Resident's Guide to Site Plan Review Process in Montgomery County

This brochure, one of a series, introduces you to the concept of site plan review process and how it is used in Montgomery County, Maryland. The Montgomery County Planning Board of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission invites residents to participate in the planning process, which includes the site plan review process.

In this brochure, you will learn:

Montgomery County Land Use Control Process
Overview of the Process
Effective Participation

Montgomery County Land Use Control Process

The site plan review process is the last step in the County's land use control process prior to recording plats and the issuance of construction permits. Certain development applications, as specified in the Zoning Ordinance, require site plan review.

A site plan is a land use plan showing all elements of a proposed development. The review process determines whether each structure and use is compatible with existing and proposed adjacent development.

A site plan may include the following elements:

• Natural features such as topography, vegetation, flood plains, wetlands and waterways
  
• Development details such as buildings, public spaces, vehicular circulation, parking areas, pathways, recreation/open space, landscaping and lighting
  
• Development program identifying the phases of construction

Overview of the Process

• Staff Evaluation
• The Planning Board public hearing

INITIAL FILLING
The process begins when an applicant files a site plan. The site plan will likely be based on an approved preliminary plan of subdivision or a project plan.

Prior to filing a site plan, the applicant must receive approval of a stormwater management concept plan by the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services and approval of a natural resources inventory by the Department of Park and Planning.

inventory by the Department of Park and Planning.

PUBLIC NOTICE
An applicant must send a written notice about the requested site plan and a copy of the plan to adjacent and confronting property owners.

The Development Review Division of the Department of Park and Planning sends a written notice and a copy of the proposed plan to appropriate citizens associations and homeowners associations that are listed with the Planning Board.

STAFF EVALUATION
A staff member of the Development Review Division is assigned to analyze, evaluate and coordinate the review of the proposed site plan.

The staff member receives input from the Department's environmental, community- based planning, and transportation staffs, and the Development Review Committee (DRC). The DRC is an interagency task force composed of representatives from public agencies and utilities such as WSSC, PEPCO, the State Highway Administration, and the County Departments of Permitting Services, Environmental Protection, and Public Works and Transportation. The DRC meets in regularly scheduled sessions that are open to the public but are not public hearings.

Upon request, staff will meet with community representatives to discuss relevant issues. To schedule a meeting concerning a site plan, please contact the Development Review Division at 301-495-4595.

The assigned staff member prepares recommendations that are presented to the Planning Board as part of the public hearing on the proposed site plan.

PUBLIC HEARING
The Development Review Division mails notice of the date of the public hearing to all persons and associations who received the original notice, as well as other parties who have so requested in writing. The Planning Board's public hearing includes the staff presentation, the applicant's case, testimony from affected property owners and citizen associations, and other interested individuals or groups.

Planning Board members may not discuss any issue about a proposed site plan outside of the public hearing.

The Planning Board may approve, approve with conditions or deny a site plan.

Effective Participation

COMMUNITY COORDINATION
You should contact your neighbors and your area citizens association. Discussion of mutual problems, concerns, and issues involved with a proposed site plan is a basic first step. Informal community meetings are a good way to reach agreement, to assign tasks, and to coordinate a response to a site plan.

Meeting with the applicant is encouraged to discuss the proposed site plan to provide basic information and to clarify issues.

STAFF ASSISTANCE
You may call the Development Review Division's Information Office at 301 -495-461 0 to learn how the process works, the timing of staff evaluation, and the proposed date of the Planning Board's public hearing.

For a more detailed discussion of issues related to the proposed site plan, you can contact the staff member assigned to review the case at 301-495-4595. When calling, please refer to the site plan application number.

RESPONSE TO A PROPOSED PLAN
Normally, an applicant for site plan approval will respond to staff's evaluation or issues raised by the DRC by submitting a revised site plan.

If the staff reviewer decides that the proposed revisions are significant, the applicant may be directed to send copies of the revised plan to the same adjacent and confronting property owners and citizens associations that received copies of the original plan.

Interested persons may contact the Information Office at 301-495-461 0 to periodically check on the status of the staff evaluation and on whether an applicant has filed a revised plan. Comments, questions, and issues related to a revised plan can be submitted in writing-or may be personally brought to the attention of the staff reviewer.

Individuals, residents and associations can and should submit written comments reflecting their issues and views on the original site plan and all revised plans to:

M-NCPPC
Development Review Division
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910--3760

Making your views known to the staff and Planning Board in writing is a basic and essential way to effectively participate in the process.

The written comments received from individuals, residents and associations will be distributed to the Planning Board prior to the public hearing.

RELEVANT ISSUES
The issues and decisions in the site plan approval process do not relate to whether a particular property can be developed, because the land in question is already in the appropriate zoning classification.

Among the relevant issues that could be the subject of written comments are:

• Compatibility of the proposed site plan with existing and proposed adjacent development
  
• The environmental effects of the proposed site plan
  
• Vehicular access and circulation
  
• Conformance to development standards, such as setbacks, height, bulk and scale
  
• Master plan recommendations and guidelines for the site
• Adequacy of open space, recreation and conservation areas
  

Effective citizen partcipation in the site plan review process requires a continuous
that involves time and initiative.

For more detailed information about the site plan approval process and the County's land use control procedures and requirements, please refer to Division 59-D-3 of the Montgomery County Zoning Ordinance which is available on the Montgomery County Website: www.amlegal.com.

Assistance in developing and presenting relevant issues that reflect the viewpoint of the neighborhood in which the requested site plan is located is available through:

The Office of the People's Counsel
Stella B. Werner Council Office Building
1 00 Maryland Avenue, Room 226
Rockville, Maryland 20850
240-777-9700

> Contact Development Review

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