NEW: Thrive 2050 Nspiregreen contract

Parents' Coalition has obtained the contract with Nspiregreen, LLC, a subsidiary of CHPlanning, for the production of a review of the Thrive 2050 plan focused on Racial Equity and Social Justice. The contract has been heavily redacted, including portions that describe the deliverables for the contract. Read it here.

2023-0004726_Response by freestategal

Community Public Hearing on Thrive, Sun Dec 12, 7pm

 Dear Community Leaders, 

The Montgomery County Civic Federation, Montgomery County Taxpayers League, Citizens Coordinating Committee for Friendship Heights, and Responsible Growth for Montgomery County invite you to register--and to testify --at a "Community Public Hearing on Thrive 2050," the County's proposed General Plan.  The meeting will be online via Zoom on Sunday, December 12, 2021, at 7 pm.

 

The registration link is  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMtd-iprjMuHdW60X67DMvT2bNHRW64re6V

 

The Montgomery County Council has arranged two "listening sessions" (11/30 and 12/15) on a draft General Plan as recommended by its Planning, Housing, and Economic Development (PHED) Committee.  But many residents have expressed concern that the County Council has (1) limited the number of people allowed to speak and (2) has limited the time allowed for testimony to only two minutes. The County Council has also excluded from these listening sessions individuals who testified at an earlier online County Council

Public Hearing on the draft Plan BEFORE it was modified by the Council Committee.

 

Please join the "alternative" Community Public Hearing on Thrive 2050! You will be able to speak for up to 4 minutes, and the organizers will accommodate everybody who wants to express their views. They will provide the Montgomery County Council with 

a link to the community public hearing! They also will encourage participants to provide written statements so that we can share 

them on a public website.

 

Especially if you were excluded from the County Council's "Listening Sessions" or haven't yet had a chance to express your views on the Thrive 2050 plan, this is your opportunity to do so.

 

The registration link is  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMtd-iprjMuHdW60X67DMvT2bNHRW64re6V

 

We hope that you can attend on Sunday evening at 7 p.m.

 

Sincerely,

 

Montgomery County Civic Federation

Montgomery County Taxpayers League

Citizens Coordinating Committee for Friendship Heights

Responsible Growth for Montgomery County

County Parks Dep't. wants to colocate telecomm equipment in 3 parks. Two are in Silver Spring.

[Note: The tower in the outfield at Blair High School is empty.  This is not a colocation.  This is the new placement of a cell tower antenna. The Parks Department is not being honest with the public.]

PARKS DEPARTMENT SEEKING INPUT
On Telecommunications Applications

Montgomery Parks is seeking approval from the Montgomery Planning Board on three telecommunication applications seeking to colocate equipment in existing park facilities - two of which are in the Silver Spring Regional Area! - to improve the wireless system in the Montgomery County area.

The public is encouraged to post comments on the Montgomery Parks.org Open Town Wall web page * prior to the November 9, 2017 Planning Board Session when the applications will be reviewed.  Please share the following notice with resident and community groups.

*HAVE YOU TRIED THE
PARKS DEPARTMENT OPEN TOWN HALL?

• Wonderful new tool to facilitate providing input!
• Check it out on-line

Issue of outside counsel for White Oak development deal sparks debate

From reporter Bill Turque, Washington Post. To read the full story go here.

The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday abruptly postponed a proposal to hire outside lawyers to help execute an agreement with a private developer to build a life science town center in White Oak.

The item was pulled from the agenda after council member Marc Elrich (D-At-Large) objected to the selection of former Montgomery County Planning Board chairman Francoise Carrier as special counsel for dealings with Global Life Sci Development Corp., an affiliate of the developer Percontee. Carrier was chairman of the planning board in 2013, when it approved the White Oak land-use plan that included the life science town center concept.

After 6-figure salaried County officials fail to find bus depot site; Planning Board chair tells residents to "step up to the plate"

From Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row, Friday, June 17, for the full story go here.

Montgomery County Planning Board commissioners lambasted the County's Department of General Services' plan to acquire the WINX property at 1000 Westmore Avenue in Rockville, before voting to disapprove the acquisition. Their comments followed testimony by Rockville's mayor, residents, and civic leaders, which outlined a questionable process and a lack of transparency by the County. Commissioners were also shocked to learn that the DGS had secretly signed a sales contract with the landowner of 1000 Westmore on April 28, just days before requesting a mandatory referral review by the Board.

"It looks like the horse is already out of the barn," Commissioner Norman Dreyfuss said, after reviewing a copy of the executed contract submitted moments earlier by Rockville Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton. DGS, it became apparent, had not even shared the existence of the contract with the Planning Department. "The County is going to acquire this property, or default on the contract," Dreyfuss said.

Under the mandatory referral process, even the disapproval of the Board last night will not prevent the County from moving forward with its acquisition, and expected use as school bus parking for Montgomery County Public Schools. The County is desperately searching for several bus parking sites, so it can sell the existing MCPS bus depot in Shady Grove to a developer in a deal known as the "Smart Growth Initiative."

But powerful testimony by Lincoln Park residents showed the politically-treacherous road ahead for County politicians if they decide to press on with the Westmore plan.

"As far back as I can remember, we have been struggling to live in peace in Lincoln Park, and every few years we are fighting some monster that is threatening our security," said Fran Hawkins, a 69 year resident. "When they closed historic Lincoln Park High School (Lincoln High School opened in 1935 to serve black students shut out of County high schools by segregation), they parked buses there for decades," she noted of the MCPS Stonestreet Avenue property now home to decaying trailers. Those trailers replaced the buses when the County moved the depot to 16651 Crabbs Branch Way in Shady Grove, she recalled.

MCPS rep a no-show at Olney Civic Assocation Meeting

No explanation and no apology issued by MCPS

Community leaders and residents from Olney, Brookville, Sandy Spring, and upper Rockville were left without a keynote speaker at the Greater Olney Civic Association (GOCA) meeting this evening when no one from MCPS showed up for a 30 minute presentation about the solar power plant proposed for the MCPS site on Cashell Road.

No one from MCPS phoned or emailed anyone from GOCA to advise that the MCPS representative would not be present.

The meeting went on without the speaker, but at the end of the meeting, the president of one of the HOAs adjacent to the site announced that his HOA was considering litigation over the proposed solar power plant.

Community members had requested that a Board of Education member attend an MCPS meeting held in November 2015 about the proposed solar power plant, but no one from the BOE was willing to attend.  Only a few community members had been advised in advance by MCPS about the November meeting.

Thurs. Oct. 17th: BOE Dinner with Planning Board...off camera...

This is an Open Meeting of these two public bodies. Stop on by and check out the discussion!  

Meeting of Board of Education and 
 Montgomery County Planning Board 
Auditorium 
Carver Educational Services Center, 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850 
Thursday, October 17, 2013 
6:30–8:30 p.m. 

Desired Outcomes 
• Strengthen the commitment of the Board of Education and Montgomery County Planning 
Board to work collaboratively in future planning for communities and schools. 
• Receive an update on agency collaboration activities. 
• Discuss status of facility co-location study. 

Agenda

I. Welcome and Introductions (Mr. Barclay) and Dinner 6:30–7:00 p.m.

II. Opening Comments (Mr. Barclay and Ms. Carrier) 7:00–7:15 p.m.

III. Staff Presentations: 7:15–7:45 p.m.

A. Interagency Collaboration on School Projects
(John Carter, Mike Riley, James Song)
• Clarksburg Cluster Elementary School
• Clarksburg/ Damascus Middle School
• Northwest Elementary School #8
• Burtonsville Elementary School
• Arcola Elementary School
• Bethesda-Chevy Chase Middle School #2
• Wheaton High School

B. Interagency Collaboration on School Sites
 (John Carter, James Song)
• Shady Grove Sector Plan School
• White Flint Sector Plan School Site
• White Oak Science Gateway Master Plan and West Farm Depot

C. Enrollment Projections and Subdivision Staging Policy
 (Bruce Crispell)

D. Status Report on Future Public Faciities Infrastructure Study (Co-location Study)
(Gwen Wright, Chris McGovern)

IV. Board of Education and Planning Board Dialogue 7:45–8:30 p.m

MCPS Lies Through Planning Process, Robs Kids of Basketball Court and Outdoor Amphitheater

Through out the multi-year planning process for the modernization of the old McKenney Hills Elementary School site MCPS staff represented that a parking lot at a neighboring pool would be used for the new school.  MCPS had no agreement to use that lot. 
Weeks before the school is set to open, MCPS finally admits that they can't use the neighboring parking lot.  MCPS staff pave over the planned basketball court and outdoor amphitheater for parking without taking this site plan change to the Board of Education for approval.
Silver Spring loses again...

MCPS opts for parking lot, eliminates basketball court at Flora M. Singer Elementary
Though the new Flora M. Singer Elementary School in Silver Spring will open on time for the upcoming school year, the county was forced to eliminate a proposed basketball court to make way for the construction of a 33-car parking lot, county school officials said.... 

http://www.gazette.net/article/20120807/NEWS/708079941/1007/news&source=RSS&template=gazette?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Council "Streamlines" Public out of the Development Process

Welcome to the new transparent Montgomery County! Here is the latest from your elected officials: they plan to "streamline" the development and permitting process to make it more "user friendly."

And what's the best way to do that? Hold forums in the middle of the day so working men and women can't attend!

Here is the text, below. Here is the link where you can see the text illustrated with a lovely photo provided by -- wait for it -- developer JBG. Just so it isn't clear already who is running the show here in Montgomery County.

The Streamlining Development initiative is a collaborative multi-agency effort to analyze the entitlement process from project conception to occupancy and identify where within government and quasi-government authorities there are bottlenecks, duplication of reviews, inconsistent positions and process inefficiencies. The objective is to streamline the approval process so that it is more user-friendly, understandable, reliable, consistent and efficient without compromising public participation, quality of development, environmental protection or public safety.

The information acquired during the forums will be used by work groups to investigate expressed problems and recommend solutions.

Representatives from the following agencies will be present to listen to your comments regarding the development process. Written comments can be posted through March 31, 2012 on the Streamlining Development website at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/permittingservices/
DPS/streamlinedevelopment/StreamliningDevelopment.aspx

Please register for one of the two public forums by clicking on the links
below.
Board of Appeals
County Council
Department of Permitting
Services
Department of Economic Development
Department of Environmental
Protection
Department of Fire and Rescue Services
Department of Housing
and Community Affairs
Department of Transportation
Maryland National
Capital Park and
Planning Commission
Office of the County
Attorney
Office of Zoning and Administrative Hearings
State Highway
Administration
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission

Sign language interpreter services or oral language interpreter services can be
provided upon request with at least 5 days advance notice. Alternative formats
of this document are availableupon request as far in advance as possible, but
not less than 5 days prior to the event. If youneed other services or accommodations to participate in this activity, please call Alexia Roundtreeat (240) 777-6280, Voice or (240) 777-6256, TTY. Or you may send a request via email to Alexia.
Roundtree@montgomerycountymd.gov

Streamlining the Development Process
Public Forum
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
2:30pm – 4:30pm
Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe St.
Lobby Auditorium
Rockville, MD 20850

Streamlining the Development Process
Public Forum
Friday, March 9, 2012
1:30pm – 3:30pm
Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe St.
Lobby Auditorium
Rockville, MD 20850

Overcrowded Schools Coming Your Way

Get ready for increasingly overcrowded schools in Montgomery County, Maryland because, folks that's what you want! Bet you didn’t know that. Well, now you do. How do I know? I just read the proposed Growth Policy, happily titled, “Reducing our Footprint” so shame on you naughty awful suburbanites with your oh-so-huge carbon footprints! Shame on you for wanting to get rid of portables and wanting smaller classrooms. Who do you think you are? Your elected County Government and Planning Board, chaired by Royce Hanson, know what’s best for you. You elected the council, they appointed the Planning Board, they do the hires and provide the funding (oh wait, I though WE provided the funding. Oh well, that is so old school), so this is what you wanted. Who knew?

And here’s what you want: “School Capacity Related Changes”

Check out pages 46-48 of the Growth Policy that is going to the County Council. Here are the recommendations.

Here is what you want for your children:

1. Set the threshold for application of a school facility payment at project enrollment greater than 110 percent of projected program capacity at any school level by cluster

2. Retain the threshold for school moratorium on new residential subdivisions at projected enrollment greater than 120 percent of projected capacity at any school level by school cluster.

3. Allow residential subdivision applications that are complete within the 12 months prior to imposition of a moratorium but have not been acted upon to proceed; and

4. Allow any approved school capacity for a specific development to be transferable to another development within the same school cluster.

Yes you read that right; the second recommendation is to keep the threshold for the moratorium; and the third recommendation is, ignore the moratorium and build anyway! Why? Because as the staff writes in the Appendix, it is just too darned expensive. so, let's ignore that pesky moratorium. After all, only B-CC, Seneca Valley, and Clarksburg would be affected.

Don’t want that? Tell the county council. Email your councilmember and make sure they know. You have until September. That is when your council that you elected will vote on this ‘growth’ policy. Otherwise get ready for overcrowding. Oh, your local school is already overcrowded? That’s what you want! Congratulations.