regulations Are In Effect Updates to the M-NCPPC Rules & Regulations will improve access to parks and amenities and provide greater flexibility in the rules. Learn more here.
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 Upper Paint Branch Limited Area Trail Plan Montgomery Parks Staff is starting a new Natural Surface Trail Plan in the Upper Paint Branch area. Your input will help us make this the best plan possible for the Paint Branch area. Click here for more information. |
 Get Up-to-Date Athletic Field Information Use our convenient Rainout Line system to find out if a Montgomery Parks or MCPS athletic field is open, closed or experiencing inclement weather delays. |
Festivals and Events  Looking for a different type of fun for the entire family? Maybe, a new experience in your backyard? Montgomery Parks has all the excitement just around the corner. Check out our Festivals and Events Page for all the happenings. Don't miss a chance to see what Montgomery Parks has for you! - Underground Railroad Experience Trail Guided Hikes - Every Saturday, talented "conductors" lead groups on a simulated Underground Railroad experience. The experience covers 2.0 miles from Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park along a wooded, natural surface trail to the historic Sandy Spring, then back to experience the new Woodlawn Museum and Visitor Center. Registration and a fee is required.
- Wings of Fancy - Surround yourself with hundreds of brilliant live butterflies from North America, Costa Rica, Africa and Asia soaring among colorful flowers. Learn about the butterflies' amazing metamorphosis, the important role they play a healthy ecosystem. Wings of Fancy runs daily from 10am-4pm. Visit Brookside Gardens for additional opportunities to explore the beautiful butterflies through birthday parties, photography and art classes, school groups visits, and after-hours fun.
- Pop Up in Montgomery Parks- Montgomery Parks is aiming to attract more people to our parks - particularly our urban parks in the densely populated parts of Montgomery County. So, we are bringing fun and free "Pop Up" programming to select parks all winter, including Movie Night, Cozy Community Day, Rock Wall and our new Pump Track! Check out our upcoming programs taking place during the month of June, as part of the Pop Up in Montgomery Parks initiative.
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Community Meetings and News
Make plans to attend upcoming community meetings. Park Staff will be presenting plans for upcoming project renovations and scheduled improvements to the parks. The community is encouraged to attend these meetings and provide input on the upcoming projects: - A Planning Board work session on the Energized Public Spaces Functional Master Plan is scheduled for Thursday, September 7, 2017. The plan looks to identify areas where parks are needed most, highlighting mixed use and higher density residential areas, and allow park planners to quickly adapt to changing park needs. For more information.
- Parks staff presented the final Recommended Concept Plan for Long Branch-Wayne Local Park to the Planning Board. Visit the Long Branch-Wayne Local Park Renovation Project page for more information.
- The final Recommended Concept Plan for the Dewey Local Park Renovation Project was presented to the Planning Board. Click here for more to review the project plan and timeline.
- A public meeting to present updates on the North Branch Hiker-Biker Trail Project will be held Wednesday, September 13, 2017 at the Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center in Rockville. Parks staff will present the project history, overall trail alignment, connectivity to adjacent trails and overall project schedule and phasing, in addition to the two parking lot alternatives. The community is encouraged to attend.
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Accessibility Improvements Continue |
Park Projects - Forest Glen Neighborhood Park repair work has begun to improve the current park features. This work includes installation of a new water fountain, better access to parking and storm water management upgrades. Work will continue through the summer with minimal interruptions expected to park users
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 The Layhill Phoenix, a sculpture of a wooden totem pole located in Wheaton Regional Park, will be removed for restoration and preservation. The totem pole will be removed in the Spring of 2017. A new location in the park to re-install the sculpture is under study along with other park improvement projects. - Stratton Local Park is closed. The one-year project will improve overall access to park and parking lot enhancements. A pedestrian walkway from Democracy Boulevard and a sidewalk entering the park from Harrogate Road is planned. The ball field, shelter, and courts will be closed and inaccessible to the public.
- Good Hope Local Park is closed as part of the Department of Recreation's Good Hope Recreation Center construction project. Ball fields, tennis courts and other park areas will be inaccessible to the public. Work is scheduled to be completed by Spring 2018.
- Wheaton-Claridge Local Park is closed as the entire park undergoes renovations. The Park Activity Building will also get a makeover to improve access. The project is scheduled to be complete by Spring 2018. Park users are encouraged to visit other parks in the area as park amenities will not be accessible to the public. Click here for more information on the project.
- Western Grove Urban Park is closed for renovations. Formerly the Chevy Chase Open Space Urban Park, the 1.9 acre project, in partnership with the Chevy Chase Village, will enhance park amenities including improved accessible walkways, lighting, a paved seating area, natural play area, green space, fencing, and a water feature when completed. Click herefor additional information on the project.
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Emerald Ash Borer in Montgomery Parks  A non-native invasive beetle in Montgomery County is wreaking havoc on ash trees, many which are in stream valleys on parkland. Learn more on how the department's is addressing the issue here. |
Bikers and Runners should use caution around work areas as improvements are taking place on several trails in Montgomery Parks:  A section of the Sligo Creek Trail has slid into the creek resulting in an emergency trail closure. The section impacted is in the Sligo Creek Stream Valley Unit #1 area. Look for signs and closure at the New Hampshire Avenue and Sligo Creek Parkway intersection. Trail users should use caution and seek alternate routes in this area. Vehicular traffic should stay alert, and share the road with cyclists and trail users for the next several weeks. - A section of the Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail is closed and inaccessible to the public this summer. The second phase of the renovation project between Franklin Street and the trail connector at Saul Road will require a half-mile detour using Franklin Street to Parkwood Drive. The detour will reconnect to the trail at the Saul Road trail connector. Click here for more information.
- Trail improvements on the Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail near Parklawn Local Park continue. The project includes a new connector to the trail, bridge installation, stream sediment control and storm water management when complete.
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  The 2017 Fall Program GUIDE! |
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