Montgomery County Planning Board to hold Eastern Silver Spring Communities Plan public hearings on January 7 and January 14 – Mocofeed

Community members are encouraged to sign up starting December 7 to testify on plan recommendations focused on future growth in Silver Spring neighborhoods east of the Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park and south of the Capital Beltway.

WHEATON, Md. – The Montgomery County Planning Board, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), will hold public hearings on Thursday, January 7 and Thursday, January 14, 2027, for the draft Eastern Silver Spring Communities Plan. The two dates provide opportunities to testify at M-NCPPC Wheaton Headquarters, virtually, or within the plan area. The Planning Board set the public hearing schedule after reviewing and approving the plan’s first draft, or Working Draft, at its October 1 meeting. The Board accepted the Working Draft as the Public Hearing Draft.

Read the Eastern Silver Spring Communities Plan Public Hearing Draft:

English version of the Public Hearing Draft 

Advertisement

Spanish version of the Public Hearing Draft

The first public hearing on January 7 starts at 2 p.m. during the Board’s regular weekly meeting in the Planning Board Auditorium on the second floor of the Commission’s Wheaton headquarters (2425 Reedie Drive, Wheaton, MD 20902). Testimony may be given in-person or virtually via Microsoft Teams.

The second public hearing on January 14 starts at 6 p.m. at the Long Branch Community Recreation Center (8700 Piney Branch Road, Silver Spring, MD 20901). Only in-person testimony is permitted.

To ensure the Planning Board can hear from as many people as possible, please only sign up for one of the public hearings. Duplicate testimony is not permitted. Both public hearings will be livestreamed and made available on demand on the Planning Board’s website.

Starting Monday, December 7, people may sign up to testify before the Planning Board at one of the public hearing dates. Planning Board members will be at both public hearings and are offering two dates and locations to provide more convenience and opportunities for the public to weigh in. All public testimony is considered by the Planning Board and included in the official record. Written testimony is also welcome and will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on January 15. If you would like your testimony distributed to the Planning Board before the public hearings, your testimony must be received by noon two business days before that public hearing. Send written comments via email to mcp-chair@mncppc-mc.org or via mail to Chair Artie Harris, Montgomery County Planning Board, 2425 Reedie Drive, 14^th Floor, Wheaton, MD 20902.

Developed by the Montgomery County Planning Department, also part of the Commission, the Public Hearing Draft is based on the preliminary recommendations, which Montgomery Planning staff presented to the Planning Board on March 5 and March 19, 2026. The Public Hearing Draft incorporates the Planning Board’s comments on the preliminary recommendations and the input Montgomery Planning staff received during community engagement over the past two years.

Following the public hearings, the Planning Board will hold a series of work sessions to continue refining the plan based on community feedback and its review of the Public Hearing Draft. If approved, the plan will be sent to the Montgomery County Council for its own public review and approval process, and to the County Executive for review and comment.

Advertisement

Overview of the Eastern Silver Spring Communities Plan

The Eastern Silver Spring Communities Plan sets a vision for communities that are poised to experience change when Purple Line service begins in 2027. Three future Purple Line stations are included in the plan area and there are plans for Bus Rapid Transit service along the main corridors of University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue, complementing existing Bus Rapid Transit service on Colesville Road. The plan builds on these transportation investments by recommending more housing, safer ways for people to get around without a car and creating complete communities that provide residents and visitors with more choices in how they live, work, or spend time in the plan area.

The plan will amend several existing master and sector plans, covering over 2,100 acres stretching from Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park to the Prince George’s County line and south of the Capital Beltway to the edge of the City of Takoma Park, which is not included in the plan boundary.

Key Public Hearing Draft Recommendations

Download a comprehensive summary of the draft recommendations: English Public Hearing Draft summary | Spanish Public Hearing Draft summary.

Land Use and Zoning

• More flexibility for places of worship, community institutions, and senior housing sites by allowing these property owners to update buildings, expand services, or add housing.
• More housing and neighborhood retail near Purple Line stations and most Bus Rapid Transit stations by allowing large (and some smaller) apartment buildings to be mixed-use buildings.
• Allow for a variety of housing types within one block of Colesville Road, University Boulevard, and New Hampshire Avenue and within a quarter mile of a Purple Line station. Properties facing those main corridors would allow single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and small multi-family buildings up to 45 feet tall. Properties facing neighborhood streets would allow single-family homes, duplexes, and triplexes up to 40 feet tall.
• Maintain existing zones for commercial properties in Long Branch that were rezoned as part of the 2013 Long Branch Sector Plan to continue supporting housing, small businesses and community spaces.
• For property-specific zoning recommendations, visit the plan’s interactive map.

Transportation

• Improve access and transportation safety for people walking, biking, and rolling to Purple Line stations, planned Bus Rapid Transit stations, and schools.
• Provide more frequent protected pedestrian crossings along major roads and install sidewalks on neighborhood streets, prioritizing areas near transit, parks, and schools.

Housing

• Protect and grow affordable housing by striving to keep existing levels of affordability whenever redevelopment happens and add more income-restricted units to create options for residents with the lowest incomes.
• Reduce displacement by striving for no net loss of affordable housing in this area and helping residents stay, including encouraging the right to return after redevelopment.

The draft plan also includes recommendations related to economic development, parks, environmental sustainability, and more.

Community members can learn more about the plan and stay updated on the planning process by visiting the Eastern Silver Spring Communities Plan website, subscribing to Montgomery Planning’s Silver Spring newsletter, or contacting the team at easternsilverspring@montgomeryplanning.org.