Montgomery County Planning Board public hearings on the Friendship Heights Sector Plan Update are just around the corner! Hearings will take place on Sept. 10th (afternoon, virtual and in-person) and Sept. 14th (evening, in-person only). Learn more and sign up here.
You can also email your comments to the Planning Board directly to MCP-Chair@mncppc-mc.org. Email by noon on Sept. 12th, include your mailing address, and mention that you are commenting on the Friendship Heights Sector Plan Update!
Short on time, or not sure where to get started with your comments? Start from our pre-written message, and share this link with a friend who needs ideas about where to start!
Why we’re excited about the Friendship Heights Sector Plan Update
Friendship Heights is a vibrant, transit-rich community straddling the MD-DC border. In recent years, the area has faced a decline in retail and an uptick in vacancies as commercial trends have shifted nationally.
This plan envisions Friendship Heights’ vacant and underutilized properties as opportunities for mixed-use redevelopment that will offer new homes right near transit, and bring in new local amenities and businesses alongside the residents needed to sustain them.
More homes for more people near transit: Zoning changes proposed in the plan will make it possible to build more homes within walking distance of a Metro Red Line station–allowing more people to save money on transportation, and live car-free or car-lite.
Allowing young people + families to live in Montgomery County: Friendship Heights today has fewer young people and families than other parts of the county. New homes, including those with family-sized units, will allow more young people to call this great neighborhood home.
Safer places to walk and bike: The plan proposes major bike and pedestrian improvements like new bike lanes, additional protected crosswalks, and fewer obstructions in the sidewalk.
New residents = thriving local businesses: More people means more retail, restaurant, and entertainment opportunities! Not only will new mixed-use developments bring in amenities that benefit everyone, like a potential future library, improved sidewalks, and new public spaces—they’ll also bring in the people needed to sustain local businesses and help them thrive.
A chance for generational change: This plan is coming at exactly the right time for Friendship Heights, which is ripe for a reimagining of its underutilized commercial and retail spaces. Over the next 20+ years, the plan will help transform these sites into key parts of a thriving, sustainable, transit-oriented community.
Still looking for inspiration for your comments? Watch or read our testimony on the recently approved Friendship Commons redevelopment on the former GEICO campus, located within the Friendship Heights Sector Plan area!
Send a message to the Planning Board today to let them know you support a plan with a transformative vision that realizes the full potential of a more sustainable, welcoming, and transit-oriented Friendship Heights.
Photo credit: Montgomery County Council