Come on out . . .

and show that the word "Planning" is not an oxymoron in Montgomery County.

Do you think that the rest of MoCo should look like Bethesda or Chevy Chase?

Here is a list of upcoming planning board meetings.  Come find out what is planned in your neighborhood!

And who knows whether, as an added bonus, you get to meet Rollin Stanley too!

From: Montgomery County Planning Department, Zoning Code Rewrite Team <pamela.dunn@mncppc-mc.org>
Date: Thu, Mar 29, 2012 at 3:35 PM
Subject: Zoning Rewrite Project Open Houses


Attend one of six open houses scheduled around Montgomery County in April and early May to learn more about the project. At the open house meetings, attendees can view graphics and other materials that explain what's being considered, such as potentially reducing the number of zones and how new zones might apply in communities.

Participants at each open house will see exactly how what's proposed applies to their neighborhood. Each meeting will provide information on six different master plan areas. To see what master plan area applies to your property, go to
montgomeryplanning.org/gis/interactive/masterplans.shtm
WHEN/WHERE/DETAILS:
5-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 10 Park and Planning Headquarters
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring
Master plans: Capitol View, East Silver Spring, Forest Glen, Four Corners, North & West Silver Spring, Silver Spring Central Business District, Takoma Park

5-8 p.m. Thursday, April 12
Eastern County Regional Services Center
3300 Briggs Chaney Rd, Silver Spring
Master plans: Cloverly, Fairland, Kemp Mill, Sandy Spring/Ashton, White Oak

5-8 p.m. Monday, April 16Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda
Master plans: Bethesda Central Business District, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Friendship Heights Central Business District, North Bethesda/Garrett Park, Potomac Subregion, Westbard, Woodmont Triangle

5-8 p.m. Monday, April 23Upcounty Regional Services Center
12900 Middlebrook Road, Suite 1000, Germantown
Master plans: Agricultural & Rural Open Space, Boyds, Clarksburg, Damascus, Germantown (1989 and 2009)

5-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 24Wheaton Regional Library
11701 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton
Master plans: Aspen Hill, Kensington/Wheaton, Olney, Upper Rock Creek, Wheaton Central Business District

5-8 p.m. Tuesday, May 1
Rockville Memorial Library, 2nd floor
21 Maryland Avenue, Rockville
Master plans: Gaithersburg & Vicinity, Great Seneca Science Corridor, Shady Grove, Twinbrook, White Flint

zoningmontgomery.org

Anger Management for Rollin Stanley?

Well, not quite. After his remarks published in the Bethesda Magazine article, "The Future is Looking Up," in which Mr. Stanley accused a group of long-time community activists of stalking him, Mr. Stanley issued a contrite apology, which appeared on the Montgomery County Planning Department's website, here. In the apology statement Mr. Stanley states that he intends to "enroll in mediation/conflict resolution instruction." Everybody happy now?

The Bethesda Name-Game

by Joseph Hawkins

A black guy defending white women—what’s the world coming to! 

As a long-time county resident, I have no problems with the county’s Smart Growth initiatives.  And as a Bethesda resident since 1984, I’m enjoying what downtown Bethesda has become. 

As a black person living in Bethesda, I have to admit I’m totally intrigued by the Bethesda Magazine-Rollin Stanley uproar.  Rich white people calling each other rich white people.  Who knew that could even be newsworthy or controversial?

You can find the original Bethesda Magazine piece here:

http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Magazine/March-April-2012/

You can find a Washington Post editorial defense of Rollin Stanley’s behavior here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-misguided-call-for-rollin-stanleys-firing/2012/03/19/gIQAl8tBOS_story.html

You can find a Washington Post article reporting on Mr. Stanley’s retraction and apology here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/todays_paper/Metro/2012-03-22/B/3/36.2.2419941217_epaper.html

So, now that we have concluded that Mr. Stanley was indeed behaving in a sexist manner when he called his critics “rich white women,” I thought I’d revisit the issue from a slightly different angle.  I believe Mr. Stanley also was behaving in a racist manner.

I don’t know the players involved in the Stanley controversy, but I doubt that they are rich in a trust-fund or Dan Snyder kind of way.  But of course, I’ve learned that by just living in Bethesda you are automatically assumed to be rich.  There also is the assumption you are white.  I wish I had a dollar for every time I opened my front door and the person on the other side of the door seemed surprised that I—a black person—lived on Wilson Lane.

“Rich white women,” “rich people from Bethesda,” or “Bethesda elite,” it is all the same name-game.  I’m going out on a limb here, but as a black person, I actually believe that this Bethesda name-game is used in a very clever and round-about way to call Bethesda residents racists.  And once you put Bethesda residents in that racist box, nothing they support, criticize, or say has merit.  Let’s face it—no one in progressive, liberal Montgomery County respects racists.

Let’s go back 10 years to 2002 for a real example of how this name-game thing works.

Back in 2002, I was the co-president of the Jamie Escalante Public Charter School, Inc., Montgomery County’s first organized attempt to bring a public charter school to the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).  If Escalante had opened, which it did not, it would have been located in east Silver Spring.  It would have been the smallest MCPS secondary school, with 400 students enrolled in grades 7-12.

Honestly, Escalante failed for a number of legitimate reasons: lack of a school building, hostile Board of Education, anxieties over change, and the unknowns associated with charter schools.  But then the Bethesda name-game also played a significant role in its demise. 

Some of the Escalante organizers lived in Bethesda, but the majority did not.  Regardless, some Escalante opponents quickly seized on the Bethesda name-game and boxed us in.  Escalante became known as the school that “white Bethesda parents and teachers” wanted for their children.  In a public meeting, a Board of Education member even claimed that we were Bethesda elitists with a hidden agenda to open a private school.  In short, we were straight-out evil rich people from Bethesda!

Some of the original Escalante organizers were indeed white people from Bethesda, but the other Escalante co-president was a brown-skinned Latina from east Silver Spring.  And, Escalante was partnering with the National Council of La Raza (click here to learn more about NCLR:http://www.nclr.org/), which has never been known as an organization for “rich white people.”  Nonetheless, what I learned from Escalante is that if you put people into the “white rich Bethesda” box it doesn’t really take a lot more energy to push people to believe that whatever you stand for is offensive and not worthy of support because basically either you are a racist or your intentions are racist.  Again, in progressive liberal Montgomery County there is no respect, honor, or room for racists. 

I have no magical powers to get into the head of Mr. Stanley, but I actually believe he was attempting to box in his activist-critics.  In short, his “rich white women” don’t want Montgomery County to change because they’re old-school white racists who hate it when more people of color move next door.

The truly sad aspect of the Bethesda name-game is that it really is never necessary.  There is no stopping Smart Growth in this county or more people of color moving in next door (although they avoid Bethesda).  Smart Growth is here to stay, and frankly when done properly—including community input and support—we eventually become a better place to live because of it.

There also is no stopping Montgomery County activists from doing what they do—agitating for the right kinds of change.   I count myself in as one of these agitators.  I know I’ve tossed “bombs” at county employees like Mr. Stanley—and hope to toss more in the future.  Change is never easy, nor should it be.  However, on the way to a changed future, those we hire to lead ought to be respectful of everyone involved in the process, including my rich white Bethesda neighbors.  And if that isn’t possible, then let’s help pack Mr. Stanley’s bags and put him on an airplane back to his home country Canada.

Activists call for ouster of Montgomery County planning director

From the Washington Post

By Lori Aratani,
Published: March 13

Some civic activists are calling for Montgomery County Planning Director Rollin Stanley to resign following comments published in a local magazine where he characterized a group that has questioned his vision for remaking the county as “rich white women . . . spreading fear’’ who “stalk his appearances before community groups.”

The remarks in a story about the county’s push to build more mixed-use, high-rise developments appeared in the March/April issue of Bethesda Magazine and drew an immediate reaction from civic groups, who said the comments were sexist and evidence of Stanley’s disregard for public participation in county planning matters.

And,

At least one civic group also has said Stanley should resign.

In a letter to the planning board, Peggy Dennis, president of the Montgomery County Civic Federation, wrote: “This latest example of his disregard for citizen opinion and disdain for those who do not support his views and tactics is, for us, the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back.’ As a result, we believe Mr. Stanley should be asked to resign immediately.”

Read the entire story here.

Mont. Co. Civic Federation Response to remarks of Planning Director

MCCF Ltr Re Resignation of Rollin Stanley 3-12-12

MC Planning Board "Mr. Stanley's comments did not portray these values..."

The Montgomery County Planning Board issued the following statement regarding comments made by the Montgomery County Planning Director in a local magazine article.


Planning Board Statement March 8, 2012

Before we get started this morning, I must take a moment to publicly respond to the article by Eugene Meyer that appeared in Bethesda Magazine last week, “Past Present and Future,” quoting our Planning Director, Rollin Stanley. The statements attributed to Mr. Stanley regarding certain members of the community, and the sentiments expressed, in no way reflect the views of this Board or this agency. This agency has a responsibility to the public, to invite public participation in the planning process, to encourage public discourse, to solicit the views of all residents of the county, from all backgrounds, and to remain respectful to those individuals and organizations regardless of the opinions they hold. Unfortunately, Mr. Stanley’s comments did not portray these values. It is our experience that the quality of our master plans and other planning efforts is enhanced by input from members of the public. We encourage everyone in the community to continue to participate in future meetings with planning department staff and the planning board. 

While we are grateful to Mr. Stanley for the work he has done on behalf of the Agency and for this county to date, we did not sanction his interview with Mr. Meyer, nor do we condone the views he expressed. This Board does not take lightly the potential implications of his words, and we will be taking appropriate corrective action.

"...chilling effect on public participation"

Below is the text of the letter that was sent to the Montgomery County Planning Board concerning statements made by the Planning Director in a local magazine article.  

The Montgomery County Planning Board did, in fact, make a statement regarding this incident on March 8, 2012.. 

March 4,2012

Chairman Francoise Carrier and Planning Board Members, Montgomery County Planning Board,  8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20901 

Dear Chairman Carrier and Members of the Montgomery County Planning Board: 

We are writing to provide you with a copy of a letter that we sent to Steve Hull, editor of Bethesda Magazine, on March 2, 2012, in which we take strong exception to statements made by Rollin Stanley, the Director of Planning, that appear in the article “The Future is Looking UP” in the March/April 2012 issue. Mr. Hull has already agreed to publish our letter to the editor in its entirety in the May/June issue of his magazine. 

In this letter, we ask the Board to take certain actions in light of these statements by Mr. Stanley. In the article, Mr. Stanley is clearly speaking in his capacity as the Director of Planning, and he appears to bespeaking on behalf of the Planning Board itself when he characterizes us as “rich white women,” who “spread fear” and “sow discord”, who “stalk” him in his appearances before community groups, and who describe ourselves as members of a “coven.” 

Through these remarks, Mr. Stanley has impugned our integrity,attacked our credibility, and damaged our personal and professional reputations. We ask the Planning Board to publicly disavow his remarks.We also ask that the Board additionally state in open session its policy—as well as the policy it has adopted for its employees—with respect to Board and staff comments about the public and the public’s participation in matters before the Board.

Further, we believe that these remarks raise a serious question as to Mr.Stanley’s fitness to continue to serve as Director of Planning in this County, inasmuch as a substantial part of his job is interfacing with County residents who have concerns about their own property, or about what is going to happen to properties near them. 

We believe that his printed remarks are wholly inconsistent with his responsibility to treat all citizens of Montgomery County with respect,and to recognize that in Montgomery County—unlike other places—there is a strong tradition of public participation in land use issues. Mr.Stanley’s job is to foster public participation, not to work actively to discourage it by using his position to verbally abuse County residents in public simply because they have the temerity to question current efforts to “urbanize” the County. 

We are very concerned that Mr. Stanley’s remarks will have a chilling effect on public participation. They suggest there is a culture that is developing within the Planning Board staff in which citizen participation is neither welcome nor even tolerated. Even in a welcoming environment it is difficult for the uninitiated citizen to plunge into the world of land use, and to testify and/or write with questions and concerns. When citizens must be concerned about personal attacks or dismissive contempt for different points of view when participating before the Planning Board, they will think twice before participating. 

Finally, what message is Mr. Stanley sending to the planners who work under him in terms of how Commission employees should treat the public? What kind of training are young planners receiving in terms of answering questions from the public, providing materials to the public,and explaining to the public the processes of the Planning Board to the residents of Montgomery County?
All of these are matters of great gravity if the Planning Board is to maintain the public’s trust in the integrity of Montgomery County’s land use processes. 

We thus respectfully ask the Board to address the issues publicly, and specifically Mr. Stanley’s comments in the Bethesda Magazine article, at your earliest convenience. It is critical that this matter be put behind us, so that all County residents can once again feel free to voice their views on critical land use planning issues to the Planning Board and its staff. 

Sincerely,
Pat Baptiste 

Meredith Wellington 

Julie Davis 

Jenny Sue Dunner

Planning Board: "...we will be taking appropriate corrective action."

Update, 3:25 p.m.: Planning Board Chairwoman Françoise Carrier addressed Director Rollin Stanley's remarks before a meeting Thursday, saying they in no way reflect the opinions of the board.
Carrier said in a prepared statement that the Planning Board encourages public participation in its process, and Stanley's comments fall out of line with the department's values. 

"While we are grateful to Mr. Stanley for the work he has done on behalf of the agency and for this county to date, we did not sanction his interview with (Bethesda Magazine), nor do we condone the views he expressed," she said. "This board does not take lightly the potential implications of his words, and we will be taking appropriate corrective action."

Continues at PATCH:   Planning Chief's 'Sexist' Remarks Under Fire

MoCo Planning Board wants Significant Density Increases

The Montgomery County, MD Planning Department has been working on an enormous overhaul of the zoning codes in our County. Planning Department staff are promoting tremendous density increases. Citizens involved in this 'process' are becoming alarmed at the direction it is taking. Please read the article below by Meredith Wellington, who is a former member of the Planning Board. The tremendous increase in density that the Planning Board is pushing will of course put added stress on our school system.

Former Planning Board member Meredith Wellington has written the article below, out of concern for the direction of the new zoning ordinance.  She suggests if you are concerned please contact the county council, and the Planning Board.  To contact the Council, go here.  The chair of the Planning Board is Francoise Carrier.  To contact Ms. Carrier, go here.


Montgomery County MD Zoning Rewrite ZAP Article Residential Zone Proposals

White Flint Sector Plan: Public Hearings Oct 20 and Oct 22

The County Council will be taking public testimony on the Draft White Flint Sector Plan this coming Tuesday, Oct 20 and Thursday, Oct 22nd, starting at 7:30 pm at the Council offices, 100 Maryland Ave, Rockville.


I would encourage you to go so our representatives on the Council knows how important this is to our communities. I know it is difficult, what with work, commuting, kids, grocery shopping and the like.

If you can't make it please make sure to email the council, at county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov .

District 1 Council Representative Roger Berliner's email is:
councilmember.berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov.

To remind you of the issues as stake, the following are points raised by members of the White Flint Community Coalition, a true grassroots coalition of residents consisting of: Crest of Wickford Condominium Association, Garrett Park Citizens Association, Garrett Park Estates–White Flint Park Citizens’ Association, Luxmanor Citizens Association, Sterling Homeowners Association, Timberlawn Homeowners Association, and the Wickford Community Association. If you agree with any or all of the points below we urge you to communicate with the Council and its members.

1. Do not approve a change in the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance.

2. There is already too much congestion and there are already too many failed intersections surrounding our community. Do not change congestion standards to allow for the proposed increase in traffic.

3. Too much density is proposed. A change that is over six times the current no. of residential units is too much, with no library; no school location proposed within the new sector; and no additional public transportation is not sustainable.

4. The plan calls for too much density that is not supported by the public transit system.

5. Do not redesign Wall Park without substantial community input.

6. The plan needs to address compatibility with existing surrounding neighborhoods, and needs to have explicit steps and implementation dates to protect our streets from cut-through traffic.

7. Do not change the adequacy of public school facilities test to allow for a higher level of overcrowding. We do not want our Walter Johnson schools to become overcrowded.

8. We endorse the following:

§One central core of appropriate density, mixed-use development focused around Metro;
§ Surrounding development clusters that are secondary to the central core and compatible with existing neighborhoods;
§ Walkable and cyclable destinations;
§ A public green and green spaces throughout;
§ Sustainable development consistent with 21st-century climate goals;
§ High-quality, uncrowded schools in the Walter Johnson cluster;
§ A clear transportation plan, commenced contemporaneously with commercial and residential development.

The County Council needs to hear from you. And again, read the plan! At http://www.whiteflintplanning.org/. If you have questions please comment here and I will respond.

Thanks.
Paula Bienenfeld
Luxmanor Citizens Association Planning and Development Chair

Stop the White Flint Sector Plan

All,
The proposed White Flint Sector Plan, which will bring 20,000 new jobs and 12,600 new residential units to our neighborhoods with no plan for a new school or any way to accomodate the new children, will be up for public hearing at the County Council on October 20, 2009. Below I provide 1. contact information; and 2. bullet points for your letter. I would greatly appreciate letters sent to the council, thank you so much.
Paula Bienenfeld

DATE: Tuesday, OCTOBER 20, 2009
TIME: 7:30 PM
LOCATION: Council Bldg, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD

I would ask everyone reading this to voice their opposition to this ill-conceived plan that will flood our area with tens of thousands of cars; increase congestion in the area; add hundreds of children with no increase in school capacity; and no increase in supporting infrastructure except of course to support the new developments. The plan is not sustainable from an environmental perspective. Council contact information and letter bullet points are below.

Please write the council at:

county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov
or
Montgomery County Council
Stella B. Werner Council Building
100 Maryland Ave,
Rockville, MD 20850

Here are the individual council members' email addresses:
Phil Andrews, Council President councilmember.andrews@montgomerycountymd.gov
Roger Berliner, Council Vice President, councilmember.berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov
Nancy Navarro councilmember.navarro@montgomerycountymd.gov
George Leventhal councilmember.leventhal@montgomerycountymd.gov
Marc Elrich councilmember.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov
Mike Knapp councilmember.knapp@montgomerycountymd.gov
Nancy Floreen councilmember.floreen@montgomerycountymd.gov
Valerie Ervin councilmember.ervin@montgomerycountymd.gov
Duchy Trachtenberg councilmember.trachtenberg@montgomerycountymd.gov

Here are bullet points for the letter:

Overcrowded Schools; Redistricting As a Solution: 37,000 people will live in the new White Flint, but the Board failed to provide a coherent plan—or funding—for an elementary school. Overcrowding of existing K-12 schools will occur. The Planning Board raises the specter of redistricting—including redistricting of Walter Johnson High School—as a possible solution.

61,000 More People, No Plan to Increase Public Transit: According to the Board, the number of people living and working in White Flint will swell by 242% from 25,000 to 86,000, and this does not include tens of thousands of visitors and shoppers. This increase is equivalent to adding the entire population of Rockville to our community, yet the Planning Board has no plan to increase capacity for Metro, buses or Bus Rapid Transit.

Increased Congestion, Cut-Through Traffic: Despite the promise of overcoming “auto-centered” development, the projected increase in population and the failure to expand public transit will inevitably result in more traffic. The Planning Board projects a 53% increase on Old Georgetown Road and 68% on Edson Lane. Congestion at Strathmore Avenue and Rockville Pike will increase by 24% and will exceed the current standard. There will be greatly increased cut-through traffic in your communities.

Overcrowded Schools; Redistricting As a Solution: 37,000 people will live in the new White Flint, but the Board failed to provide a coherent plan—or funding—for an elementary school. Overcrowding of existing K-12 schools will occur. The Planning Board raises the specter of redistricting—including redistricting of Walter Johnson High School—as a possible solution.
300-foot Building Heights: The Board will allow buildings taller than the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and JBG’s new Whole Foods building.

High-Rise Sprawl: The Board says the tallest buildings will be concentrated at the White Flint Metro station, but the plan in fact permits 300-foot buildings for nearly a mile along Rockville Pike, replacing today’s auto-oriented suburban sprawl with high-density, auto-oriented “high-rise sprawl.” From your backyards you will look out at a 30-story concrete and glass canyon up and down the Pike.

Rockville Pike Developed Last, If At All: The Board’s phasing plan does not envision redeveloping Rockville Pike until approximately 2030. As the main traffic artery through White Flint, the Pike should be re-built first with development to follow.

Tall Buildings, Dense Development Don’t Make A Community: Despite promises to create a vibrant, urban community, the Plan does not require a full-sized library, community center, theater, senior center, or child-care facility, nor does it protect much-loved local businesses that will be unable to afford increased rents. The Board’s “Midtown on the Pike” makes no provision for the civic and cultural amenities that in fact make cities livable.

No Environmental Plan: The Board makes bold statements about creating a greener community, including stream restoration, carbon emission reductions, forest planting, and increased tree cover. But these are not requirements; developers are awarded increased density if they choose to pursue them. The plan provides no details or timeline for accomplishing any of these aims.

No Plan To Pay For It All: The Planning Board says substantial public and private investment in infrastructure and public facilities will be required, but fails to provide the financing plan or specify the public entities that will implement the plan. It says that these must be created within 12 months of adopting the plan! It is not prudent—especially in the current economy—to begin redevelopment before figuring out how to pay for it.

Trailer City - Coming Soon!

THE COUNTY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING ON THE
GAITHERSBURG WEST MASTER PLAN IS SCHEDULED FOR

SEPTEMBER 15, 2009 at 7:00 PM
(RATHER THAN THE PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED TIME OF 7:30 PM)

at 100 MARYLAND AVENUE, ROCKVILLE, MD
Please mark your calendars

The Master Plan, as proposed, would bring high-density, high-rise commercial development to our area along with six- and eight-lane highways and 10- to 12-lane multilevel highway interchanges to accommodate approximately 50,000 additional workers and residents.

We must attend the Public Hearing to show our Council members we are united in our opposition to the scale of the proposed plan. This is the most important meeting of the entire master plan process. The Council can approve the master plan or they can have it revised or re-written.
For additional information on the Gaithersburg West Master Plan, email addresses of our County Council members, or for directions and parking information for the Public Hearing, please see www.scale-it-back.com.

Thank you,
Donna Baron
Coordinator
The Gaithersburg - North Potomac - Rockville Coalition

Don't follow the rules? Lose credit card!

But this doesn't apply to MCPS! The "don't follow the rules - lose the credit card" decree comes from the Maryland-National Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) in Miranda Spivack's 8/11/09 article in The Washington Post.

Here are the sentences uttered by the executive director of the M-NCPPC that will never be attributed to the MCPS Superintendent or Board of Education. In MCPS credit card misuse is accepted.

"I don't want to leave the impression that something was stolen," he said. "No one believes that. But there are rules and regulations for how you use the cards, and if you consistently don't follow them, you lose your right to the credit card."

Rodriguez said that during the probe, which began in April, officials took back the credit card of Henry Mobayeni, a high-ranking technology official who works for Stanley. Stanley also surrendered his card. Mobayeni's card was used to make some of the purchases that are under scrutiny...

...Stanley said the technology spending under scrutiny is limited to an $800 emergency purchase of a computer system security firewall. Rodriguez said Monday that the problem is bigger than that and includes other technology purchases, none of which appear to have been made using proper contracts...

In all of our IT spending, we review everything very carefully to ensure that all of our purchases are properly executed."

And don't worry about IT spending at MCPS being scrutinized. IT equipment can be purchased in MCPS without contracts and without the signature of the Board of Education President. There is nothing to review in MCPS because rules aren't followed!

Overcrowded Schools Coming Your Way Part 2

Good government doesn't mean a bad reputation
by Jim Humphrey, Chair, Montgomery County Civic Federation Planning and Land Use Committee

Each June, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) submits to the Planning Board a set of student enrollment and school capacity projections for five years in the future, broken down by elementary, middle and high school level for each school cluster in the county. If any cluster is predicted to have an enrollment exceeding 120% of capacity on any grade level then, according to the county growth policy, the Planning Board must not approve any more residential development projects in that area until more classroom capacity is provided--and not those trailers either, but brick-and-mortar classrooms.

This year MCPS submitted data to the Planning Board for the school year beginning September 2014, and the Seneca Valley and Bethesda-Chevy Chase clusters were both projected to exceed 120% of capacity on the elementary level. So starting July 1, the Board imposed a temporary halt on approval of new housing projects in both cluster areas. They joined the Clarksburg area, which was already in moratorium for new residential project approvals due to insufficient middle school capacity.

This turn of events seemed to those of us in the civic community to be a sign of a well-functioning county government which was enforcing its Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance, a law enacted in 1973 that requires the Planning Board to find there is adequate roads, transit and school capacity to serve a new development before approving the project.

The county growth policy is reexamined every two years, in odd-numbered years. And on June 22 the Planning Board held a public hearing on proposed changes to the growth policy being recommended by the Planning Department staff. It was at this hearing that I first heard a phrase that was new to me.

A land use lawyer who represents development industry clients stated the moratorium would "damage Montgomery County 's national reputation" as a place that is friendly to business, and restrain the ability of the county government to attract new companies to locate here. This seemed to me to be an odd claim, since the moratorium in the Clarksburg , Seneca Valley and Bethesda-Chevy Chase school cluster areas only prevents approval of new residential projects. Commercial projects containing office and retail space can still be approved and built. And residential projects that have already received approval can also still be built.

A week or so later, I heard a high-ranking county official assert that a way must be found to lift the moratorium, as it will "damage the national reputation of the county" and impact the government's ability to attract new business to Montgomery County. Again, this seemed to me to be an odd claim, since I thought businesses might view the moratorium favorably as a firm commitment on the part of the county to providing adequate school facilities to their employees' children, should the companies move here.

Then, just last week I had a conversation with a realtor who handles single-unit home sales in my neighborhood, not commercial properties or undeveloped acreage. And I asked what they thought of the moratorium on new residential project approvals that now affects three of the twenty-five school clusters in the county. Again I heard the now familiar claim that "it will damage the county's national reputation" as a place that is welcoming of new businesses. I wondered how a temporary halt in approval of new residential projects, which affects a total land area less than one-eighth of the county in size, could possibly be a deal breaker for companies looking to locate here.

There are commercial development projects located throughout the county that are already approved but unbuilt, totaling four million square feet of space. Any company looking to move here has a long list of options to choose from--location, building size, price, and even the developer--all for approved projects ready to be built. The only thing I could see which might prevent businesses from locating here is, in fact, the county's national reputation.

If companies are thinking of locating to Montgomery County , the government will guarantee their employees' property taxes will increase ten percent each year, doubling every eight-and-a-half years.

The county is home to some of the worst traffic congestion in the nation which, coupled with inadequate public transit and ever increasing levels of planned growth, is guaranteed to get worse with each passing year.

Montgomery County has one of the widest income disparities in the U.S. At the same time the county ranks near the highest per capita income nationally, 25.8% of our public school students qualify for free or reduced-cost lunches based on low household income.

And Montgomery can boast of poor water quality in several stream watersheds, with perhaps the most serious offense requiring signs posted along Rock Creek near the Gude Landfill cautioning children and pets not to wade in the polluted water.

But the county getting a bad reputation for strict enforcement of a law requiring there be adequate school capacity to accommodate new housing projects before they can be approved...I just don't see it.

The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect formal positions adopted by the Federation. To submit an 800-1000 word column for consideration, send as an email attachment to theelms518@earthlink.net

One credit card cut up! Thousands to go!

Unlike Montgomery County Public Schools where eating out on the MCPS procurement card is a perk that goes with the job, Montgomery County's Planning Director Rollin Stanley has been ordered to turn over his agency credit card. The Washington Post's Miranda Spivack reports.

Montgomery County's planning director Rollin Stanley has been ordered to turn in his agency credit card and has paid back about $600 for meals and other expenses auditors said were wrongly charged to the agency, officials said. Stanley also reimbursed the agency for about $600 in personal cellphone calls....

Amazing! If Mr. Stanley worked for MCPS he would have just been called an "administrator" and he would have simply been one of 1,400 employees able to charge the taxpayers!

...Stanley, 51, who joined the Montgomery planning agency 18 months ago, said he is being singled out for special scrutiny and is "frustrated" by the probe....

True enough. In MCPS using a procurement card for restaurant meals, gifts for a co-worker or candy for staff is considered part of the job and no audit will change that, even if those uses were prohibited by MCPS policy in place at the time.

..."If I am accountable for something, it is that I haven't been giving them [detailed] receipts and I owe them $11 for a beer I bought for a guy who had worked for 38 years and retired," he said. He said he had never been audited to this extent in previous jobs...

Not turning in receipts and logs? The Maryland Office of Legislative Audits discovered those issues at MCPS. But MCPS didn't take any action on that issue.

...Acting Montgomery Planning Board vice chair Jean Cryor, who also sits on the bi-county commission's audit committee, said she thought the audit would help the Montgomery agency improve internal practices. "An audit is done to find the challenges and procedures that aren't followed as well as they should be . . . to find how we can do better with taxpayers' money."...

Don't worry Delegate Cryor, the next generation knows better! Just take a look at what the Whitman High School students wrote about MCPS' credit card usage here!

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.