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Montgomery County staff present draft 'Montgomery Matters' and set June public hearings
Summary
County planning staff presented draft village plans and a revised future land use map as part of the "Montgomery Matters" comprehensive-plan update, reporting broad public support for residential-focused villages, trails and historic preservation. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing June 17; the Board of Supervisors is scheduled for June 22.
Planning staff presented final draft materials for the county's comprehensive-plan update, "Montgomery Matters," at the Montgomery County Planning Commission work session on May 20, 2026, and set public hearings for June.
Mr. Sanders, a member of the planning staff leading the outreach, told commissioners there was "a pretty substantive agreement there that villages are intended to be mainly residential" and that residents repeatedly asked for greenways, protection of historic sites and limited, small-scale mixed-use development in village cores.
The draft materials summarize results from recent village meetings in Riner and Prices Fork and introduce a visual "elements" framework staff described as a way to show priorities for towns, villages, rural development areas and natural preservation zones. Staff said the graphic remains a draft and that naming and definitions will be refined before final adoption.
Why it matters: The draft future land use map shifts growth emphasis toward towns and village areas, identifies two growth areas (referred to in the draft as the Marramac and Bethl areas), and is intended to guide a forthcoming zoning-ordinance rewrite. Staff said the change is intended to concentrate infrastructure investment and make the county eligible for additional funding to address traffic and pedestrian connections.
Details and public input: In Riner, staff reported strong support for a village identity, trails and small-scale commercial activity along Route 8 while preserving open space and historic resources. Prices Fork—where staff said they received the most input—showed similar priorities, with stronger local insistence that any plan be tailored to maintain the village’s distinct character.
Staff described how the plan's tiers (towns, villages, rural villages, settlement communities and rural development areas) map to different mixes of housing, commercial and civic uses. Mr. Sanders said the county will use a modeling tool funded in the fiscal plan, called "community viz," to test how different densities would affect infrastructure and services as the zoning rewrite proceeds.
Staff timeline: Planning staff said they received final draft documents the day of the meeting, would complete staff edits and distribute final drafts next week (online and in public libraries), and scheduled Planning Commission public hearings on Part Five and the village plans for June 17 and a Board of Supervisors hearing for June 22. Staff stated a target effective adoption date of July 1, subject to the formal review and hearing process.
Quotations from commissioners and staff emphasized balancing village character, parking and accessibility. Staff noted that detailed zoning standards—building scale, materials, parking requirements and ADA compliance—will be developed in the zoning-ordinance rewrite that follows the comprehensive-plan adoption.
What comes next: The commission will review the final drafts before the June 17 public hearing; staff urged commissioners to submit any final comments during the staff-edit window. After public hearings, the Board of Supervisors will consider the matter on June 22.
