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2012 Subdivision Staging Policy

How should Montgomery County grow while maintaining its desirable quality of life?

Planners have begun work on the 2012 Subdivision Staging Policy, which will ensure that transportation and school capacity — as well as water and sewer and other infrastructure — keeps pace with growth.

This quadrennial policy includes criteria and guidance for the administration of the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO), which matches the timing of private development with the availability of public services.

Formerly called the countywide Growth Policy, the Subdivision Staging Policy will evaluate strategies designed to balance the impact of growth on the county infrastructure. Developers are required to pass transportation and school tests based on predicted number of residents and/or vehicle trips.

Planners explain the Transportation Policy Area Review test in this excerpt from our Montgomery Plans cable show.

Transportation Tests

Transportation tests in the Subdivision Staging Policy balance the number of trips against the transportation infrastructure – transit, roads and pedestrian/cycling routes.

Transportation Policy Area Review (TPAR)

This strategy, which is anticipated to debut in 2012, measures the impacts of development on traffic flow and transit capacity in the county’s 30 traffic policy areas. TPAR will establish standards for adequate traffic and transit as well as implement a monitoring and reporting mechanism to ensure that required transportation improvements take place.

TPAR sets standards for transportation adequacy in each policy area, which is categorized as urban, suburban or rural. If proposed development exceeds road or transit capacity, road or transit improvements must be approved in the Operating Budget or Capital Improvements Program (CIP) to meet the 10-year forecast of development activity. Transportation improvements must dovetail with what is detailed in county master plans.

View the latest draft (pdf, 12MB) of the 2012 Transportation Policy Area Review (TPAR) report.

TPAR report cover TPAR Project Schedule

Upcoming
  • May 3, 2012: TPAR worksession
  • May 10, 2012: TPAR worksession
  • May 20, 2012: Deliver Planning Board draft of TPAR to the County Council
Past
  • April 19, 2012: Planning Board public hearing
  • April 9, 2012: Presentation to stakeholders
    View the presentation (16 MB)
  • April 5, 2012: Staff presented the draft TPAR report to the Planning Board
  • March 8, 2012: Staff presented a status report to the Planning Board.

Local Area Transportation Review (LATR)

A localized test, the Local Area Transportation Review (LATR) is used by planners reviewing applications to determine whether to require a traffic study. The Planning Board will only approve a subdivision if the LATR test finds the project, (including transportation improvements, if necessary) will not create unacceptable congestion.

School Capacity

School adequacy is determined for each school level:  elementary, middle and high, based on school population projections provided by Montgomery County Public Schools. If projected school enrollment at any level exceeds 105 percent of projected school capacity, residential development within the affected school cluster will be required to make a school facility payment.

Subdivision Staging Policy Project Schedule

Upcoming
  • May/June 2012: Staff to present preliminary recommendations to the Planning Board
  • June 14, 2012: Staff to present draft to the Planning Board
  • July 2012: Planning Board to hold public hearing and worksessions
Past
  • April 19, 2012: Planners presented an introduction of the Subdivision Staging Policy to the Planning Board
  • June 2012: Planners to present draft Subdivision Staging Policy to the Planning Board
  • August 2012: Planning Board to transmit Subdivision Staging Policy to the County Council
  • November 2012: County Council to approve final Subdivision Staging Policy

M-NCPPC Staff Contact

Mary Dolan, Chief, Functional Planning and Policy
301-495-4552
Mary.Dolan@montgomeryplanning.org

Date of last update: May 23, 2012