PLAN

INTRODUCTION

East Silver Spring Master Plan 11 Approved and Adopted, December 2000
East Silver Spring Master Plan 12 Approved and Adopted, December 2000
PLANNING CONTEXT
Montgomery County, Maryland, is one of the most prosperous jurisdictions in the country. The County offers
an excellent public school system, extensive park resources, proximity to cultural amenities in Washington,
D.C., and a wide variety of employment opportunities, including the federal government, high-tech and bio-
technology firms, as well as major corporate, education, and research organizations.

East Silver Spring is part of the County’s “Urban Ring,” which also includes the Silver Spring Central
Business District and the central business districts of Bethesda, Friendship Heights, and Wheaton. The Urban
Ring, a concept first established in the 1964 General Plan (On Wedges and Corridors) for the Physical
Development of the Maryland-Washington Regional District Within Montgomery and Prince George’s
Counties and reconfirmed in the 1993 General Plan Refinement, is the more intensively developed area of
Montgomery County nearest Washington, D.C.

The General Plan is based on a “wedges and corridors” concept of regional land use development. Six
corridors of urban development radiate like spokes of a wheel from the existing land use patterns in
Washington, D.C. The corridors of development are separated by wedges of open space, farmland, and lower-
density residential uses. This concept has shaped the County’s land use pattern for more than three decades
by channeling growth into development and transportation corridors, with the Urban Ring in lower
Montgomery County as the most densely developed area.

The Urban Ring communities inside the Capital Beltway in Montgomery County have been designated as
part of the State’s Smart Growth initiative, a program that focuses development funds and incentives in
appropriate growth areas and limits development in agricultural and other resource areas.

Smart Growth Program

What is Smart Growth?

Smart Growth is a State program that invests public funds in older urban areas, revitalizing and maintaining them
as desirable places to live, work, and spend time. The State of Maryland is moving forward with short- and long-
term solutions to improve specific locations and is developing a comprehensive approach to balancing the
demands of growth and traffic with quality of life.

Why use Smart Growth?

Using public funds to encourage private investment in urban areas preserves rural and suburban open space, and
maximizes investments already made in urban infrastructure such as roads, transit, and water and sewerage
systems.

How can it work in Silver Spring/Takoma Park?

The Silver Spring/Takoma Park community-based planning area is ideally positioned to become a premier Smart
Growth community by providing a mix of land uses—housing, retail, jobs, transit access, and civic
opportunities—that will support, sustain, and enliven community life.

East Silver Spring Master Plan 13 Approved and Adopted, December 2000
THE ROLE OF A MASTER PLAN
A master plan provides comprehensive recommendations and guidelines for the use of land within its
boundaries. Each master plan reflects a vision of future development that responds to the unique character
of the local community within the context of County-wide policies. It addresses physical planning issues,
such as land use, zoning, transportation, parks, community facilities, and bikeway and pedestrian connections.
Master plans are updated every 10-20 years, recognizing that circumstances change and that the specifics of
a plan may become less relevant over time.

Master plans include text, design guidelines, graphics, and maps. Generally, graphics in an adopted master
plan are for illustrative purposes and are intended to convey a general sense of desirable future character
rather than a specific commitment to a particular detailed design.

A master plan is created over time with the input and participation of community members, residents and
business people, and with discussion between County and State agencies. Developing a plan is a process that
educates, prompting thought and self-definition; it culminates in a commitment to the community’s future.
Once the plan is approved by the County Council and adopted by The Maryland-National Capital Park and
Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), the rezoning process and special studies needed to implement the plan’s
recommendations are begun.

East Silver Spring Master Plan 14 Approved and Adopted, December 2000
THE MASTER PLANNING PROCESS
RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER PLANS
The Silver Spring/Takoma Park community-based planning area covers the portion of Montgomery County
that is generally located between the Capital Beltway and the District of Columbia, east of Rock Creek Park
and west of Prince George’s County. It encompasses several community master plan areas: East Silver
Spring, Four Corners, North Silver Spring, the Silver Spring Central Business District (CBD), Takoma Park,
and West Silver Spring (see Map 3).

The Master Plan for Silver Spring - East was adopted in 1977. That Plan established a vision for East Silver
Spring that emphasized preservation of existing neighborhoods, upgrading of commercial areas, and adequacy
of public facilities and transportation services.

OUTREACH PROGRAM
The East Silver Spring Master Plan was prepared under the streamlined process approved by the Montgomery
County Planning Board and the County Council in September 1997 and described in The Master Planning
Process report published by the Montgomery County Department of Park and Planning. As part of this
process, a Master Plan Advisory Group (MPAG) was appointed by the Planning Board. The MPAG included
residents as well as people with other interests in East Silver Spring. A draft Purpose and Outreach Strategy
Report was presented to the Planning Board in April 1998 and, after input from the MPAG and the
community, was approved by the Board in July 1998. The Purpose and Outreach Strategy Report identified
those issues to be addressed in the master plan and described the strategy for getting public input during the
process.

The MPAG members met with staff on a regular basis and discussed a range of issues during the development
of the master plan. Community workshops and forums were also held to broaden public participation
opportunities in the planning process.

A draft illustrative concept plan, a graphic illustration of major master plan themes, was developed with
community and MPAG input and presented at a community workshop. The MPAG and staff then began to
identify and evaluate alternative master plan options. During this process, a Technical Working Group (TWG)
composed of staff from relevant County and State agencies, as well as Park and Planning staff, provided
valuable input on implementation issues associated with master plan alternatives and preliminary
recommendations.

During the development of this Plan, several other initiatives provided valuable information about the East
Silver Spring communities. A telephone survey conducted in English and Spanish provided information about
the community—the concerns and opinions of Silver Spring and Takoma Park residents—and was presented
to the Planning Board. An economic health assessment of the area’s retail activities was prepared, as was an
assessment of housing and the resident population. A transportation and circulation report was prepared by
Planning staff to look comprehensively at the overall circulation system and develop informed
recommendations in the five Silver Spring/Takoma Park master plan areas. (See report in Appendix G.)

East Silver Spring Master Plan 15 Approved and Adopted, December 2000
OVERARCHING ISSUES
Both the East Silver Spring and the Takoma Park Master Plans were updated at the same time so that issues
common to both areas could be addressed collectively. Such issues include apartment zoning, commercial
centers, community facilities, parks, traffic circulation, and pedestrian and bikeway connections.

NEXT STEPS
After data collection, community outreach, and MPAG meetings, recommendations that reflect a balanced
response to the needs of the East Silver Spring community were developed and presented in a Staff Draft
Master Plan.

The Staff Draft was reviewed by the Planning Board and approved for release as a Public Hearing Draft, with
necessary modifications, for public comment at a public hearing. The Board held worksessions to review
testimony and the Plan’s recommendations. The Planning Board recommended the Planning Board Draft
Master Plan to the County Council.

The County Council conducted a similar review process, including a public hearing and worksessions. The
County Executive prepared a fiscal analysis of the Master Plan’s recommendations. After close scrutiny and
appropriate modifications, the Plan was approved by the County Council and adopted by the M-NCPPC. The
zoning recommended by the Plan will be implemented by a Sectional Map Amendment.

East Silver Spring Master Plan 17 Approved and Adopted, December 2000
 The East Silver Spring Master Plan Process

Phase One
Undertake detailed data collection, technical analysis, map preparation, and community information gathering;
undertake Silver Spring/Takoma Park telephone survey
Phase Two
Develop Purpose and Outreach Strategy Report and form Master Plan Advisory Groups (MPAGs)
Phase Three
Finalize Purpose and Outreach Strategy Report; form Technical Working Group(TWG)
Phase Four
Develop draft Illustrative Concept Plan; meet with MPAG and TWG, hold community workshops and
outreach forums; develop Master Plan recommendations
Phase Five
Prepare and finalize Staff Draft Master Plan; present to the Planning Board
Phase Six
Hold Planning Board Public Hearing and Worksessions; transmit Final Draft Master Plan
and Framework for Action to the County Council and County Executive
Phase Seven
Receive County Executive comment and fiscal impact analysis on the Final Draft Master Plan
Framework for Action
Phase Eight
Hold County Council Public Hearing and Worksessions; approve Master Plan and Action Strategy
Phase Nine
Plan adopted by The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Phase Ten
Plan implementation monitored through the Framework for Action and the Master Plan Status Report

Figure 1

East Silver Spring Master Plan 18 Approved and Adopted, December 2000