County Council to Vote on Glenmont Sector Plan (Photos)

The Montgomery County Council is scheduled to take action on the Glenmont Sector Plan at 10 a.m. on Nov. 5.

The plan is a guideline for future redevelopment for the area of the county that straddles Georgia Avenue north of Wheaton.

The Council’s weekly session will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The morning session, and work sessions starting at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. of the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment (T and E) Committee that continue its review of the County’s proposed Bus Rapid Transit system, will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon). The broadcast also will be streamed through the County Web site at www.montgomerycountymd.gov. It will be repeated starting at 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8.

The Glenmont Sector Plan addresses potential redevelopment of residential and commercial properties, building heights and even desired speed limits for the area. Much of the plan accounts for the proximity of the Glenmont Metrorail Station.

During the morning session, a resolution will be introduced by Councilmember Valerie Ervin asking County Executive Isiah Leggett to establish a working group on the County’s Working Parents Assistance (WPA) program. The WPA program was established in 1986 to assist with the high cost of child care as families move toward self-sufficiency, and to assist low-income working families who are over income limits that would allow them to benefit from the State Child Care Subsidy Program.

The resolution states that limited funding and income eligibility limits have impacted family access to child care subsidy programs.

The resolution also states that the Council “requests that the County Executive convene a work group for the purposes of reviewing the Working Parents Assistance program including, but not limited to, the criteria for determining eligibility; provider participation requirements; the process for determining subsidy awards including the possibility of a minimum subsidy floor for participants; and the possibility of updating the regulations governing WPA implementation.”

The T and E Committee, which is chaired by Roger Berliner and includes Councilmembers Riemer and Nancy Floreen, will continue its work sessions on the Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan. The primary purpose of the master plan is to identify the specific lines and approximate station locations for the proposed bus rapid transit (BRT) lines within Montgomery County, as well as the minimum rights-of-way required for the segments in each line.

BRT is a plan for specially designed buses to travel over mostly dedicated lines throughout the County.

At its worksessions Tuesday, the committee will follow-up on its prior discussion regarding the proposed North Bethesda Transitway west of the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and Rock Spring Drive. The committee will address what route the corridor should take between the intersection and the Metro Red Line and where should stations be along this route.

During six prior worksessions, the committee has made recommendations for each of the 10 proposed BRT corridors in the Planning Board’s recommendations.

On Tuesday, the committee also will talk about the proposed BRT route along U.S. Route 29 through the Four Corners area of Silver Spring. The already crowded traffic area presents challenges in trying to identify potential areas that could be used for dedicated lines between Southwood Avenue and Sligo Creek Parkway.

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