Planning Commission reviews final draft of 'Montgomery Matters,' schedules March hearings

Justin Sanders, a planning staff member, presented the final draft of the county—omprehensive plan, Montgomery Matters, and recommended the Planning Commission hold a public hearing on March 11 and forward the draft to the Board of Supervisors for its March hearings. Sanders said the goal is for the board to adopt the plan at a meeting in April and for staff to finish related village plans and the future land-use map by the end of the fiscal year on June 30.

The plan consolidates action steps established during nearly two years of outreach; Sanders told commissioners the draft incorporates a final community survey and staff and steering-committee feedback. He described cross-cutting actions and 10- to 20-year vision lists for each chapter, and said the future land-use map remains incomplete because village boundaries and related village planning work will be finalized before it is posted for public review.

Commissioners pressed staff on how the plan treats growth areas and infrastructure constraints. Sanders said the draft identifies two primary growth areas (Mid County and Bethel) and several villages that staff recommends for village-scale growth, and described a mixed-use and form-based approach the county will pursue through upcoming zoning changes. He reiterated the legal requirement that counties review their comprehensive plan at five-year intervals and explained the draft also includes an annual maintenance and tracking tool to allow more frequent adjustments should local policy priorities change.

Sanders acknowledged topographical and infrastructure limits in some corridors and said decisions about specific densities will be handled through the forthcoming zoning ordinance update. "We will have an opportunity through zoning to set that standard for what's going to happen in those two growth areas," he told the commission. Commissioners also asked staff to post the draft online and invited additional written comments before next month's public hearings.

Next steps: staff will integrate any final commission comments, publish the draft on montgomerymatters.com for public review, hold the Planning Commission public hearing on March 11, and present the plan to the Board of Supervisors in March with a target adoption in April. The commission will then continue work on village plans and the future land-use map.