Planning Board approves master plan focused on a three-mile stretch of University Boulevard/MD 193 between Wheaton and the Capital Beltway
WHEATON, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Board , part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), voted on Thursday, June 12, 2025, to approve the University Boulevard Corridor (UBC) Plan. The plan will now be transmitted to the Montgomery County Council for review.
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Read the latest draft of the plan . The Planning Board Draft will be posted to the plan website once the Planning Board’s revisions are included.
The UBC Plan makes recommendations for community needs within a three-mile stretch of University Boulevard (MD 193) from the edge of East Indian Spring Drive, just south of I-495, to Amherst Avenue in Wheaton. The draft recommendations focus on traffic safety, regional connectivity, environmental sustainability, corridor-focused growth, economic development, and providing more housing of all types, sizes and prices to meet a variety of housing needs. The plan explores opportunities for new transit-oriented housing, bikeways, and bus rapid transit (BRT), as well as the creation of complete streets with wider sidewalks, comfortable public transportation stops, and safe access.
“The University Boulevard Corridor Plan is a step toward creating a safer and more connected community. With this plan, we prioritize safety for all modes of transportation, while also expanding access to a variety of housing options that reflect the needs of the people who live and work along the corridor,” said Planning Board Chair Artie Harris. “The Planning Board is proud to support this vision that was founded on community input and prepares this area for a more equitable and vibrant future.”
The Planning Board’s vote follows a February 27 public hearing and eight work sessions throughout the spring with staff from the Montgomery County Planning Department , also part of The M-NCPPC, that refined the plan based on the community’s input since the project kicked off in November 2022. The Planning Board Draft of the plan will be transmitted to the County Council, which will conduct its own public review process before voting on final approval.
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Overview of plan recommendations
- To promote sustainable development patterns, provide more housing options, and support transportation safety enhancements along University Boulevard, rezone properties that are: in corridor-facing blocks; institutional properties, such as properties used for religious assembly; and existing single-use commercial shopping centers. The zoning changes provide property owners with more flexibility for what they can build on their properties if they choose to redevelop. Institutional properties or properties with more width and depth in these areas may accommodate infill development depending on the size of the property.
- Establish an overlay zone to promote a diverse range of housing options in a compact, transit-oriented form of growth that supports BRT, creates complete communities, and improves safety for all travelers. The overlay zone will apply to properties recommended for rezoning in the plan and consider elements including building placement, site coverage, provision of public open space, and uses to transition from the corridor to the neighborhoods.
- Locate higher building densities and mixed uses at locations near BRT stations with existing commercial properties, including the WTOP property, the Kemp Mill Shopping Center, and Four Corners, and ensure new development transitions from larger to smaller buildings to adjacent residential properties.
- Implement a connected network of streets, comfortable walkways, and low-stress bicycle facilities, and right-size roadways and intersections to create a safer and more comfortable environment for people who are walking, rolling, bicycling, riding transit, and driving.
- Provide dedicated transit lanes along University Boulevard and Colesville Road (U.S. 29).
- Explore alternative ways to navigate the Four Corners area that include short-term recommendations for limited change to the street network that provide safe, accessible, and healthy travel options for people walking, biking, rolling, riding transit, and traveling in cars. A long-term vision of additional street connections should be further studied.
- Improve pavement markings, lighting, and sight distance and explore protected crossings at the interchanges with I-495 at Colesville Road and University Boulevard to improve safety for all modes of transportation.
- Improve connections to and explore improvements within existing local parks, including the Northwood Chesapeake Bay Trail.
- Make University Boulevard more resilient to climate change by incorporating tree canopy, shaded bus stops, improved stormwater management, and landscaped buffers.
More about the University Boulevard Corridor Plan
The UBC Plan builds on major Montgomery County initiatives—including the 2013 Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan , Thrive Montgomery 2050 and Vision Zero – and is centered on residential neighborhoods, schools, parks, places of worship, businesses, and other institutional uses along University Boulevard/MD 193 between Amherst Avenue at the edge of the Wheaton Central Business District (CBD), to the area immediately south of the Capital Beltway (I-495). The Four Corners area serves as an important element in the plan area with commercial and institutional properties, including the Woodmoor Shopping Center, Montgomery Blair High School, and Saint Bernadette Catholic Church and School. Colesville Road is a major intersection with University Boulevard in the plan area.
The plan strives to address community needs as they pertain to traffic safety, regional connectivity, environmental sustainability, housing, and economic development. Broadly, the plan advances Vision Zero goals with overall improved road safety and quality of life using complete streets and enhancing development potential of the plan area for corridor-focused growth. What is corridor-focused growth ?
Community members are encouraged to sign up for the plan’s newsletter to get regular updates.
For updates and link to press release, see here: https://montgomeryplanning.org/?p=63423