Spring is here! 🌸 And with it comes many upcoming opportunities to take action all over Montgomery County—some new, and some familiar.
On the new side: the Friendship Heights Plan, Wheaton Plan, and Eastern Silver Spring Communities Plan are all chugging steadily along. Meanwhile, the annual Maryland legislative session in Annapolis is in its final stretch—but you still have time to take action.
On the all too familiar side: plans to redevelop the Chevy Chase Library with housing may be once again under threat. The current draft capital budget omits language about “a mixed-use development at the site of the existing library” that we fought for and won in 2022, instead suggesting renovating the existing library building.
Write to the Council now to raise concerns and support transit-accessible, affordable homes + a brand new library on this unique site!
Carrie Kisicki
Maryland Housing Advocacy Manager, Coalition for Smarter Growth
Coordinator, Montgomery for All
Take action: Support affordable housing at the Chevy Chase Library
In 2022, CSG, Montgomery for All, Action in Montgomery, and other organizations teamed up to rally for co-locating affordable housing with a redeveloped Chevy Chase Library—and won. The Council unanimously passed an unprecedented budget amendment calling for “a new library with a mixed-use development at the site of the existing library.”
Councilmember Will Jawando, who led the amendment, thanked advocates for raising the issue and wrote to colleagues: “Frankly, it does not make sense to refresh the Chevy Chase library, and I recommend we pursue other, more fiscally responsible and impactful options that include affordable housing.”
Now, we need to speak up once again. The current draft capital budget omits mention of a mixed-use development, and allocates funding towards “improvements to the existing library”—suggesting a renovation rather than redevelopment.
Email the Council now and ask them not to pass any budget language that would commit funds to a full renovation and foreclose the possibility of a mixed-use redevelopment on this site for the foreseeable future.
⏱️ There’s still time to speak up for state housing legislation!
The annual Maryland legislative session in Annapolis is coming into its final stretch. A committee re-organization and election-year caution both could have created a more challenging environment for key housing and transportation bills.
Yet I’m happy to say that we’re seeing progress on key fronts. Both the Transit and Housing Opportunity Act and the Housing Certainty Act—two of the three bills in Governor Moore’s housing package—have crossed over from one chamber to another. To pass, the House and Senate must agree on amendments and each vote to approve the final version of the bill before the end of session on April 13.
Email your state legislators today to support key housing legislation before session is over!
Tony Byrne
Steering Committee Chair, Montgomery for All
Make a difference! Upcoming meetings and hearings
- March 31: Friendship Heights Sector Plan Drop-In Office Hours (virtual, 12 – 1:30PM, RSVP)
- April 8: CSG Friendship Heights MD-DC Happy Hour (5 – 7PM, RSVP)
- April 7-9 (multiple dates): Montgomery County Council Fiscal Year 2027 Operating Budget (sign up to testify)
- April 14: WABA, ACT, CSG, and Montgomery for All County Executive Candidate Forum (RSVP)
- April 15: Friendship Heights Sector Plan Drop-In Office Hours – Parks (virtual, 12 – 1:30PM, RSVP)
- April 21: Eastern Silver Spring Communities Plan Open House (5 – 8PM, RSVP)
- April 22: Friendship Heights Sector Plan Drop-In Office Hours – Transportation (virtual, 12 – 1:30PM, RSVP)
- April 14 – 28 (multiple dates): Purple Line Community Advisory Team virtual update meetings (dates here); see website for links closer to meeting dates
- Ongoing: Review the Friendship Heights Sector Plan preliminary recommendations, and provide feedback
- Ongoing: Review the Eastern Silver Spring Communities Plan preliminary recommendations, and take the questionnaire
Become a member of Montgomery for All
Join our community of local advocates when you become a member of Montgomery for All!
Membership is just $5 a year and supports our advocacy for affordable, inclusive housing options and great, walkable communities across the county.
Photo credit: Carrie Kisicki (Chevy Chase Library rally)