NFCCA
Official Website of the Northwood-Four Corners Civic Association in Silver Spring, Maryland
Official Website of the Northwood-Four Corners Civic Association in Silver Spring, Maryland
In January 2026, Maryland Governor Moore submitted a three-bill housing package to the Maryland General Assembly. The bill that presents the most potential concern, the Starter and Silver Homes Act (SB 36/HB 239), is intended to increase the supply of housing via “by-right” development that allows developers to proceed straight to permitting to build townhouses in any single-family zoned areas throughout the state of Maryland. For more details on the bills see:
HOUSE BILL 239 SENATE BILL 36 Bill Progress in Maryland General AssemblyA link to NFCCA’s 9 November 2025 letter to the District Council on the proposed Overlay Zone provisions in ZTA 25-12 for the University Boulevard Corridor Plan is below.
A link to NFCCA’s 8 September 2025 UBCP letter to the County Council is below.
The MoCo Department of Environmental Protection sent a memorandum on 4 August 2025 to the Department of General Services with Executive Branch comments on the UBCP Amendment, Planning Board Draft.
The Montgomery County Planning Board finalized and adopted the University Boulevard Corridor Plan: Planning Board Draft Summer 2025 on 12 June 2025. The Planning Board Draft Summer 2025 [link below] is the document that the Montgomery County Council will consider. There are two Public Hearings scheduled before the County Council on 10 and 16 September 2025. Three work sessions are presently scheduled by the Council’s Planning, Housing, and Parks Committee for 29 September, 20 October, and 3 November. After those sessions (unless additional work sessions are added) the UBCP will move to the full Council for its consideration and a final vote.
The UBCP proposes upzoning over 200 single-family homes in the NFCCA neighborhood to Commercial Residential Neighborhood (CRN) to allow redevelopment as higher density residential housing (duplex, triplex, quadplex up to 50’ high). You can find out if your property lies within the area recommended for upzoning at the interactive map link below.
We will post when Public Hearings are scheduled on any legislation that will impact our neighborhood. Anyone is allowed to testify.
The public can also submit statements or letters expressing their views on any plans or legislation, which must be emailed to the Montgomery County Council. Their emails are below.
Even if a member of the NFCCA Board has signed up to testify about an issue on behalf of neighborhood residents, it is still important for individuals to make their own views clear to the Montgomery County Council by testifying at the hearing or filing statements. This is your opportunity to say what YOU like and do not like.
You can choose to testify at the hearing or write a letter that will be filed in the hearing record. Your participation in this process is very important!
NFCCA has prepared talking points on a variety of issues recommended in the UBCP to help you draft a personalized letter that reflects your views.
A working group of NFCCA residents has prepared a set of arguments to help anyone who wishes to testify or write letters to the County Council about the UBCP. Please feel free to use any of these talking points to help compose your own letter reflecting your support or opposition to various elements of the UBCP. Expressing our views in your own words will send a powerful message to the Council members.
Below is the County Executive’s 2 September 2025 transmittal of comments to the Council on the University Boulevard Corridor Plan. It addresses plan specifics as well as process issues that may be of interest to civics that are outside our area.
Here’s some text to get you started on sending your own letter.
Dear Councilmember ________________:
Thank you for the opportunity to express my views regarding the Public Hearing Draft on the University Boulevard Corridor Plan (UBCP).
[Transition statement that expresses opposition or support; choose one:]
As a resident of the North Four Corners community, I strongly believe it is necessary to raise some concerns about various housing and transportation-related recommendations in the UBCP.
OR
As a resident of the North Four Corners community, I strongly believe the recommendations in the UBCP will serve as a foundation for better and more affordable housing options and will also improve public transportation and safety along the corridor.
[Insert your own statement]
In conclusion, [summarize points made]. Thank you for reviewing these concerns, and [I/we] request that you include this statement in the hearing record.
Respectfully,
[Name]
cc:
Zubin Adrianvala, Zubin.Adrianvala@montgomeryplanning.org
Carrie Sanders, Carrie.Sanders@montgomeryplanning.org
Jessica McVary, Jessica.McVary@montgomeryplanning.org
Lisa Govoni, Lisa.Govoni@montgomeryplanning.org
Alex Rixey, Alex.Rixey@montgomeryplanning.org
Send your letter to the Montgomery County Council members:
councilmember.stewart@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.jawando@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.mink@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.friedson@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.albornoz@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.sayles@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.balcombe@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.katz@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.fani-gonzalez@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.Luedtke@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.Glass@montgomerycountymd.gov
And to County Executive Marc Elrich:
marc.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov
Further consideration of the UBCP is a multistep process. After the September public hearings, the County Council will begin a series of work sessions to evaluate, discuss, and potentially alter elements of the UBCP presented by the Planning Board. Three work sessions are presently scheduled by the Council’s Planning, Housing, and Parks Committee for September 29, October 20, and November 3. After those sessions, the UBCP will move to the full Council for its consideration and a final vote.
View articles and presentations (most recent to oldest) on attainable/affordable housing and zoning changes that will affect folks living in NFCCA territory below.
Closer to Four Corners (University Boulevard intersection with Colesville Road), as well as at Dennis Avenue, and at religious institution properties, the UBCP recommends Commercial Residential Town (CRT) zoning to allow redevelopment as mixed-use residential multifamily and commercial office/retail up to 60 to 100 feet high.
To make space for dedicated bus lanes and wider sidewalks with buffer zones, the UBCP also makes transportation-related recommendation to reduce the number of lanes on University Blvd. (both east and west bound) to three lanes with a dedicated bus-only lane, two vehicle travel lanes, and sidepaths for pedestrians and bicyclists and to move the Flash Bus Rapid Transit stops from their current locations to the center median of the Four Corners intersection.
On 11 March 2025, NFCCA testified to the County Council on ZTA 25-02.
As background, Montgomery Thrive 2050, adopted in 2022, is the “framework” for current planning efforts. The goals of this countywide plan include increasing housing density (particularly along traffic corridors), making highway improvements, developing rapid public transportation solutions (i.e., Bus Rapid Transit), and enhancing safety for pedestrians and other multimodal users (bike, scooter, wheelchair, etc).
In November 2021, NFCCA sent the letter below to the members of the County Council on Montgomery Thrive 2050: