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Makeover Montgomery 5: Resilient Montgomery conference will offer fresh ideas on all aspects of resilience

Registration is open for the Makeover Montgomery 5 conference scheduled for September 22 through 24; featuring keynote speaker Angela D. Brooks, President Elect of the American Planning Association, and past chair of the APA Diversity Task Force

Wheaton, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), in partnership with the University of Maryland’s National Center for Smart Growth, is pleased to announce the opening of online registration for the Makeover Montgomery 5 Conference (MM5). The three-day conference will be held from September 22 through September 24, 2022, in College Park and Wheaton and will focus on all aspects of planning for resilience in the areas of the economy, neighborhoods, infrastructure, and the environment. The cost of the conference is $40 through August 23 and $55 after that date. Attending the keynote address by Angela D. Brooks on September 22 is free to the public and does not require conference registration.

MM5 sessions will feature the following themes:

  • Economic resilience
  • Neighborhood and social resilience
  • Environmental, climate, and infrastructure resilience
  • Public health resilience

Register for MM5

This is the fifth time this conference will take place with a focus on seeking regional ideas to help Montgomery County and other municipalities thrive. AICP and ASLA continuing education credits will be available and are currently pending. There may also be a virtual option for attendance depending on the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic at the time of the conference.

Makeover Montgomery 5 Conference Details

  • Thursday, September 22: University of Maryland National Center for Smart Growth keynote speaker address by Angela D. Brooks at 7 p.m. at the School of Architecture Building (3835 Campus Drive, College Park, MD).
  • Friday, September 23 and Saturday, September 24: Sessions held at M-NCPPC Wheaton Headquarters building (2425 Reedie Drive, Wheaton, MD 20902) across from the Wheaton Metrorail station.

Keynote and Conference Sessions
MM5 will begin at the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation on Thursday, September 22 at 7 p.m. with a keynote address by Angela D. Brooks, FAICP, President Elect of the American Planning Association, and past chair of the APA Diversity Task Force. With a career in planning spanning over 20 years, Ms. Brooks has positively impacted underserved, underrepresented, and disadvantaged communities through her work, both professionally and personally. She has built her career taking a nontraditional path of service to people who are often overlooked. Currently, Ms. Brooks is the Director of the Illinois Office of the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a non-profit Community Development Financial Institution that transforms how communities use housing. Ms. Brooks has participated in extensive housing and community development as a land use administrator, housing policy manager, and real estate development professional in local and county government agencies, non-profit, and a housing authority in both Washington and Illinois.

On September 23 and 24, conference sessions will be held at the M-NCPPC Wheaton Headquarters (2425 Reedie Drive, Wheaton, MD). Makeover Montgomery will bring together planners, architects, developers, real estate professionals, economists, social scientists, environmental advocates and community members to discuss cutting-edge ideas for ensuring that suburban and urban places of all types are more resilient with respect to the local economy, neighborhood and social conditions, the environment and climate, infrastructure, and public health.

On Saturday, September 24, the plenary session will feature a special design charrette moderated by Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson as three firms present their concepts for their vision of the Silver Spring Transit Center.

Sessions

Conference attendees will be able to choose from a variety of interesting and interactive conference sessions on September 23 and 24. Sessions in the economic resilience track will discuss small businesses, employee ownership, immigrant trends and more. In the neighborhood and social resilience and public health tracks, attendees will learn about innovations in Transit Oriented Development (TOD) planning, community engagement, zoning innovation, and more. The sessions in the environmental, climate and infrastructure track will challenge attendees to learn more about urban forestry, electric vehicles, innovative planning tools, and last-mile transit problems.

The 2022 event follows similar conferences held in 201820162014 and 2011 by the Montgomery County Planning Department and the University of Maryland.

Please visit the Makeover Montgomery 5 webpage for more information.

Questions? Please contact Nick Finio, associate director, National Center for Smart Growth at nfinio@umd.edu.

About The Montgomery County Planning Department

The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, aims to improve quality of life by conserving and enhancing the natural and built environment for current and future generations. The Planning Department creates great communities by developing master plans, reviewing applications for development, and analyzing various types of information to help public officials plan for Montgomery County’s future. The Department comprises 140 staff members and provides recommendations, information, analysis and services to the Montgomery County Planning Board, the County Council, the County Executive, other government agencies and the general public. Visit www.montgomeryplanning.org.

About the University of Maryland Center for Smart Growth

The National Center for Smart Growth is a non-partisan center for research and leadership training on smart growth and related land use issues in Maryland, in metropolitan regions around the nation, and in Asia and Europe. Located at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD, just eight miles from Washington, D.C., the National Center for Smart Growth was founded in 2000 as a cooperative venture of four University of Maryland schools: Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Public Policy, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Engineering.

Accessibility
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) encourages the involvement and participation of all individuals in the community, including those with disabilities, in the planning and review processes. In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), M-NCPPC will not discriminate against individuals with disabilities in its services, programs or activities. M-NCPCC works to make its facilities and materials accessible and to hold public meetings in formats and locations that are, likewise, accessible. M-NCPPC will generally provide, upon request, appropriate aids and services and make reasonable modifications to policies and programs for persons with disabilities (e.g. large print materials, listening devices, sign language interpretation, etc.). To request accommodation, please contact the M-NCPPC Montgomery County Commissioners Office at (301) 495-4605 or at mcp-chair@mncppc-mc.org. If you are requesting an auxiliary aid or service for a public meeting, please submit your request at least one week prior to the scheduled meeting date. Maryland residents can also use the free Maryland Relay Service for assistance with calls to or from hearing or speech-impaired persons; for information, go to www.mdrelay.org or call (866) 269-9006. Residents may also contact the Montgomery Planning ADA Coordinator at 301-495-1324.

Contact:
Bridget Broullire
Communications Chief
Bridget.Broullire@montgomeryplanning.org | 301.641.0457

Chris Peifer
Digital Marketing Manager
Christopher.Peifer@montgomeryplanning.org | 240.863.4371

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New Grant to Fuel Affordable Housing Efforts Along Maryland’s Purple Line

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors has awarded The Purple Line Corridor Coalition (PLCC) a $75,000 grant to safeguard affordable housing along the tracks of Maryland’s Purple Line Light Rail. The grant, part of the new Housing Affordability Planning Program (HAPP) and backed by the Amazon Housing Equity Fund, was one of 10 awarded to support regional projects that address transit-oriented affordable and low-incoming housing initiatives.

“There’s broad regional consensus that we need more action on housing, which is why I am so pleased to have this new partnership among governments, businesses and nonprofits to produce a much-needed spark,” said Chuck Bean, COG Executive Director, in a press release earlier this month. “These HAPP grants will help ensure that everyone—from longtime residents and future workers to young families and older adults—has an opportunity to live and thrive together in our communities.”

The grant, says PLCC Director Sheila Somashekhar, is an integral step in meeting the coalition’s “no net loss” housing goal, ensuring the preservation and production of affordable units in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties along the corridor. The grant will fund data collection and analysis to track affordable units and the coalition’s progress, as well as ongoing, on-the-ground efforts with the counties and communities along the line to protect affordable housing stock. 

“This award speaks to years of work by the coalition,” she said. “The funding is key to supporting our efforts to engage property owners, secure affordability commitments and deploy the capital and technical support to make those properties affordable long term. Ideally, we hope the efforts will serve as a model for other places as well.”

Formed in 2013, the Purple Line Corridor Coalition comprises community organizations, state and local governments, nonprofits, philanthropies and businesses whose mission is to develop a vision and strategy for vibrant economic and community development along the Purple Line Light Rail. The PLCC is administered by the University of Maryland’s National Center for Smart Growth. 

The grant comes on the heels of significant affordable housing progress led by coalition partners over the past year, including a $5 million capital investment from Kaiser Permanente and new commitments to support solutions for the residents of more than 4,800 distressed and aging housing units along the corridor.

With the Purple Line completion date pushed to 2026, work continues to build and promote robust action plans to preserve small businesses, build pedestrian accessibility and support workforce development. The coalition is developing bike and pedestrian plan recommendations with local experts and continues their work to ensure corridor residents are connected with effective workforce services. The coalition’s small business working group is providing hands-on support and advocacy for corridor businesses facing accelerated rents, property maintenance issues and accessibility constraints from Purple Line construction. 

A comprehensive equitable transit-oriented development plan for the corridor will be released in early fall to county and state representatives and the Federal Transit Agency (FTA), the result of a 2018 FTA-backed $2 million grant. The plan, says Gerrit Knaap, director of the National Center for Smart Growth, will offer a blueprint for the future of the Purple Line corridor. 

“We have a rare opportunity with the Purple Line to create a national model for transit-adjacent communities that are equitable, vibrant places for years to come,” he said.

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Dr. Knaap to participate in Smart Growth at 25 Panel

Dr. Knaap will participate on a panel at the 2022 Maryland Land Conservation Conference for the closing conference panel – Smart Growth at 25: A Reflection on Successes, Shortcomings & Progress in Maryland and Beyond.

This 2-day conference, titled “Celebrating Success. Planning for Change,” will be held at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club (500 Marina Club Rd, Stevensville, MD 21666).

Dr. Knaap will be joined by former Gov. Parris Glendening.

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