PHED MARATHON STARTS: FIRST SESSION TOMORROW MORNING, 9:30 AM
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Meredith Wellington
Jun 13, 2013, 6:19:30 PM6/13/13
to neighborhood montgomery
Dear Neighbors,
The PHED Committee holds its first supersession on the Zoning Rewrite tomorrow morning at 9:30 AM in the 7th floor hearing room at the County Council Office Building. The subject is Overview/Preliminary Implementation/Agricultural zone. I’ll be there. Please come if you can.
There are then 7 sessions through the end of July, and 2 in September. The “wrap-up, including any outstanding implementation issues” is now scheduled for September 20th, and, after that the Council could vote shortly thereafter to approve the new code and to rezone important areas of the County.
It’s summer, and this is a dismaying schedule—almost denigrating to the public—but let’s try to have some citizens at each session. I am including the schedule that is in the Staff Report (it’s after “Neighborhood Montgomery”, and if you could email me when you are able to attend, we can be sure to have at least one citizen at each session. As I said, I’ll be there tomorrow morning, and I hope others will be, too.
On the substance, here is the link to the Staff Report:
http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/agenda/cm/2013/130614/20130614_PHED2.pdf
I have read through it, but not studied it. Two things struck me:
First, according to Staff (pp.7-8), the Council may wish to get rid of of site plan—where the public is involved—in favor of streamlined, administrative approval. Staff states:
Approval by staff would be a more efficient process. The Board did not wish to reduce the amount of public involvement in the development process. The Council may wish [to] look at alternatives for a more streamlined process that would require changing the discretionary findings. The Committee will have a worksession in September regarding all aspects of the administration article.
That sounds like “the man at the counter”--more pulling the shades on development in the County.
Second, Staff is going to Rewrite the Rewrite!
At p. 3, under the title “Plain English Editing”, Staff states:
The Council should anticipate that staff will recommend numerous "plain English" edits.
Staff does not seek to use the Committee's time for "plain English" edits. By the first week in September, staff will distribute an edited code for the purpose of indicating plain English changes recommended by staff. Any substantive changes recommended by the Committee will also be included in that draft.
This means that throughout the PHED sessions, Staff will be “editing” the new code, and the public will not know what the “edits” are. We will see the “edits” in September. The wording of the new code is very important, and it should not be edited unilaterally outside the purview of the public.
As you can see, there is much to address.
See you tomorrow,
Meredith
Neighborhood Montgomery
A Neighborhood Network for Sensible Growth
http://groups.google.com/group/neighborhood-montgomery
The Staff Report sets out the following schedule:
June 14
Overview /Preliminary Implementation/Agricultural zone
June 21
Rural and Residential zones
June 28
C/R zones
July 2
Employment and Industrial zones
July 12
Overlay zones
July 19
Floating zones
July 26
Parking/Signs
September 13
Administration and Procedure
September 20
Wrap-up, including any outstanding implementation issues
The PHED Committee holds its first supersession on the Zoning Rewrite tomorrow morning at 9:30 AM in the 7th floor hearing room at the County Council Office Building. The subject is Overview/Preliminary Implementation/Agricultural zone. I’ll be there. Please come if you can.
There are then 7 sessions through the end of July, and 2 in September. The “wrap-up, including any outstanding implementation issues” is now scheduled for September 20th, and, after that the Council could vote shortly thereafter to approve the new code and to rezone important areas of the County.
It’s summer, and this is a dismaying schedule—almost denigrating to the public—but let’s try to have some citizens at each session. I am including the schedule that is in the Staff Report (it’s after “Neighborhood Montgomery”, and if you could email me when you are able to attend, we can be sure to have at least one citizen at each session. As I said, I’ll be there tomorrow morning, and I hope others will be, too.
On the substance, here is the link to the Staff Report:
http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/agenda/cm/2013/130614/20130614_PHED2.pdf
I have read through it, but not studied it. Two things struck me:
First, according to Staff (pp.7-8), the Council may wish to get rid of of site plan—where the public is involved—in favor of streamlined, administrative approval. Staff states:
Approval by staff would be a more efficient process. The Board did not wish to reduce the amount of public involvement in the development process. The Council may wish [to] look at alternatives for a more streamlined process that would require changing the discretionary findings. The Committee will have a worksession in September regarding all aspects of the administration article.
That sounds like “the man at the counter”--more pulling the shades on development in the County.
Second, Staff is going to Rewrite the Rewrite!
At p. 3, under the title “Plain English Editing”, Staff states:
The Council should anticipate that staff will recommend numerous "plain English" edits.
Staff does not seek to use the Committee's time for "plain English" edits. By the first week in September, staff will distribute an edited code for the purpose of indicating plain English changes recommended by staff. Any substantive changes recommended by the Committee will also be included in that draft.
This means that throughout the PHED sessions, Staff will be “editing” the new code, and the public will not know what the “edits” are. We will see the “edits” in September. The wording of the new code is very important, and it should not be edited unilaterally outside the purview of the public.
As you can see, there is much to address.
See you tomorrow,
Meredith
Neighborhood Montgomery
A Neighborhood Network for Sensible Growth
http://groups.google.com/group/neighborhood-montgomery
The Staff Report sets out the following schedule:
June 14
Overview /Preliminary Implementation/Agricultural zone
June 21
Rural and Residential zones
June 28
C/R zones
July 2
Employment and Industrial zones
July 12
Overlay zones
July 19
Floating zones
July 26
Parking/Signs
September 13
Administration and Procedure
September 20
Wrap-up, including any outstanding implementation issues
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