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Planning and Parks deliver semiannual updates; council presses for data and timelines
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Summary
Planning Board Chair Artie Harris and Planning Director Jason Sartore summarized 2025 approvals, master‑plan activity, and tools including the Community Trends Report; Parks presented outreach, restorations and program updates. Councilmembers pressed for breakdowns of approvals, timelines for projects (Little Falls Parkway, Potomac Horse Center demolition), and metrics on park usership.
At the March 10 meeting, the Montgomery County Planning Board and Parks Department gave their semiannual briefings and answered extended council questions.
Artie Harris, chair of the Planning Board, highlighted recent accomplishments including the opening of Royce Hansen Conservation Park, a mural installation in Glenmont and the Planning Academy. Jason Sartore, director of the Planning Department, reported that in calendar year 2025 the board approved 44 new plans and 57 amendments (together representing about 3,100 planned dwelling units and roughly 600,000 sq ft of commercial space). Sartore flagged Tevis Place, an expedited approval that cleared review in 64 days and will include 154 units with moderately priced dwelling units (MPDUs) for households at 30–70% AMI.
Parks leadership described engagement work (a restroom survey with over 1,200 responses), heritage projects (an Emery Grove oral‑history installation), volunteer contributions (roughly 14,000 volunteer hours valued at about $444,000), and programming expansions such as meaningful‑day offerings for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Parks staff outlined immediate actions at the former Potomac Horse Center (demolition tentatively scheduled for spring and summer; permitting targeted by end of month) and previewed openings including Ovid Hazen Wells Rec Park and a Northwest Branch disc golf course.
Councilmembers asked for more granular data and follow‑ups: Chair Harris agreed to provide a breakdown of the 3,100 approved dwelling units by housing type; Parks staff said Little Falls Parkway was at substantial completion with pavement, light relocation and striping remaining (weather‑dependent), and committed to sending notifications about Potomac Horse Center demolition to affected communities. Staff and councilmembers discussed staffing vs consultant usage in planning, equity‑focused outreach, and next steps for master plans such as Eastern Silver Spring and Germantown.
