Photo by Google image capture of Friendship Heights Station facing the Shops at Wisconsin Place

This spring, the Council approved Bill 13-23 which I introduced to establish a new urban district for Friendship Heights to provide funding for, and support the work of, The Friendship Heights Alliance, a cross-jurisdictional nonprofit organization formed in 2021 that works on behalf of businesses and residents in Friendship Heights to further economic vitality and strengthen community in the area. The Alliance is working to build cross-sector collaboration and partnerships to strengthen the neighborhood, set up and care for more people-centered public spaces, support a vibrant business environment where people and places thrive, offer ample and varied community building opportunities, and encourage the development of more venues for arts, culture, and local entrepreneurship. It will also receive funding from a proposed Business Improvement District on the DC side.

Bill 13-23 created a district charge for commercial properties and established a five-member Friendship Heights Urban District Advisory Committee whose members are appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the Council. The five-member committee includes two commercial property owners nominated by the Friendship Heights Alliance, one residential renter in the district, one residential property owner, and one business owner nominated by the Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce. Appointments to this new Advisory Committee were confirmed by the Council on July 25.

With its central location right on the Red Line, Friendship Heights has virtually unlimited potential to be a prime location to live and work, play, and stay. Like many other urban areas across the country, the Friendship Heights retail environment is in a transition period. By bringing together businesses and residents on both sides of Western Avenue through this new urban district and the Friendship Heights Alliance, we can create an attractive and cohesive sense of place that serves the day-to-day needs and desires of both residents and businesses for generations to come.

Green Taping Affordable Housing

In 2019, the Washington Area Council of Governments (COG) determined that in order to keep up with demand, our region would need 320,000 new housing units by 2030. Montgomery County’s share of that target is 31,000 units and a large portion of those should be income restricted or naturally occurring affordable units. In order to truly address our affordable housing crisis here in the county and in the region, we need to use every tool in our toolbox to facilitate housing production, particularly the production of affordable units. 

Building on other Council efforts I’ve spearheaded including incentivizing high density housing at our metro stations in 2020, the Housing Production Fund created in 2021, and a 2023 bill to require affordable housing be located with public facilities, Councilmember Sayles and I introduced and successfully passed legislation to encourage affordable housing by removing barriers and easing regulatory burdens for projects providing a significant number of income restricted units. Zoning Text Amendment 23-02 will reduce the regulatory review process by 75% for projects meeting certain affordable housing thresholds, significantly reducing costs for affordable housing providers. To take advantage of this streamlined process, a project must include 30 or more dwelling units including 50% moderately priced dwelling units (MPDUs) or 35% MPDUs of which 15% are affordable to a household with a household income of 30% percent of Area Median Income (AMI) or below.

We are fortunate to have a number of affordable housing providers in the County and they are doing great work. We want to make their work easier and the passage of this ZTA is one important and very exciting part of that broader effort.

Are You Part of a Senior Village?

Council event with Senior Villages in June

Last month, I met with Montgomery County senior village leaders and members. It was an opportunity discuss the collective impact of villages and how the county can support their work creating community and connectedness. 

There are over 30 villages operating or in development throughout the County – the largest concentration of villages anywhere in the United States. Each village is unique, but all share a common belief in the effectiveness of neighbors helping neighbors and villages’ power to combat the deadly effects of loneliness and social isolation. Some villages are intergenerational, others serve seniors specifically. Some offer rides and at-home services, others offer social, educational, and cultural programming, or both. Depending on the village, there may be a cost to join.

Do you know how to find out whether there is a senior village that serves where you live? To find out, click this Senior Villages map and enter your address in the search bar on the right. That will pinpoint your location on the map. Then left click (or right click, depending on your device), which should result in a box with the name and contact information for the village in your area. 

New Ride On Trip Planner App

Image of buses with Ride On Trip Planner heading

We want it be as easy as possible for residents to use public transportation. We know that trying to plan a trip using bus, rail, or bikeshare, can get complicated. Therefore, County’s Department of Transportation launched a new app that will hopefully make it easier to plan travel times in advance and see wait times as well as ridership levels. Riders can download the app from the Google Play or Apple app store. A web-based version of the app also is available.

The app also includes dashboards for the Ride On Central Communications team to monitor bus loads and more quickly dispatch additional buses when buses are full. This will help the County be more efficient with resources, and ultimately reduce wait times for riders.

Small Businesses Along the Purple Line Construction Route: Impact Grant Application Opening Soon

Image of future purple line train heading to Bethesda station

Independently owned and operated businesses with 20 or fewer employees impacted by Purple Line construction can apply for County Phase III grants starting August 15^th. The application will be posted here. The County’s Business Center will host informational webinars on the program on Aug. 29, 30 and 31 at 8070 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring. 

Businesses are encouraged to apply, even if they do not have all the required information readily available. The County’s Business Center staff will assist all businesses throughout the process. Please don’t hesitate to send your questions to Derese.Bikila@montgomerycountymd.gov or BusinessCenter@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Free Hearing Aids for Eligible Residents

Signs of hearing loss such as a loved one complaining the TV is too loud, or if it feels like others are mumbling, or if you often ask people what they just said.

Thanks to federal American Rescue Act funds, the County was able to partner with Access HEARS, to provide free hearing aids and personal sound amplifiers to eligible residents 60-and-over with an annual income below 250 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. This means individuals earning less than $36,450 and couples earning less than $49,300 qualify to participate. Devices will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis and residents interested in receiving hearing aids may apply online via the Access HEARS website or by calling 410-929-0394.

Thank You to Our Fantastic Summer

High School Interns!

This summer, Sophia joined us from Stone Ridge and Landon from Richard Montgomery High School.

Constituent Services

I encourage residents to continue to engage with my office on issues of importance to our community. We appreciate your patience and understanding as our small but mighty team works to respond to your inquiries. Please continue to engage with us by email, visiting our website, Facebook, and Twitter pages, and subscribing to our newsletter.