EMPOWERING PEOPLE IN COMMUNITIES
Meeting People Where They Are
Our Mission is to inform, educate and support residents who have been traditionally, historically and geographically marginalized in the decision making process, regarding complicated land-use policies, surrounding housing and transportation issues presented in Thrive Montgomery 2050, Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative (AHSI) and the Pedestrian Master Plan.
Our purpose is to facilitate a culture of participation by creating equitable access, and meeting people where they are, In their communities. This will be achieved by educating community members on land-use and transportation policies; by providing information and access to opportunities to learn more; by educating community members on how to sign-up and participate in public hearings; by providing computer access when needed; by removing systemic barriers which prevent community members from having a seat at the proverbial table and being their own advocates.
What is Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative (AHSI)
If Thrive 2050 is the vision of how Montgomery County will look in the next 25 years. Then Attainable Housing Strategies is the Plan to deal with the housing shortage by eliminating most single-family zoning and allowing market-rate duplexes and triplexes by right in all R-40, R-60, R-90 and R-200 properties in the Priority Housing District. Quadplex by right on properties within 1 mile radius of Metro/Purple Line and MARC stations. Quadplex by right on all single family properties within 500 feet of "Corridors" whether or not any transit is built.
Pedestrian Master Plan
Thrive Montgomery 2050 is about reimagining how we live, by prioritize walking, biking and rolling in our communities with buses to transport us elsewhere. It is the first comprehensive and actionable plan to bring this vision to reality, by prioritizing pedestrian and bike projects: longer crosswalk times, accessible sidewalks, updated lighting and county control over some state highways. It begun with "road diets", that will eliminate car lanes and create protected bike lanes where parking and EV charging stations existed. However, according to the Planning document, the plan's implementations costs exceed funds allocated for pedestrian and safety measures. The Solution presented is to further tax those who can least afford to be taxed and lack access to participate in the political process..
Save The Dates
Listening Sessions on Attainable Housing with Councilmember Andrew Friedson and Planning Director Jason Sartori
September 11th from 7-9PM: Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center( 1315 Apple Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910)
September 12th from 7-9PM: Wheaton Community Recreation Center( 11701 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton, MD 20902)
September 17th from 7-9PM: White Oak Community Recreation Center (1700 April Lane, Silver Spring, MD 20904)
September 23rd from 7-9PM: Germantown Community Recreation Center (18905 Kingsview Road, Germantown, MD 20874)
September 25th from 7-9PM: Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center (4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814)
Thursday, September 19 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Intersection: A Tale from our Partners: Lessons learned from the trenches
As a follow up to the July session, the panel discussed various ways localities are addressing housing supply shortages. But how have they worked in practice? As jurisdictions across the country embark on plans to increase housing supply, this session will examine lessons learned from agencies that have already implemented attainable housing strategies. Hear from representatives from Oregon, St. Paul, MN, and Arlington, VA, on their initiatives over the past five years to encourage more housing development. They’ll talk about what worked, what didn’t work, what they would do differently, and what advice they have to offer.
Panel:
Emma Brown, Senior City Planner, St. Paul, Minnesota Department of Planning and Economic Development
Mari Valencia Aguilar, Senior Housing Planner, Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development
Richard Tucker, Housing Arlington Coordinator, Arlington, VA, Department of Community Planning, Housing & Development
Moderator: Artie Harris, Chair, Montgomery Planning Board