Media Center

Planners Seek Public Input on Zoning Code as Part of Planned Overhaul

SILVER SPRING, MD – Anyone interested in zoning in Montgomery County can have a voice in what’s right – and what’s wrong – with the county’s Zoning Ordinance, which guides development by establishing rules regarding land uses, density,  height, open space and public amenities.

County planners have launched a public input process that includes interviews with a variety of zoning code users and an online survey available to all to gather feedback on the several-decades-old code that many criticize as being complicated, unwieldy and confusing. The “diagnosis” phase will provide information, analysis and recommendations for the revision, which aims to simplify the code by reducing redundancies and better organizing the format – all to improve accessibility.

The County Council has asked the Planning Board to oversee a revision that addresses overlapping regulations, unnecessary districts and outdated zones. Planners see the project as an opportunity to create a more coordinated document that will be easier to use and will incorporate new concepts such as urban design guidelines and sustainability.

The zoning code is an integral tool to enacting county master plans, which envision how communities should grow. Since the original code was written in 1928, it has been comprehensively updated only twice. Over the decades, numerous zoning text amendments changed the code, but often in an uncoordinated fashion, leading to what planners and others say is a complex system that poorly serves users, from developers to new residents.

The original document consisted of 15 pages covering five zones. Today, the code has ballooned to 884 pages covering 119 zones.  By comprehensively reviewing all zoning districts and analyzing use and development standards, planners hope to create a powerful new tool featuring fewer, more meaningful zones, more tables and diagrams to graphically illustrate planning concepts, and a better organization of content.

Learn more and participate in a user survey. Planners expect to unveil the zoning code revision in 2010.

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CALENDAR LISTING: Montgomery Parks Annual Harvest Festival October 4 & 5

DERWOOD, MD—Join the Montgomery County Department of Parks for some “down-home fun on the farm” during the annual Harvest Festival. Sample life on the farm from the 1850s to the present. Families and participants will enjoy tinsmithing, pumpkin painting, chestnut roasting, scarecrow making, live farm animals, such as chickens, pigs and goats, games and food.  Also featured are antique farm equipment, gardening talks and demonstrations, live music and more. Attendees can dig into an archaeological site and see how professional archaeologists uncover secrets of the past. New this year, there’s also a corn maze! Admission is $10 per car, which includes parking.

Saturday, October 4 and Sunday, October 5, 2008
11:00 am – 4:00 pm, both days
Agricultural History Farm Park
18400 Muncaster Road, Derwood, Maryland

For more information on Harvest Festival call 301-924-4141 or visit www.AgHistoryFarm.org. On October 4 and 5, call 301-721-0312 for information. To volunteer for Harvest Festival—Student Service Learning (SSL) hours approved—call 301-495-2464 or visit www.ParksVolunteers.org.   

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Contact:   
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866

MEDIA ADVISORY: Montgomery County Planning Board Public Hearing September 11 on Upper Rock Creek Trail Corridor Plan

SILVER SPRING, MD— Thursday, September 11, the Montgomery County Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the draft Upper Rock Creek Trail Corridor Plan.

Located in the northeastern portion of the county, the Upper Rock Creek Trail Corridor extends northward from Rock Creek Regional Park to Rachel Carson Conservation Park and continues to the Patuxent River.

On June 19, the Planning Board held a work session on the draft plan. At that time, parks staff presented the following plan highlights:

• Doubling the length of trail now available in the corridor;
• Extending hard surface trail from Rock Creek Regional Park to Olney;
• Proposing a new alternative to link the Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail to the Lake Frank trail network;
• Proposing a location for a mountain bike challenge course at Carson Farm Special Park—the first of its kind in the Montgomery County parks system; and
• Identifying mill sites along the trail for potential future interpretation.

This public hearing is an opportunity for the Planning Board to hear additional community comments on the parks staff draft plan. Parks staff will take a revised plan, based on public feedback gathered during this public hearing, back to the Planning Board in the fall for final approval.  To sign up to testify, please call 301-495-4600, visit www.MontgomeryPlanningBoard.org, or email [email protected].

WHO:    
Montgomery County Planning Board
Montgomery County Department of Parks

WHAT:   
Public Hearing on Draft Upper Rock Creek Trail Corridor Plan

WHEN: 
Thursday, September 11, 2008 at approximately 7:30 pm

WHERE:
Park and Planning Headquarters
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring

For more information or to be added to the email list for updates on the plan, contact Department of Parks Park and Trail Planning Supervisor Lyn Coleman at 301-650-4391 or [email protected].

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Contact:   
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866

Park Police to Host Two NFL/Pepsi Punt, Pass and Kick Competititon at Saddlebrook Park

SILVER SPRING, MD—The Maryland-National Capital Park Police will host two local NFL/ Pepsi Punt, Pass and Kick skills competitions. The first local competition will take place on Thursday, September 25, at 5:00 p.m. at Saddlebrook Park, located at 12751 Layhill Road, Silver Spring, MD 20906, behind Park Police Headquarters.  The second competition is the sectionals, for the local competition winners only, on Sunday, November 2, 2008 at 9:00 a.m.  It will be held at Glenfield Park, located at 12800 Layhill Road, Silver Spring MD 20906.

Punt, Pass and Kick (PPK) encourages boys and girls ages 8 to 15 to showcase their talents in punting, passing and kicking a youth-sized football.  Scoring is based on distance and accuracy.  First, second and third place ribbons will be awarded for each of eight age groups. 

All participants must provide a copy of their birth certificate for age verification and must have their parent or guardian complete and sign an Entry Form/Release of Liability.  Parents and participants can download the form at www.nflyouthfootball.com.   

The top finishers from each of the age groups at the local competition will advance to a sectional competition to be held in the metropolitan Washington area.  Winners at the sectional competition will have their scores compared with other sectional champions, and the top five scorers from the pool of sectional champions advance to the Washington Redskins Team Championship, to be held at FedEx Field on Sunday, November 30, 2008 before the Redskins vs. NY Giants game.

For further information contact Lt. Brian Smith at 240/876-6760 or 1-443/624-3084.

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Contact:    
Lt. Karen Petrarca
Media (Information Officer)
Maryland-National Capital Park Police, Montgomery County Division
Phone: 301-929-5989

Montgomery County Department of Parks Joins Governor O’Malley, Others for Maryland No Child Left Inside Rally

MILLERSVILLE, MD—Today, Montgomery County Department of Parks officials join Governor O’Malley, Superintendent Grasmick, Secretary Griffin, Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature, Maryland No Child Left Inside Coalition and others for the Maryland No Child Left Inside Rally at the Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center in Millersville, Maryland.

“We are happy to be a part of this celebration of young people and nature,” said Montgomery County Director of Parks Mary Bradford. “Montgomery County’s parks offer a variety of opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy.” 

Montgomery County’s parks system includes more than 400 regional, recreational, stream valley, urban, neighborhood and local parks; 2 premier lakes—Lake Needwood in Rockville and Little Seneca Lake in Boyds—with opportunities to rent pedal boats, kayaks or canoes; nearly 200 miles of paved and natural surface trails for hikers, bikers, walkers or equestrians; 4 nature centers, which offer a variety of classes and programs for all seasons and ages; and more.

“Our park naturalists are leading the charge in keeping young people connected with nature,” added Bradford, “taking their programs out of the nature centers, for instance, and offering them on the ground and directly in communities across Montgomery County.”   

The Montgomery County Department of Parks operates the Black Hill Visitor Center in Boyds, Brookside Nature Center in Wheaton, Locust Grove Nature Center in Bethesda and Meadowside Nature Center in Rockville. Recently, the department, through its nature facilities, initiated “Nature Everywhere” programs in the spirit of leaving no child inside. Some of the ways the department’s park naturalists are reaching out include the following:

• Nature Boxes for Teachers: Black Hill Visitor Center, courtesy of the Friends of Black Hill Regional Park, offers a series of nature boxes free of charge for use on-site and popular among area teachers. There are boxes on birds, bats, butterflies, insects, mammals, the Monarch butterfly lifecycle and migration and more.  Each box offers hands-on learning opportunities and lesson suggestions.   
• Red Wagon programs: Park naturalists from Brookside Nature Center load up an old-fashioned red wagon with nature-themed items and head out to the popular playground at Wheaton Regional Park to offer on-site and hands-on nature programs to kids.
• Outdoor Learning Center: The Department of Parks is seeking funding to develop a new exploration area outside of the Locust Grove Nature Center to highlight unstructured play in a natural setting, but within a safe fenced area at the center.
• Programs for Scouts: Meadowside Nature Center offers a comprehensive slate of nature-focused programs for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and Brownies. Through the nature center, scouts earn badges in chemistry, geology, astronomy, water and soil conservation and more.

“Our naturalists have also been taking their programs to community centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, neighboring schools, county recreation centers, libraries and a host of other venues to spread their passion for the natural world with others in creative and fun ways,” said Bradford. “We also want to encourage all parents and guardians to find time for unstructured free play in the many open and wooded park areas near their homes.”   

For more on the Montgomery County Department of Parks four nature facilities, including the classes and programs offered at each, visit www.MontgomeryParks.org.

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Contact:    
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866