Planning Board Holds Work Session on Proposed Changes to the Master Plan of Highways & Transitways; Public Hearing Tentatively Scheduled for February 2018
The Montgomery County Planning Board held a work session on December 21 to receive the Planning Department’s recommended changes under the continuing comprehensive rewrite of the County’s Master Plan of Highways and Transitways. In addition to road classification changes, the working draft will include the vision, goals, history and purpose of the plan, improved online tools and resources to improve the ease of use and clarity of the plan for the public, and enhancement of the plan to be more consistent and compliant with the Montgomery County Code.
During the work session, Project Manager Stephen Aldrich noted that the staff’s originally proposed reclassification of Brookville Road had been removed from the list of proposed changes due to significant objection from the community. Included in these objections was a letter submitted in mid-October by the Village Board of Managers. The letter also included objection to inclusion of Grafton Street—a municipally-controlled roadway within the Village over which the county has no control or oversight—within the list of reclassifications and this recommendation was also removed by the Planning Staff prior to submission to the Planning Board.
At the conclusion of the work session, the Planning Board unanimously authorized scheduling of a Public Hearing and 30-day comment period. The Planning Staff expects the Public Hearing to be scheduled for February 2018 (specific date TBD). The Planning Board intends to transmit its final recommendations to the County Executive and County Council by April 2018.
For more information regarding this project, visit: http://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/transportation/highway-planning/master-plan-of-highways-and-transitways/
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Recommendations to the Master Plan of Highways & Transitways
Goes to the Planning Board
The Montgomery Planning Department is continuing its comprehensive rewrite of the County’s Master Plan of Highways and Transitways. In addition to road classification changes, the working draft will include the vision, goals, history and purpose of the plan, improved online tools and resources to improve the ease of use and clarity of the plan for the public, and enhancement of the plan to be more consistent and compliant with the Montgomery County Code.
Initially, the Planning Staff proposed reclassification of roadways within and abutting the Village, namely, Brookville Road, Grafton Street and Western Avenue. In mid-October, the Village submitted a letter to the Planning Board objecting to the proposed reclassifications of Brookville Road and Grafton Street. The Planning Staff has confirmed that the originally proposed reclassifications of Brookville Road and Grafton Street have been removed from the staff’s list of recommendations that will be transmitted to the Planning Board. This means that Brookville Road would remain in the MPOHT as a “primary residential” roadway and Grafton Street will not be referenced within the plan at all.
The Planning Staff will present its working draft recommendations to the Planning Board during a work session (public comment will not be permitted at this meeting) on Thursday, December 21 (note new date). The staff’s final report will be posted to the Planning Department’s website one week prior to the work session. Once an initial slate of proposed changes is approved by the Planning Board, a 30-day comment period will be advertised with a Public Hearing scheduled for February 2018 (specific date TBD). The Planning Board intends to transmit its final recommendations to the County Executive and County Council by April 2018.
For more information regarding this project, visit: http://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/transportation/highway-planning/master-plan-of-highways-and-transitways/
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Village Board Submits Comments Regarding Reclassification of
Local Roadways
For several weeks, the Village has been reporting on the Planning Department’s efforts to comprehensively rewrite the County’s Master Plan of Highways and Transitways. This effort included the Planning Staff’s original proposal to reclassify roadways within and abutting the Village, namely, Brookville Road, Grafton Street and Western Avenue.
The Village submitted a letter (link below) in mid-October to the Planning Board objecting to the proposed reclassifications of Brookville Road and Grafton Street. Prior to doing so, Village staff along with residents from the Village and neighboring municipalities along Brookville Road communicated concerns and objections regarding the proposed reclassifications. The Planning Staff has confirmed that the originally proposed reclassifications of Brookville Road and Grafton Street have been removed from the staff’s list of recommendations. This means that Brookville Road would remain in the MPOHT as a “primary residential” roadway and Grafton Street will not be referenced within the plan at all.
The Planning Staff will present its recommendations to the Planning Board during a work session (public comment will not be permitted at this meeting) on December 7 (a second work session has been tentatively scheduled for December 21, if needed). The staff’s final report will be posted to the Planning Department’s website one week prior to the work session. Once an initial slate of proposed changes is approved by the Planning Board, a 30-day comment period will be advertised with a Public Hearing scheduled for February 2018 (specific date TBD).
LINK TO VILLAGE BOARD LETTER
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Village Board Submits Comments Regarding Reclassification of Local Roadways
For several weeks, the Village has been reporting on the Planning Department’s efforts to comprehensively rewrite the County’s Master Plan of Highways and Transitways. This effort included the Planning Staff’s original proposal to reclassify roadways within and abutting the Village, namely, Brookville Road, Grafton Street and Western Avenue.
The Village submitted a letter (link below) in mid-October to the Planning Board objecting to the proposed reclassifications of Brookville Road and Grafton Street. Prior to doing so, Village staff along with residents from the Village and neighboring municipalities along Brookville Road communicated concerns and objections regarding the proposed reclassifications. The Planning Staff has confirmed that the originally proposed reclassifications of Brookville Road and Grafton Street have been removed from the staff’s list of recommendations. This means that Brookville Road would remain in the MPOHT as a “primary residential” roadway and Grafton Street will not be referenced within the plan at all.
Nonetheless, it is still important for Village residents to submit comments regarding the original list of recommendations/reclassifications. Although the Planning Staff will present their amended list of reclassifications, the Planning Board will have access to the original recommendations and they can opt to add these changes back in if members determine that there are compelling reasons to do so.
Public comments on the staff’s original recommendations are being accepted through October 27, 2017. Residents can submit comments directly through the interactive map on the Montgomery Planning website at: http://www.mcatlas.org/mpohtcomments/ or by mail to:
Montgomery County Planning Board
c/o Mr. Casey Anderson, Board Chair
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
The Planning Staff will present its recommendations to the Planning Board during a work session (public comment will not be permitted at this meeting) on December 7 (a second work session has been tentatively scheduled for December 21, if needed). The staff’s final report will be posted to the Planning Department’s website one week prior to the work session. Once an initial slate of proposed changes is approved by the Planning Board, a 30-day comment period will be advertised with a Public Hearing scheduled for February 2018 (specific date TBD).
LINK TO VILLAGE BOARD LETTER
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Revisions to the County’s Master Plan of
Highways & Transitways
Proposed Reclassifications of Local Roadways
UPDATE: Please CLICK HERE to view an update from Village Staff regarding the comprehensive re-write of the County’s Master Plan of Highways and Transitways.
Final Public Outreach Meeting
- October 10: Marilyn J. Praisner Library, Small Room, 14910 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville
Informational Website
Below is a link to the website that has been created regarding the proposed changes:
http://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/transportation/highway-planning/master-plan-of-highways-and-transitways/
How to Submit Comments
Comments are being accepted through October 27, 2017. Residents can submit comments directly through the interactive map on the Montgomery Planning website at:
http://www.mcatlas.org/mpohtcomments/ or by mail to:
Montgomery County Planning Board
c/o Mr. Casey Anderson, Board Chair
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910
The Planning Staff will present its recommendations to the Planning Board in December (date TBD).
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Update Regarding Revisions to the County’s Master Plan of Highways & Transitways
Proposed Reclassifications of Local Roadways
Village staff attended Wednesday evening’s public outreach meeting hosted by the Montgomery Planning Staff regarding the comprehensive re-write of the County’s Master Plan of Highways and Transitways. The meeting was attended by approximately 30 citizens, approximately 10 of which were residents of the Village. The Planning Staff’s presentation can be found at the following link by scrolling down to “Briefing Book”:
http://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/transportation/highway-planning/master-plan-of-highways-and-transitways/
As reported in last week’s blast email, the primary local roadway of concern under the proposed revisions is the proposed reclassification of Brookville Road from a “primary residential” roadway to a “minor arterial”. Planning Staff reaffirmed that this proposed change was made to recognize the current use of Brookville Road which their analysis determined that over 50% of the vehicles are using the roadway as a through street. A “minor arterial” is defined as “a two-lane arterial meant nearly equally for through movement of vehicles and access to abutting property”.
Although Wednesday’s meeting was intended to allow Planning Staff to report out on the proposed recommendations, the staff did accept comments and questions from the floor. Most of those in attendance commented regarding Brookville Road and urged that while the roadway may currently be operating as a “minor arterial” as that term is defined, the roadway was not intended or designed nor is it maintained as such. Rather, the roadway is viewed locally as a residential roadway that is being inundated with unintended and unsustainable traffic levels. Additionally, many noted that a larger effort should be made to address why much of the traffic that is using Brookville Road as a bypass to Connecticut Avenue are doing so. The backups at East West Highway and Connecticut Avenue was cited as a primary reason.
Planning Staff did confirm that the Master Plan of Highways & Transitways is not an operational document and does not dictate any prescribed changes that may be made to a roadway. Rather, the county’s Department of Transportation—and in the case of Brookville Road, the State Highway Administration—assess what changes may be needed for a particular roadway regardless of its classification under the Master Plan. Nonetheless, the concern stated by those in attendance at the meeting as well as from residents who have contacted the Village office is that Brookville Road should not be reclassified and efforts should be made to help ease traffic along the roadway rather than classifying the current traffic levels as acceptable in the revised Master Plan.
Village Board Position
The Village Board is preparing a letter that will be sent to the Chair of the Planning Board urging that the “primary residential” classification for Brookville Road be maintained and urging the removal of Grafton Street from the plan’s scope as the roadway does not fall under county oversight or control (the Planning Staff has already acknowledged that Grafton Street was not intended to be added under this effort in the same way that all roadways within the corporate limits of the cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville were left out).
Additional Public Outreach Meetings
There are three remaining Public Outreach Meetings being held across the county, including:
- October 10: Marilyn J. Praisner Library, Small Room, 14910 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville
Informational Website
Below is a link to the website that has been created regarding the proposed changes:
http://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/transportation/highway-planning/master-plan-of-highways-and-transitways/
How to Submit Comments
Comments are being accepted through October 27, 2017. Residents can submit comments directly through the interactive map on the Montgomery Planning website at: http://www.mcatlas.org/mpohtcomments/ or by mail to:
Montgomery County Planning Board
c/o Mr. Casey Anderson, Board Chair
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
The Planning Staff will present its recommendations to the Planning Board in November (date TBD).
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Public Invited to Comment on Revisions to the County’s Master Plan of Highways & Transitways
Proposed Reclassifications of Local Roadways
The Montgomery Planning Department is in the process of updating its Functional Master Plan called the “Master Plan of Highways and Transitways”. This is the first comprehensive update to the plan since 1955. The plan is being updated to incorporate the various Master Plans that have been adopted by the County Council in recent years as well as to reflect the roadway designations pursuant to the county’s “Road Code”, which provides the roadway classifications and corresponding design guidelines (last updated in 2013). Among the 129 proposed changes to the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways are reclassifications to the following roadways in or abutting the Village:
- Brookville Road—reclassification from the existing “primary residential” to “minor arterial
- Grafton Street—classification as a “primary residential”
- Western Avenue—proposed for removal from the plan as it is fully located within the District of Columbia
Changes to the Western Avenue and Grafton Street Classifications
Village Manager Ms. Shana Davis-Cook has been in communication with the lead Planning Board staffer regarding the above reclassifications. The Village has no objection to the proposed removal of Western Avenue from the plan’s scope. In turn, Grafton Street and all references to it should be removed from the plan as the county has no jurisdiction or oversight of this roadway.
Changes to the Brookville Road Classification
Brookville Road’s reclassification is a result of its current and anticipated continued use. Under the Planning Staff’s review, any roadway where 50% or more of the vehicles are not seeking destinations along the specific span of roadway are being reclassified as “minor arterial”, which is defined as “a two-lane arterial meant nearly equally for through movement of vehicles and access to abutting property”.
As a minor arterial, Brookville Road would receive increased priority response for things such as snow removal, removal of roadway obstructions and maintenance. The reclassification does not dictate any changes in use, however, some neighboring communities have expressed concern that the reclassification could make open the possibility of public buses being placed along the roadway. Ride On attempted to redirect buses to Brookville Road under a plan that was considered several years ago, under the roadway’s current “primary residential” classification. This effort was averted in response to objections voiced by the abutting communities.
The Planning Board staff urges that there are no current plans to place buses or make any other physical or use changes to Brookville Road under the proposed reclassification. The roadway is currently—and would remain—under the control of the State Highway Administration (SHA). The reclassification would not have any effect on the current truck restrictions, which were established by SHA at the request of the abutting communities.
Ms. Davis-Cook is working with the County’s Department of Transportation and the State Highway Administration to learn what, if any, practical effect the reclassification might have on the design, maintenance and use of Brookville Road.
Public Outreach Meetings
The Planning Staff has scheduled five Public Outreach Meetings to be held throughout the county next week. The local meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 13 from 7-9 p.m. at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, Room West A, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda. This meeting will cover the entire slate of proposed recommendations and will not be limited to the Bethesda/Chevy Chase portions of the plan.
Timeline
The Planning Staff’s originally proposed recommendations, along with any submitted comments from concerned residents and organizations, and any Planning Staff proposed changes to its original proposal will be submitted to the Planning Board in November (date TBD). Following the initial staff presentation in November, the Planning Board will hold one or more Public Hearings (depending upon the level of interest). The Planning Board’s final adopted recommendations will be transmitted to the County Council in early 2018, at which time the Council will hold a separate set of Public Hearings. If the tentative schedule holds, the revised plan is anticipated to receive final County Council action in August 2018.
Informational Website
Below is a link to the information page that has been created regarding the proposed changes, which includes an interactive map where comments can be left regarding specific roadways:
http://montgomeryplanning.org/planning-department-launches-digital-interactive-map-to-inform-public-about-updates-to-master-plan-of-highways-and-transitways/