|
Nov. 30, 2023
The Anti-Hate Task Force presented its final policy recommendations this week at a community meeting at the Wheaton Community Recreation Center. I led the effort to create this task force back in June and have been inspired by their work over the past several months. Each of the six cohorts held listening sessions, shared important historical context and presented recommendations that range from community-specific outreach efforts to broader policy changes.
These are difficult times. While many of us might be transfixed on actions in the Middle East, I am equally focused on ensuring peaceful relations within our community.
It was heartening to see the culmination of the task force’s efforts and I look forward to working with my colleagues to implement their recommendations in the coming year. Visit the Council’s webpage for more information and to watch the final presentation.
Check out highlights from Channel 7 News here.
Housing is extremely expensive in our region. One of the reasons is because new apartment buildings are required to provide parking for residents – even if they don’t want or need it. As we continue being smart in our housing strategy, namely by encouraging new growth in transit-oriented areas where robust public transportation infrastructure offsets the need for single occupancy automobiles, we need to rethink the demands placed on housing that artificially inflates its cost.
According to our Transportation Department, it costs between $70,000 to $100,000 to build each underground parking space that is required for new development in our urban areas.
This is why I joined Vice President Andrew Friedson and Councilmember Kristin Mink this week to introduce a zoning measure that will reduce the cost of housing and promote car-free living.
The proposed zoning measure would eliminate parking requirements within a half-mile radius of a Metro station, a half-mile radius of a Purple Line station, or within a quarter-mile radius of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station. If adopted, Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 23-10 would encourage the development of housing, including affordable units, near transit corridors and would help Montgomery County reach its climate goals by promoting public transit and taking cars off the road.
Read stories in The Washington Post and MoCo360 to learn more.
On Wednesday the Council greeted hundreds of MCPS students for its annual Youth Town Hall. It’s one of my favorite events of the year, as youth voices help make positive social change in our schools, neighborhoods and community. As the former executive director of an after-school program, I appreciate how youth-driven advocacy positively impacts our community.
Thank you to everyone who came out and participated in the inspiring conversation.
I was humbled to receive the “Dr. Joseph Biden, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Southern Asian Seventh-day Adventist Church. The award honors leaders in public service and I am deeply honored to receive this recognition.
I joined SASDAC for their Thanksgiving service and celebration, which is where I was presented with the award. Several members of SASDAC recently traveled with me and county leaders on the economic development mission trip to India and Vietnam. I'm proud to have strong community organizations like SASDAC in Montgomery County and am appreciative of all the work they do on behalf of our community.
The Montgomery County Police Department has launched its Private Security Camera Incentive Program. Montgomery County residents, businesses and nonprofits located in MCPD-designated priority areas may now apply for a rebate to cover security camera installation costs. Eligible applicants will be reimbursed up to $250 for one camera at an individual residence and up to $1,250 for five cameras for businesses and nonprofits.
The Council passed legislation establishing this program last year with the aim of deterring crime in targeted priority areas throughout the County. We hope that this initiative, as well as continued investments in our religious and nonprofit security grant program, will help keep our diverse communities safe.
Learn more about the security camera program.
Are you and your family looking for more ways to be festive this holiday season? Montgomery County has some of the best light displays in the region, including Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens, Winter City Lights in Olney, and Winter Lights in Gaithersburg.
Check out Visit Montgomery’s guide to the top holiday light displays and experiences across the County for the whole family to enjoy!
A constituent reached out to my office earlier this month about overflowing trash cans at the Sleaford Tunnel in Chevy Chase. After jumping through many bureaucratic hurdles, my case manager Hope ultimately worked with MCDOT to ensure they will maintain responsibility for clearing the trash cans going forward.
This is what they looked like before (they’ve since been emptied). Thank you to the constituent that brought this to our attention and to MCDOT for helping to keep our communities clean!
Did you know that the amount of household waste in the U.S. increases by 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day?
Join the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection in “gifting green” this holiday season, and check out their Gift Outside the Box campaign to get ideas on how to fill hearts without filling landfills. Gifts that are bought locally, reusable gifts and gifted experiences -- like concert or movie tickets -- are some ways to gift greener this year.
Please do not reply to this email. To contact my office, email me at Councilmember.Glass@montgomerycountymd.gov.
|
