reducing our footprint

reducing our footprint

Ensuring adequate school capacity
more community
Planning Board Draft
2009-2011 Growth Policy Summary
The Growth Policy monitors capacity and enrollment in Montgomery County schools to help
evaluate residential subdivision applications
§ annual school capacity test predicts school enrollment and forewarns of capacity shortfalls
sustainable
Montgomery County Planning Department
§ predicted enrollment in excess of capacity triggers a school facility payment from
residential developers or moratorium walking
nature
transit
time

Protecting agricultural land

Montgomery County protects more than one-third of the county's
land for agricultural uses in the 93,000-acre Agricultural Reserve
§ ensures a local farming industry
§ wards off sprawl
§ reduces our carbon output

Montgomery County - Smart Growth Criteria

Affordable housing*
Projects must devote additional resources to providing affordable housing
§ provides diversite housing types
§ allows essential service providers like teachers and police officers to All projects must meet the following criteria to be considered for an Alternative
live close to work
§ builds on MPDU and workforce housing goals by lowering
PAMR Review and 100% PAMR offset:
transportation – and thus, household costs
Project must be located within ½ mile of an existing or planned major transit
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Coordinating with master plans and zoning stop or high-quality transit corridor. Project must be mixed use with a minimum
Coordinating the Growth Policy with master plans and zoning creates a unified approach 50% residential use.
toward achieving smart growth goals.
§ Community master plans provide a long-range vision for quality of life, land use,
zoning, environment, historic preservation and transportation issues Project must seek to achieve the maximum density of the site using 75% or more
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§ the zoning ordinance specifies how development can take place in each location of the maximum density allowed in the zone (including all applicable bonuses)
in the county
§ the growth policy coordinates delivery of public facilities to support growth subject to the limits specified in the master/sector plan.

Building(s) exceeds energy efficiency standards by 17.5% for new buildings or by

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10.5% for existing building renovation. Or, building(s) has on-site energy
production such that 2.5% of the annual building energy cost is off-set by the
renewable production system (LEED New Construction/Major Renovation.

The project must provide additional affordable housing, either workforce

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housing or moderately priced dwelling units, above and beyond that required
for plan approval such that 25% of the PAMR mitigation resource being
offset is applied to this obligation.

The PAMR offset will be directed as follows:

Fifty % of the PAMR mitigation resource being offset must be directed to

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transit infrastructure.

Twenty-five % of the PAMR mitigation resource being offset must be

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applied to the provision of additional affordable housing, either workforce
housing or moderately priced dwelling units, above and beyond that required
for plan approval.

And, the remaining twenty-five % of the PAMR mitigation resource will be

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retained by the developer.

Strategic growth areas)

Development directed to locations where infrastructure, such as
transit, is in place Greener growth*
§ builds on a strategic concentration of industry, such as life sciences Buildings must seek to achieve high energy efficiency
§ encourages redevelopment of surface parking lots § exceeding energy efficiency standards for new buildings LEGEND
§ redevelops where public transportation and other services are not (by 17.5%) or existing buildings (by 10.5%) in exchange
fully used for transportation mitigation incentive parkland
§ consumes less energy and reduces the county's carbon
output
agricultural and rural open space

Compact development* Encouraging mixed uses*

Development projects must be mixed-use (minimum 50% residential)
Projects must seek to achieve maximum allowable density (75% or more)
§ generates fewer trips than uniform commercial development
§ increases walking and cycling, leading to healthier lifestyles, less obesity
§ balances the jobs-housing ratio
§ encourages community through increased interaction
§ creates 24/7 communities
§ reduces our carbon footprint by using less land and fewer resources

Building near transit*

Projects must be located within one-half mile of existing or planned transit stops
§ reduces travel demand and greenhouse gas emissions
§ increases transit ridership
§ reduces impervious parking

*Smart Growth Criteria provide incentives for more efficient growth. Developers can reduce implementation costs by meeting some or all of these criteria.