Montgomery County Planners Seek Volunteers to Collaborate on Purple Line Plan

SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Board seeks applicants for a community advisory committee to work with its planners as they craft a plan for the proposed Metro Purple Line, slated to connect Bethesda and New Carrollton.

The advisory committee will help planners analyze the transit line’s potential impacts on the community. Called a functional master plan, the resulting product will lay out the Planning Department’s recommendations for the type of transit – light rail or rapid bus – alignment, and station locations in Montgomery County.

The Maryland Mass Transit Administration (MTA) is in charge of the Purple Line project and continues to study and seek funding for the line. The Purple Line functional master plan will provide a framework for the Montgomery County Planning Board to react quickly to the MTA’s recommendations for the alignment of either light rail or rapid bus transit, expected by summer 2008.

Prospective Purple Line advisory committee members will attend frequent meetings through fall 2008. Other tasks will include considering environmental issues and resident concerns and ensuring conformance of the proposed Purple Line with other county master plans. The Planning Department staff plans to hold public outreach activities in concert with the advisory committee.

Representatives from civic groups, businesses, residents, environmental organizations, property owners and the general public are encouraged to apply for representation on the advisory committee by submitting a letter of interest by Friday, July 13, 2007 (details below).

Send letters of interest to:
Tom Autrey, Transportation Planning Division
thomas.autrey@mncppc-mc.org
Fax: (301) 495- 495-1302

Or mail to:

Tom Autrey, Transportation Planning Division
Montgomery County Planning Department
8787 Georgia Ave.
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3760