Germantown
A Thriving Greenbelt Community
More than three decades since it was first conceived as a new town, Germantown now features six residential villages with their own schools, Village Center, Town Center, and a growing employment corridor. Montgomery College, the BlackRock Center for the Arts, a new library, and a greenbelt of parks also help create a quality place for Germantown residents.
Planners began updating the 1989 Germantown Master Plan in 2006, focusing on about 2,400 acres of Germantown near I-270 and the future Corridor Cities Transitway. Outside that area, the existing master plan will remain in effect. Learn more specifics about the plan in progress. We encourage residents, property owners and others to join us in the process.
The update to the 1989 Germantown Master Plan focuses on a new vision for the Town Center of this upcounty community, including:
- Strengthening Germantown as a county employment hub
- Visualizing a series of neighborhoods connected by the proposed Corridor Cities Transitway
- Establishing Germantown as the cultural center of northern Montgomery County
- Creating the main downtown for northern Montgomery County
- Creating neighborhoods with a mix of housing, retail and public space with access to transit
- Encouraging high-quality design
Download the Planning Board draft of the Germantown Sector Plan (February 2009):
- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3
- Part 4
- Part 5 (pdf, 888KB)
- Appendices
- Design Guidelines (updated - May 2009)
- Request a copy on CD-ROM.
See the Calendar of Germantown Forward for upcoming worksessions and any other upcoming events.
Envision the Future
See Germantown’s future Town Center in this 
3-D video as envisioned by the 2009 Sector Plan. Looking at the westside of I-270, this movie illustrates the Sector Plan’s allowed density.
As envisioned in the Planning Board draft of the Germantown Sector Plan, the Town Center will be transformed from a one- and two-story place into a high rise urban center clustered around the future transit station.
View a slide show highlighting recommendations in the Planning Board draft of the Germantown Sector Plan.
Background
The Germantown Citizen Forum, held May 31, 2006, kicked off the revision of the 1989 Germantown Master Plan. A panel of community leaders led residents, business and government representatives in discussing Germantown issues and their desires for its future. In December 2006, the Planning Board appointed a Community Advisory Committee to guide staff in developing the draft plan. Germantown Forward includes a calendar of meetings, the results of work to date, and more.
Timeline
- 2009
The new Sector Plan, covering the area of the Germantown Master Plan near the future Corridor Cities Transitway, proposes to emphasize growth and development of Germantown’s Transit/Employment Corridor to boost the community’s economic base, enhance the Town Center, and help residents find jobs closer to home. The parts of the 1989 Plan outside of the Sector Plan boundary remain in effect. - 1989
The revised Germantown Master Plan refines the vision of the town, which grew to about 35,000 residents. As common for new towns, the residential section of Germantown grew much faster than the employment portion. Thus, the originally planned residential areas of the community are nearing capacity, while the planned employment lags. - 1974
The Germantown Master Plan provides the blueprint for a new town, one of several Corridor Cities proposed along I-270 - 1970
Germantown continues to be identified as a farming town with a population of about 2,000 - 1964
Germantown identified as one of the I-270 Corridor Cities in the General Plan
Germantown projects and development activity
- Proposed projects
- Projects approved by the Planning Board
The Master Plan Process
Planners develop master and sector plans to create a framework for each community designed to last 15 to 20 years. Those visions help planners and policymakers – such as the Planning Board and County Council – make policy and decide on proposed development. Each plan includes an inventory of land uses and an analysis of zoning, transportation, community facilities, environmental assets, and historic structures, among many other elements.
Created nearly 40 years ago, Montgomery County’s General Plan defined the land use concept "Wedges and Corridors,” a regional plan that envisioned growth corridors radiating from Washington, D.C., like the spokes of a wheel. In between each spoke, wedges of open space, farmland, and residential areas prevail. Areas served by transit – such as Germantown with the proposed Corridor Cities Transitway – provide opportunities for vibrant, compact, walkable communities.
M-NCPPC Staff Contact
Sue Edwards, Germantown Planner and I-270 Team Leader
Sue.Edwards@mncppc-mc.org
301-495-4518
Date of last update: January 19, 2010
Montgomery County Planning Department