Montgomery County Considers Streamlining Approval Process for New Sidewalks

The Montgomery County Council’s Transportation and Environment Committee will meet Monday, November 16, to review legislation that would streamline public hearing requirements for sidewalk and shared-use path construction, including reducing the number of property owners needed to waive a hearing from a majority to 25 percent.

The Planning, Housing and Parks Committee will also meet Monday to receive briefings on the Emory Grove Task Force’s findings regarding historical displacement and the Planning Department’s housing needs, resident preferences and projected housing demand through 2050. Full agenda below courtesy Montgomery County Government:

“The Transportation and Environment (TE) Committee will meet on Monday, Nov. 16 at 9:30 a.m. to review Bill 51-26, Streets and Roads – Public Hearing Requirements – Amendments.

The members of the TE Committee include Chair Evan Glass, Council Vice President Marilyn Balcombe and Councilmember Kate Stewart.

The Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to receive briefings about the Emory Grove Task Force and the Planning Department’s Housing Preferences Survey, Housing Needs Assessment and housing needs projections.

The members of the PHP Committee include Chair Andrew Friedson, Council President Natali Fani-González and Councilmember Will Jawando.

More detail on each agenda item is provided below.

Review: The TE Committee will review Bill 51-26, Streets and Roads – Public Hearing Requirements – Amendments, which would modify public hearing requirements for a sidewalk or side path. Bill 51-26 would reduce the administrative public hearing requirement for sidewalk or side path construction but still retain a community-support mechanism. In addition, the bill would lower the number of property owners required to sign a petition to waive the public hearing, from a majority of property owners to at least 25 percent of property owners located on the proposed route of the sidewalk or path.

The legislation would further expedite the administrative approval process by allowing faster construction of noncontroversial sidewalks and hiker-biker paths that have substantial community support, are in the public right-of-way and don’t require detailed engineering design.

Councilmember Glass is the lead sponsor of Bill 51-26. All other Councilmembers are cosponsors.

Briefing: The PHP Committee will receive a briefing about the work of the Emory Grove Urban Renewal Task Force. The briefing will include an overview of the historic and contemporary context of Emory Grove before and after urban renewal, the role of Heritage Emory Grove and a summary of the Emory Grove Task Force Final Report. The task force was created following Governor Wes Moore’s signing of the Montgomery County – Task Force on the Displacement of Residents of Emory Grove Act on May 13, 2025. Introduced by Delegate Charlotte Crutchfield, the goal of this legislation is to “study how urban renewal caused the displacement of residents from the Emory Grove community and make recommendations on potential remedies for those who were displaced by urban renewal.”

Briefing: The PHP Committee will receive a briefing about the Planning Department’s Housing Preferences Survey, Housing Needs Assessment and housing needs projections, which were developed to create a comprehensive understanding of current housing conditions, future housing needs and resident housing preferences in the County. The Housing Preferences Survey provides an examination of housing choices, affordability, neighborhood characteristics and attitudes toward future growth and development. The Housing Needs Assessment provides an evaluation of current housing conditions in Montgomery County, drawing on analyses of demographic trends, housing supply, affordability and housing gaps. The housing needs projections examine housing demand through 2050 and are based on an analysis of household growth, demographic change, housing demand and development capacity.

Montgomery County Considers Streamlining Approval Process for New Sidewalks

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