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Residents press Montgomery County Council to approve $10.55 million for MCPS bus depot relocation
Summary
At a public hearing, residents from Durwood and Westside urged the council to approve a $10,550,000 supplemental appropriation (Resolution/Appropriation 25‑60) to relocate the Montgomery County Public Schools bus depot, saying the move is central to the long‑planned Shady Grove redevelopment and would reduce community impacts.
Montgomery County residents testified in favor of a $10,550,000 amendment and supplemental appropriation to the FY25–30 Capital Improvements Program to relocate the Montgomery County Public Schools bus depot, telling the County Council the project is essential to realizing the Shady Grove sector plan and reducing neighborhood impacts.
Dr. Carol Kosry, representing the Mid‑County Citizens Advisory Board, said the Shady Grove sector plan first approved in 2006 and reaffirmed in a 2020 minor master plan amendment envisioned moving the depot to allow a walkable, mixed‑use neighborhood with parks, civic space and a school. "This proposal would relocate the MCPS maintenance facility and 250 of the 400 buses to a much more appropriate location," Kosry said, adding the relocation would work in combination with the county's Jeremiah Park project and, she said, could save the county "hundreds of millions of dollars" in future investments.
Evelyn Beckman, a Westside at Shady Grove resident, said neighbors have long endured noise, traffic congestion and an industrial‑scale facility next to homes and called the appropriation "a rare opportunity to fulfill that promise." Shobana Sharma, president of the Westside Shady Grove Metro Homeowners Association, and Anna Coelho, a long‑time Westside resident, also urged the council to approve funding that would enable the planned park, housing and retail to proceed.
The resolution and appropriation are described in the council notice as "amendment to the FY25–30 CIP and supplemental appropriation 25‑60 to the FY25 capital budget" for the Department of General Services, MCPS bus depot and maintenance relocation. The council recorded the source of funds as recordation tax premium and indicated a joint Transportation & Environment Committee and Government Operations & Fiscal Policy Committee work session on the item is scheduled for April 21, 2025. The council invited written testimony and set a materials deadline of close of business April 14.
No vote occurred at the hearing; the public hearing record was closed after in‑person testimony (a virtual registrant was not present). The committee work sessions and subsequent council deliberations will determine whether the appropriation is adopted.
What happens next: the council's referenced joint committee work session is scheduled for April 21, 2025; the council will consider the appropriation through its committee and full‑council process.
