Montgomery County
Planning Department
2425 Reedie Drive, 14th Floor
Wheaton, MD 20902
Planning Department
2425 Reedie Drive, 14th Floor
Wheaton, MD 20902
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Ready to Move Forward?
The MM2 | Moving Forward Montgomery conference was quite successful with more than 300 planners, residents and students in attendance over the three-day event May 8-10, 2014. In case you missed any of the presentations, review the library of presentations below. Questions, comments? Contact Jason Sartori.
Check out the short video recap of the MM2 | Moving Forward Montgomery conference produced by the Montgomery County Planning Department.
Slideshow
View the photo set on our Flickr page.
Moving Forward!
Check out the Montgomery Planning Department's sixty-second promo about how we are ready to move Montgomery County forward.
Conference Presentations
Review any of the presentations from our MM2 speakers below.
View the full agenda (pdf, 6MB) of MM2 including the agenda, speaker bios and more. All recordings of the presentations can be found here.
2014 Conference Themes:
- Transportation and TOD
- Creative Use of Public Assets/Public-Private Partnerships
- Current Planning Trends
Keynote Address delivered by Ellen Dunham-Jones
Raising the Bar on Suburban Retrofits
Conventional suburban property types such as malls, big box stores, office parks and commercial strip corridors were designed for an automobile-oriented lifestyle. As they age, they provide great opportunities to be retrofitted into healthier, more sustainable places. Award-winning architect, professor, and coordinator of the M.S. in Urban Design at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Ellen Dunham-Jones will share her ongoing research into over 800 successful case studies where such sites have been reinhabited with more community-serving uses, redeveloped into walkable, transit-served urban places, or regreened into parks and reconstructed wetlands that better meet the 21st century challenges facing today's suburbs.
Ellen Dunham-Jones Georgia Institute of Technology
Audio and other resources here
Friday, May 9th - Welcome and Kick-off:
| Gwen Wright Montgomery County Planning Department |
| Gerrit Knaap, Ph.D. National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education |
The Missing Metric Although use-based zoning is widely employed across the United States and Canada to regulate development and manage its impacts, its effectiveness often comes at the of the municipality's bottom line. With local governments still reeling from the recent recession, some are looking for ways to systematically evaluate the anticipated fiscal performance of proposed developments when they are considered for approval. Attendees of this session will learn groundbreaking techniques, suggesting a new way for municipalities to proactively manage and grow their tax base. |
Friday, May 9th - Breakout Sessions:
Transportation Demand ManagementTransportation demand management is a term for strategies that result in more efficient use of transportation resources. TDM strategies can include improving transportation options, incentives for alternate travel modes, parking and land use management and legislative reforms. This session will explore many cost-effective strategies to accommodate transportation demand, best practices and what happens if the demand is not met. Case studies from Arlington County, VA; White Flint, MD; and Tysons, VA will provide insight into transportation profiles of corridors and neighborhoods. Attendees will also learn key incentives for multi-family and commercial building levels through employers and directly to residents to make it easy for everyone to travel without driving alone. |
Developing Public/Private Partnerships to Redevelop Parks, Recreation and Open SpacePublic/Private partnerships or P3 are unique opportunities in which government entities and private business come together to provide public projects. In this session, attendees will learn that laying the framework for a county-wide park system can achieve park planning goals as well as lay a foundation to meet unanticipated emerging needs of its citizenry, environment and development. This session will include two case studies; both are redevelopments of properties, but one suburban and one urban. The session will focus on leading project managers through park planning, design, overcoming obstacles and lessons learned from P3. The Role of Public and other Protected Green Space in Planning for Healthier Communities: A Countywide Perspective Potomac Yard Park: An Interpretive Park Connecting Places, People, and History Audio of all presenters |
Balancing the Environment and Economic DevelopmentWith a series of changes to our environment due to climate change, our technology for land development and home building, demographic influences from the Millennials, and foreign-born populations, and with a new emphasis on comprehensive place-making with mixed-use development and shared public spaces, flexibility and alternative design tools may be in need. This session will discuss considerations in alternative planning tools to accommodate the shifting factors of our environment, assure flexibility, remove unnecessary legal obstacles and encourage new investment where it can balance communities, generate revenue for the jurisdiction and reduce service costs, while minimizing and improving environmental impacts.Moderator: S. Robert Kaufman Speakers and Presentations:
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Transit-Oriented DevelopmentTransit-oriented development is a mixed-use area designed to maximize access to public transport, often incorporating elements to encourage transit ridership. A typical TOD is centered with a transit station, surrounded by high-density, mixed use development. Attendees will examine the following examples of TOD development in the Metro Area: 1) a review of how existing TOD efforts in Montgomery County compare to international best-practices, and how future TODs in the County can be improved. The discussion will focus on ITDP's new TOD Standard, a tool for evaluating how effectively the land use and built form of new developments support, facilitate and prioritize the use of public transport, walking and cycling; 2) a case study in Prince George's County, MD will examine the goals and visions of transit development district, and how suburban jurisdictions can learn about multidisciplinary approach to transportation planning; and 3) a TOD transportation policy discussion, and a case review of how standard traffic projections associated with TODs are not well predicted by traditionally prescribed traffic forecasting models such as ITE. Speakers and Presentations: |
Integrating Federal Facilities and Local CommunitiesMontgomery County is home to numerous federal facilities. Often developed as large, self-contained campuses, these sites present both challenges and opportunities for communities seeking to create connected, sustainable, and mixed-use communities. Attendees of this session will learn how NCPC review process can bring together federal and local planners; how to leverage federal development to meet community and economic development goals; reconciling local needs with national missions, security and access, and balancing self-contained worksites with connected communities; community engagement and how new technologies and workplace practices reshape the federal facilities and communities. Audio of all presenters |
Financing and Incentivizing Sustainability PrioritiesUnless government can raise on its own all of the revenues necessary to design, construct and maintain all the public infrastructure required to support future smart growth development, the private sector will be a necessary party to implement smart growth principles and create the quality communities of the future. This session will discuss the cost-benefit disconnect as a hurdle in achieving smart growth, as well as address financing options for sustainable economic development, innovative public-private partnerships, and using incentives as a way to kick-start investments in smart growth and sustainability priorities. Panelists and attendees will address using multiple forms of financing tools for affordable housing, transit, infill development and/or reuse of commercial suburban properties, and dialogue to seek new, innovative public policy solutions to overcome the financial impediments to smart growth.
Audio of all presenters |
Getting it Right: Parking in Mixed Use EnvironmentsParking. It's everywhere. In garages (above and below a structure), in a driveway, parallel to a street, or in a parking lot. But what to do with parking? How do we make it right and adjust to the changing urban form that once was suburbia? Attendees of this session will discuss three topic areas of parking in the shifting development standards: right-sized parking and the policy implications of building intensity, street walkability, transit access, and rental property strategies (such as charging parking fees); the role of curbside management in place-making; and, finding the right amount of parking for today's environment, while preparing for a future where less parking is needed. Speakers and Presentations: Audio of all presenters |
Suburbs Redefined: Local Case Studies in RedevelopmentIn cases of redevelopment and revitalization, public/private partnerships are gaining momentum in Montgomery County. Whether the consolidation of lands by a government with private development or corridor planning, finding a redevelopment identity presents a challenge in suburbs that are redefining themselves as higher-density, multi-functioning "towns." Session attendees will learn about two local redevelopment sites within Montgomery County, the positive attributes and solutions in property assemblage, corridor redevelopment and overcoming of deficits in community facilities to support reinvestment in the suburbs. Speakers and Presentations: Audio of all presenters |
Sustaining the Built Environment: Lessons Learned, Continued Opportunities and Useful Planning ToolsSustainable development meets the present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. As communities continue to struggle to create and sustain compact, human-scale, walkable communities that connect transit, diversify uses and services, provide multiple housing choices, and integrate open space, common space and sustainable architecture, several techniques have evolved to define and measure sustainable urbanism. Attendees of this session will discuss the many components of designing sustainable developments, including identifying opportunities to create sustainable communities from suburban form and integrating design techniques of the built environment that encompass transit accessibility, affordable housing and public spaces. Speakers and Presentations: Audio of all presenters |
The Intrinsic Connection: Land Use, Transportation, and Getting the Right Balance of RedevelopmentFor over a decade, the intrinsic link between transportation and land use has been at the forefront for the argument for sustainable development, and bringing back the investment to the urban cores and suburban corridors. In this session, attendees will learn about three different approaches intended for the revitalization of and reinvestment in suburban corridors and urban cores that have been used as a catalyst for redevelopment to support future transportation and economic development. Speakers and Presentations: Audio of all presenters |
Redefining Public/Private Partnerships: What Works, What Hasn't and Who ParticipatesIn this session, participants will have candid discussions regarding P3s: what works and is successful, and what things have P3 partners across the country wished they had handled differently? Participants will also consider reexamining and redefining the make-up of P3s to create effective suburban and urban transformations and navigate the shift towards sustainable redevelopment. Speakers and Presentations: Audio of all presenters |
Placemaking through Art, Open Space and Asset MappingPlacemaking is an overarching idea and a hands-on tool to improve a neighborhood, city or region. How can the transformation of suburban communities be successful and accepted without the economic, social and environmental benefits of lively urban open space? How can thematic mapping of under-utilized spaces, crowd-sourcing and identification of local cultural assets, help to increase the sense of place? And how does public art connect communities, support placemaking, and encourage economic development? Attendees of this session will discuss the many tools that can be used to implement placemaking and strengthen suburban communities and contribute to the creative, lively and sustainable use of public spaces. Speakers and Presentations: Audio of all presenters |
Saturday, May 10th - Breakout Sessions:
Bus Rapid Transit from Concept to ImplementationBus Rapid Transit or BRT is a high-capacity, lower cost public transit solution that can significantly improve urban mobility. This session will compare and contrast Montgomery County's newly adopted BRT with that of Arlington/Alexandria, Virginia, highlight the nexus between land use and transportation, and review the critical analysis needed to develop BRT from concept to delivery and the tools to complement and improve its development. Speakers and Presentations: Audio of all presenters |
Civic Buildings. Civic AmenitiesAs the paradigm switches from suburban to urban and the landscape around transit centers changes from low-density to a mixed-use hub of activity and development, what are the challenges facing civic buildings and amenities? How do governments cope with the change in demands and provide essential civic spaces such as libraries and schools? This session will explore the redevelopment of the Silver Spring Library in coordination with the Purple Line, the partnership created to provide additional affordable housing in a transit district, as well as impediments to compact, efficient urban schools (and the challenges that occur when siting them). Speakers and Presentations: Audio of all presenters |
Good Food. Good Health. Great CommunitiesUrban agriculture. Healthy communities. Food access. Much like creating walkable, transit-oriented communities, providing access to good food is increasingly considered essential to building healthy, sustainable communities. Session participants will learn how a "farm to table strategy" and other planning interventions can increase healthy food access in a range of communities. The session will also explore efforts to support the development of a food distribution hub for small table crop farmers and a culinary incubator for encouraging the establishment of local food-related business. Speakers and Presentations: Audio of all presenters |
Transit Corridors and TOD Tools of the TradeBus Rapid Transit. Purple Line. Transit-Oriented Development. With the rise of multi-modal transportation, what tools are available to assess and promote TOD development within the change character of America's suburbs? Can a traditional, centralized TOD node system work with BRT or light rail? This session will discuss the tools available for those interested in development near transit stations and other strategies to promote TODs; how the role of a transit corridor and inventive stations can play in economic revitalization and physical restructuring of suburban development; and how a corridor approach to TOD planning may better address diverse interests of communities and people along the transit line. Speakers and Presentations: Audio of all presenters |
P3s and Affordable Housing: Implementing Mixed-Income NeighborhoodsAffordable housing is a complex balancing act. From finance, partnerships, land acquisition, community engagement, and design, to opportunities and challenges, affordable housing is an essential component as redevelopment and revitalization occurs around the Metro-D.C. area. This session will discuss how working together through public/private partnerships and identifying mechanisms to achieve mixed-income redevelopment, financing arrangements and progressive design standards, can help attain affordable housing goals. Speakers and Presentations: Audio of all presenters |
Effectively Engaging CommunitiesHow do public agencies effectively reach the many community stakeholders? How are stakeholder concerns, ideas and input incorporated into the planning process? How do we improve communications and engagement of the immigrant and established ethnic residents? This session will discuss recent planning projects that effectively engaged stakeholders through non-tradition outreach methods. Speakers and Presentations: Audio of all presenters |
Conference Closing Presentation:
Moving Forward Montgomery: The Implementation of Montgomery County's Zoning CodeSince the first Makeover Montgomery conference in 2011, the County has made great strides to update a zoning code that what was once called antiquated, to a new, transformative zoning ordinance adopted by the Montgomery County Council in March, 2014. As we move forward in Montgomery County, we will discuss how the new ordinance is structured to implement sustainable growth principles and improve development's quality.Françoise Carrier, Chair, Montgomery County Planning Board Audio Slides |
Audio of all presenters |
Last updated: July 28, 2014