Setting Growth and Infrastructure Policy
The Council is committed to balancing growth with quality of life in Montgomery County. In November of 2020, the Council approved the 2020-2024 Growth and Infrastructure Policy (formerly known as the Subdivision Staging Policy). The intent of the policy is to ensure that public facilities are able to accommodate new development, particularly schools and transportation infrastructure, but also water and sewer services.
With the Council’s approval and support of the Planning Board, Montgomery Planning administers the policy to support the infrastructure demands County. The 2020-2024 plan update is one of the most important policies in the County. It took 17 months of work by Montgomery Planning to finalize the plan in addition to 18 Council work sessions, a public hearing and additional work to actively seek out input from residents in the community.
Key revisions in the 2020-2024 update include:
- Eliminating residential development moratoria
- Requiring developers of new housing to make Utilization Premium Payments (UPP) in areas with overcrowded schools
- Modifying the calculation and applicability of development impact taxes
- Changing the name of the policy to “Growth and Infrastructure Policy”
- Designating neighborhoods by School Impact Areas, which are characterized by the amount and type of residential development they experience and its impact on school enrollment
- Incorporating Vision Zero concepts in transportation adequacy reviews
- Eliminating the motor vehicle adequacy test in areas around Metro rail stations and future Purple Line stations