Northwood News ♦ December 2009

Montgomery County Council Acts on Growth Policy

At the October NFCCA meeting, members authorized President Carole Barth to send a letter to the MoCo Council, opposing aspects of the new Growth Policy proposed by MNCPPC.

The County has two primary tools for guiding future development:  Master Plans and the Growth Policy.  Master Plans set forth the type of development that is allowed and its location.  Under county law, the Growth Policy is used to implement the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance by pacing the rate of growth to allow proposed development to proceed only in areas where supportive infrastructure can accommodate it.  The Growth Policy sets standards for determining if public facilities (roads, mass transit, water supply, sewers, schools, police stations, firehouses, and health clinics) can support increased development.

Most of the changes proposed by the Planning Board would have undercut the intent of the Ordinance and created an even bigger infrastructure deficit than we already face.  Instead of actually addressing problems like inadequate transit, overcrowded schools, and worsening traffic congestion, the Board’s proposals would have “solved” them by making them officially “disappear.”

For example, the new policy would allow developers to buy and sell a finding of Adequate Public Facility (APF).  Thus, a developer whose project had an APF could sell that APF to a different developer.  It makes no sense, however, to transfer an APF that’s based on the analysis of specific intersections to a project located elsewhere.  After all, you can’t move the uncongested intersections to the site of the other project!  This is like making your child’s failing grade disappear by buying an A-student’s report card.

Happily, the Council did not approve the transfer of APF findings.  In fact, it only approved three of the 11 Planning Board proposals.  Still, there are plenty of issues to be concerned about when the new Growth Policy takes effect on January 1.  We will have more information by the December meeting.    ■