Town Council Signs 29-Community Coalition Letter on Thrive
Deadline for Submitting Comments to County Council is July 9
On July 6, the Town Council signed on to a Thrive Montgomery 2050 Neighborhood Coalition letter [https://www.townofchevychase.org/DocumentCenter/View/3309/Thrive-Montgomery-2050-Coalition-Letter-070621] along with 28 other municipalities and community organizations representing over 213,000 residents in both the eastern and western parts of the county as well as neighborhoods of all sizes and income levels.
The letter described seven recommended modifications for the "Thrive" Draft County General Plan:
Mandate the use of the traditional master & sector planning processes to specify zoning changes to achieve public buy-in and avoid a one-size-fits-all approach now prescribed in the Draft Plan.
Reinstate the concept and value of compatibility as a means of ensuring that such change enhances each individual community for all residents -- new and existing.
Include detailed strategies for how affordable and attainable housing can be created through adaptive reuse and other means.
Reinstate a chapter on economic competitiveness that was deleted from the initial draft, in recognition that a holistic vision will be needed to reverse current shortcomings in jobs and wages.
Include more robust funding methods for needed infrastructure.
Discuss how the evolution from a car-centric to transit-centric society will be staged and differentiated across the diverse communities of the county.
Require a 5-year review to document results and impacts as well as modify the Draft Plan as indicated by the results of the review.
The County Council Planning, Housing, and Economic Development (PHED) committee will be holding work sessions on Thrive on July 12, 14, 21, and 26 at 9:30 a.m. The PHED committee has indicated that it will send Thrive to the full County Council for additional work sessions in September, which is an accelerated schedule.
Not Too Late to Submit Your Comments on "Thrive" to the County Council
The deadline for submitting comments on Thrive to the County Council is Friday, July 9.
Councilmember.Hucker@montgomerycountymd.gov [mailto:Councilmember.Hucker@montgomerycountymd.gov]
Councilmember.Albornoz@montgomerycountymd.gov [mailto:Councilmember.Albornoz@montgomerycountymd.gov]
Councilmember.Friedson@montgomerycountymd.gov [mailto:Councilmember.Friedson@montgomerycountymd.gov]
Councilmember.Glass@montgomerycountymd.gov [mailto:Councilmember.Glass@montgomerycountymd.gov]
Councilmember.Jawando@montgomerycountymd.gov [mailto:Councilmember.Jawando@montgomerycountymd.gov]
Councilmember.Katz@montgomerycountymd.gov [mailto:Councilmember.Katz@montgomerycountymd.gov]
Councilmember.Navarro@montgomerycountymd.gov [mailto:Councilmember.Navarro@montgomerycountymd.gov]
Councilmember.Rice@montgomerycountymd.gov [mailto:Councilmember.Rice@montgomerycountymd.gov]
Councilmember.Reimer@montgomerycountymd.gov [mailto:Councilmember.Reimer@montgomerycountymd.gov]