Montgomery County OKs new growth plan
Washington Business Journal
The Montgomery County Council has approved the county's 2009-2011 Growth Policy, a plan that encourages infill development rather than sprawl by providing incentives for mixed-use developments close to public transit.
The policy, which is reviewed every two years, calls for dense developments within a half mile of transit and determines development opportunities in relation to school and road capacity.
Under the plan, all new projects near transit must be at least 50 percent residential and projects must be at least 75 percent of the allowed density under the zoning rules. Projects also must include affordable and work force housing, and meet energy efficiency standards of 17.5 percent for new construction or 10.5 percent for renovations.
Developers of transit-oriented developments will only pay 75 percent of the trip mitigation payments required for other developments in the county. A portion of the payment will go toward the transit system closest to the project, while another portion will go toward any other transportation purpose or system.
Another goal of the plan is to prevent new development from contributing to road congestion. The impact of developments on congestion is measured by a Policy Area Mobility Review.
Under the new growth policy, developers required to reduce the number of trips associated with projects that exceed area mobility standards have the option of agreeing to remove up to 50 percent of the projected peak hour vehicle trips associated with their projects.
A major point of discussion in approving the plan was the imposition of school facilities payments. Under the former policy, if a new development caused the projected enrollment at any grade level in a school cluster to rise between 105 percent and 120 percent, the developer could make a payment to the county that it would put towards expanding schools. Developers pay upwards of $18,000 per student.
The council considered bumping up the lower limit to 110 percent of enrollment capacity because enrollment has fluctuated lately based on the economy, rather than development and because school expansions often involve the addition of portable classrooms, rather than permanent expansions. But after heated discussions about the amount of fees and taxes developers should be required to pay, the council voted five to four to keep the lower threshold.
The growth policy is effective Jan.1.
