InfoShare Newsletter - March 12, 2010

[Howard Hartman]

THE MARYLAND-NATIONAL CAPITAL PARK AND PLANNING COMMISSION March 12, 2010          PLANNING BOARD | DEPARTMENT OF PARKS | PLANNING DEPARTMENT
In This Issue The Straight Line Blog Look for Us at These Events Zoning Rewrite Open Houses Find a Conservation Easement Easily Plant a Tree This Spring Tips to be an Effective Speaker Census Form Waiting for You Deer Management Operations Announced Reducing our Footprint Video Neighborhood Walk-Abouts Brookside Gardens Get Involved in Planning Cable Show Encapsulates Monthly Planning Board Activities Park Permits Online A Gift of Green... Quick Links    Planning Board homepage Planning Department homepage Department of Parks homepage Park Police homepage   Planning - Career Opportunities Parks - Career Opportunities   Watch us on County Cable Montgomery Channel 6 Parks Show Montgomery Plans Growing Right   Find archives of Info-Share and more at Connected Communities		Greetings! Below is a listing of upcoming events, programs and meetings as well as important announcements from The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission in Montgomery County. Please pass the information along to others who may be interested.   Marcia Goldberg  Community Outreach and Media Relations Planning Board Meetings Agendas will be posted on our website for:   Monday, March 15, 7 p.m. Park and Planning Headquarters 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD  20910   Thursday, March 18, 9 a.m. Park and Planning Headquarters 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD  20910   Thursday, March 25, 9 a.m. Park and Planning Headquarters 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD  20910   Everyone who speaks at a Planning Board meeting must register with the board assistant unless he or she has already signed up in advance using the agenda web page, which can occur only after the agenda is posted. Register at the meeting by submitting a yellow form available in the auditorium or a business card. We now stream the Planning Board meetings online. Watch live on our website or view later from our archives. Was InfoShare Sent to You by a Friend?  Anyone with an email address can sign up to receive our weekly newsletter.
Visit The Straight Line Our new blog, The Straight Line, offers Montgomery County's Planning Department's take on community design -- the buildings, streets and spaces that make up where we live, work and play. Our planners and architects look at building form, sustainability and energy use, and the just plain quirky. But we don't know it all. Come back often to check out our musings. And, by all means, set us straight. Look for Us at These Events Tuesday, March 16, 7:30 p.m. Agricultural Advisory Board meeting Upcounty Regional Services Center, 12900 Middlebrook Road, Germantown Community planner Callum Murray will attend.   Tuesday, March 16, 7:30 p.m.  Montgomery County's BRAC Implementation Committee  Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center The agenda may include a follow-up discussion on long-range vision for the community as well as monthly updates by the BRAC Coordinator, MDOT, MC-DOT, NNMC, and the Neighborhood Coalition. View more information on this and future meetings, and summaries of previous meetings on the Community Involvement Page.   Division Chief John Carter and Planners Larry Cole and Nkosi Yearwood will attend. Tax Credits Available for Snowstorm-Affected Historic Homes Historic homes damaged in this winter's storms are eligible for local tax credits for repairs. Owners of buildings listed in the county Master Plan for Historic Preservation may apply for a Montgomery County Historic Preservation Tax Credit for repairs to roofs, gutters and the like as long as the work does not alter the look of a building's exterior features. To qualify, the cost of the repair work must exceed $1,000. The tax credit, applied toward county property taxes, will equal 10 percent of expenses. View a list of eligible activities, criteria and/or download an application form or call 301-563-3400. Zoning Rewrite Open Houses Tuesday, April 20, 7:30 p.m. Park and Planning Headquarters 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring   Wednesday, April 21, noon to 1:30 p.m. Rockville Library 21 Maryland Avenue, Rockville   Planners have scheduled two more opportunities for the public to learn about the key elements of the zoning code rewrite project. Browse displays depicting restructured zones, reorganized land use tables, standards such as lighting, landscaping and parking, and interact with planners and their consultants from Code Studio. Find a Forest Conservation Easement Do you have a forest conservation easement on or near your property? Easements protect forests on private land by limiting certain activities, part of the Planning Board's emphasis on forest conservation. Now you can locate easement areas using our online tool. Tree Damage from Snowstorms? Plant Another Tree With a Little Help From Us Spring is around the corner, and it's a great time to plant a tree. Consider replacing storm-damaged trees with help from our tree planting program. Leaves for Neighborhoods features a $25 coupon valid for trees worth $75 or more at participating county nurseries. The coupon is available online and at selected area nurseries, Park and Planning headquarters and county park sites.  Tips to be an Effective Speaker before the Board Interested in plans for your area? The Planning Board appreciates hearing from you. To give the best testimony, browse our testifying tips. Be on the Look Out for Census 2010 This month, all households will receive a U.S. Census form. We encourage everyone to fill out and return the brief form for themselves and their dependents so all can be counted.   The Census provides a snapshot of everyone living in the United States on April 1, 2010. And that means everyone, from immigrants to visiting students to newborn babies. An accurate count is essential for accurate representation in Congress and federal funding for infrastructure such as bridges and hospitals. It also helps planners envisioning the communities of our future. Learn more.   Parks Deer Management Operations Underway Deer management operations in Montgomery County Parks continue for the fall 2009/winter 2010 season, which will result in several intermittent park closures. The department's seasonal deer management operations began Friday, October 30 at Hoyles Mill Conservation Park and will be completed on March 31.  Park users are encouraged to note park closures, affecting specific park locations during this period. "Park Closed" signs will be posted surrounding the affected parks. Reducing Our Footprint View the 2009-2011 Montgomery County growth policy video, Reducing our Footprint. The 4½-minute video, which won a platinum Ava award, provides an overview of the concepts presented in the Planning Board draft of the 2009-2011 Growth Policy. Ava awards recognize outstanding work by creative professionals involved in the concept, writing, direction, shooting and editing of audio/visual materials and programs.  Planning Director Rollin Stanley, Staff Offer Neighborhood Walkabouts Invite County Planning Director Rollin Stanley and selected staff on a tour of your neighborhood as part of our new walkabouts exploring design, diversity, connections, and the environment in your part of Montgomery County. Here's your opportunity to:   Tell us about your community Highlight community strengths and weaknesses Identify issues Learn more about planning initiatives   Request your tour. Brookside Gardens Delivers List of Activities in E-Newsletter Brookside Gardens 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton 301-962-1400 www.brooksidegardens.org   Preview the new e-newsletter for Brookside Gardens and sign up to receive this valuable resource. Learn How to Get Involved in Montgomery County Planning To increase resident involvement in the planning process, the Planning Board, in concert with County Cable Montgomery, has produced a CD that reviews the many ways county residents can have a voice in planning their communities. The episode won a "gold" Ava award from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. Request a free copy of How to get Involved in Montgomery County Planning. Monthly Cable Shows Feature Planning Board Activities  Learn more about Planning Board activities each month on our cable program, Growing Right. In partnership with County Cable Montgomery, we launched Growing Right to highlight the Planning Board's main actions in a news show format. Learn more about development applications, parks initiatives and county-wide planning studies. The lively show includes interviews with board members and planners as well as onsite location shots. Other CCM-produced educational programs about parks and plannning include The Parks Show and Montgomery Plans. Park Permits Website Faster and Easier! www.ParkPermits.org has a new look with new features. Now park users can find, check the availability of, reserve and pay to permit popular park facilities such as picnic shelters, campsites, park activity buildings and others with ease. The recently upgraded Park Permits website offers park users 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week access. A Gift of Green: Trees, Benches and Other Amenities Friends and family members can be honored by having a tree planted or a bench or picnic area installed in a Montgomery County Park. This gift keeps on giving! For more information and suggestions, visit GreenGifts.  For information on planning your gift, contact Tin-Mala in the Grants and Donations Program at 301-650-5676.

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission | 8787 Georgia Ave | Silver Spring | MD | 20910