Growth Policy
What makes a community a great place to live? How should Montgomery County grow?
Many Montgomery County residents would list hassle-free roads and uncrowded schools. Others also might mention convenient mass transit and rapid response times from public safety agencies.
Montgomery County’s Growth Policy guides the timing of development and the provision of adequate public services. The growth policy implements a 1973 law, the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance, which directs development to areas where public services are in place. In 2010, the County Council changed the name of the Growth Policy to the Subdiivision Staging Policy.
The Montgomery County Planning Board helps ensure basic amenities for both current – and future – residents. The Growth Policy presents guidelines that govern where new development takes place, matching growth to the availability of public services like transportation and schools.
The 2009-2011 Growth Policy focused on rethinking how we manage growth, looking at ways to enhance quality of place in our communities. Called Growing Smarter, the report calls for respecting the natural environment in the design of buildings, spaces and streets to create great places with better connections.
Planners have begun work preparing for the 2012 Subdivision Staging Policy.
M-NCPPC Staff Contact
Mary Dolan, Acting Chief, Functional Planning and Policy
301-495-4552
Mary.Dolan@montgomeryplanning.org
Date of last update: January 4, 2012
Montgomery County Planning Department
8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910
www.montgomeryplanning.org