Nancy Floreen's Montgomery In Focus, September, 2017

Changes Made to Parking Permit Program

Nancy Floreen at Council dais.

I'm pleased the County's Department of Transportation has agreed to provide parking stickers and paper visitor permits to residents who register to park on streets in their neighborhoods. In response to residents' complaints with the County's on-line registration program, I sent a letter, together with my colleagues, Council President Berliner and Councilmembers Elrich, Hucker, and Katz to Al Roshdieh, Director of DOT, asking for these changes.

Over the next 90 days, MCDOT will print and mail a physical permit to all residents with vehicles registered to a Residential Parking Program (RPP) address. MCDOT will also send a letter to all households in the RPP allowing them to request a paper visitor permit instead of the current digital permit. Here's the full press release.


Upcoming Public Hearing Dates

We're really busy in September. Here's a list of our upcoming public hearings. I appreciate your comments and encourage you to sign up to testify. If you can't attend a public hearing, you can send your comments to county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov. Check here for updates to the public hearing schedule. Look here for details about each Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) and here for details about each bill.

Tuesday, September 12 at 1:30 p.m.:

-ZTA 17-04, Country Inn - Standards

-ZTA 17-05, Ripley/Silver Spring South Overlay Zone - Standards

-ZTA 17-06, Agricultural Zone - Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Requirements

-Two Corrective Map Amendments: H-120 for Montgomery Village Center and H-121 for Kings Crossing

-Bethesda Downtown Master Plan Sectional Map Amendment (H-122) (rescheduled from 7/25/17)

-Subdivision Regulation Amendment 17-01, Approval Procedures - Burial Sites

-Bill 24-17, Land Use Information - Burial Sites

Tuesday, September 12, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.:

-ZTA 17-03, Accessory Residential Uses - Short-term Rentals and Bill 2-16, Transient Housing - Licensing and Registration - (Rescheduled from 7/18/17)

Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 1:30 p.m.:

-Spending Affordability Guidelines for FY19 Capital Budget and FY19-24 Capital Improvements Program

-Bill 26-17, Forest Conservation - Amendments

-Bill 27-17, Human Rights and Civil Liberties - Human Trafficking Prevention Committee - Established

Also, the Council received the White Flint 2 Sector Plan from the Planning Board in August. A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m. The PHED Committee meeting to review this plan will be scheduled at a later time for a date in October. 

The Council Office Building has new security measures in place so you may want to allow extra time in case you experience a line when entering the building.


Purple Line Groundbreaking Ceremony

Nancy Floreen and George Leventhal at Purple Line Groundbreaking Ceremony in Hyattsville, MD

I joined Governor Larry Hogan, my Council colleagues, other elected officials, and community members at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Maryland Transit Administration's Purple Line. This 16.2-mile light rail line will run from Bethesda to New Carrollton and will provide a mobility option that has never existed before with connections to Metrorail, bus lines and a train station. Learn more about the Purple Line and watch highlights from the ceremony here.

The project also includes plans for the completion of the Capital Crescent Trail between Bethesda and Silver Spring, the completion of the Green Trail along Wayne Avenue to Sligo Creek Parkway, and the construction of a bike path through the University of Maryland Campus.  

Construction will close the Georgetown Branch Trail beginning on Tuesday, September 5.To see a map of the alternate route, visit here or check the MTA website for updates.


Council Appeals Circuit Court Ruling Overturning Cosmetic Pesticides Ban

Bee on a flower

The Council directed the Office of the County Attorney to appeal the Montgomery County Circuit Court ruling that overturned the County’s cosmetic pesticides ban. Having battled breast cancer myself, I am particularly sensitive to the need to limit our exposure to toxic chemicals. I am concerned about the public’s health and welfare. All residents, particularly our children, stand to benefit from reduced exposure to pesticides. Here's the full press release.


Fast Fact

PARK(ing) Day is Friday, September 17. This is an annual, global event for residents, businesses and organizations to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into fun, park-like spots. PARK(ing) Day encourages people to rethink their transportation choices and support infrastructure that is more transit-oriented, bikeable and walkable. Click here to learn more.


Green Tip of the Month

The Council recently sent a letter to Governor Larry Hogan urging him to take a stand against climate change by supporting stronger carbon emissions reduction standards in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).  All nine Councilmembers signed the letter to Governor Hogan asking the state to support increasing RGGI’s annual emissions reduction target to five percent. You can read the entire letter here.
 
Maryland is one of nine Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states that is part of RGGI, a regional cap-and-trade system for power plant carbon emissions established in 2009. RGGI is expected to announce the results of its review later this summer.  Maryland is represented on the Board of Directors of RGGI, Inc., by Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Benjamin Grumbles and Maryland Public Service Commission Chairman Kevin Hughes.


Let's Talk

Is your community organization hosting a public meeting? Please let me know how I can help. I am happy to assist residents in understanding pending bills or in finding ways to get involved in the political process. Even more important, I want to hear about what matters to you. Send your meeting notices to councilmember.floreen@montgomerycountymd.gov or call 240-777-7959 if you would like me to address a particular topic with your group.

September 2017


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