Nearly No Space Left in Montgomery County
- by Brandon Fuller on Tuesday, June 9, 2009
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Montgomery County is currently undergoing a review of its development plan in anticipation of 195,000 new residents moving to the county by 2030. The county’s planning commission will soon provide a report to the planning board on what types of changes must happen to accomodate this growth.
The big news to come out of the commission’s report is not that they’re proposing more “smart” development clustered around transportation hubs. The big news is that, based on their assessment, only 4% of Montgomery County is available for development.
Over the last 20 years, 40,000 acres of land were developed to keep up with a 195,000 population increase in Montgomery County. Now, only about 14,000 acres are left for development and, according to the commission’s report, much of that land cannot be developed due to slopes and environmental restrictions.
A draft version of the commission’s report is available on the county’s website.
Photo Credit: Flickr CC User thisisbossi
Sphere: Related ContentAbout the Author
Brandon Fuller has written 178 stories on this site.
Brandon Fuller works at the intersection of environmental policy and communications. Currently, he publishes a blog on environmental issues and green living that has been featured in the Washington Post Express, Washingtonian.com, GreenPlanet.com and more. He is also a member of the advisory committee for CarbonFreeDC, a grassroots initiative dedicated to mobilizing DC-area residents to dramatically reduce local carbon emissions. He recently earned a law degree in environmental law and policy and has served as both a Law Clerk and Legislative Assistant for the State of Florida.
