Category: Montgomery County

COMMENTS: Thrive Coalition Sign-on Letter (Fall 2022)

September 30, 2022

Montgomery County Council
Council Office Building
100 Maryland Ave, 6th Floor
Rockville, MD 20850

Re: Support for Thrive Montgomery 2050

Council President Albornoz and Councilmembers:

The undersigned organizations are excited for the County Council to strengthen and approve Thrive 2050 this fall. Thrive is the right direction and vision for Montgomery County. 

Thrive — as currently written and with the inclusion of new chapters on equity, the economy, and the environment — will set the county on a new path toward more sustainable, inclusive policies that will help to spur our economy, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and break down the county’s east-west divide. Although it is a visionary document, that vision matters. The best way for us to grow is compactly in complete communities with a robust transit system, abundant housing for people of all incomes, and a natural environment and infrastructure that will help us to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

These are policies supported by our organizations and residents alike. In a statistically significant poll from Data for Progress, 55% of likely Democratic voters in Montgomery County expressed support for Thrive, with the strongest support from Black or African Americans, people under 45, and renters. In another poll, 61% of respondents supported the construction of duplexes, townhomes, and/or apartments in their own neighborhood and 76% supported redesigning roads to prioritize safety over vehicle speeds. Nspiregreen’s additional outreach also showed majority support across Thrive’s issues and policies.

But Thrive is only the beginning. We look forward to working with you, your successors, and the community over the next three decades to bring Thrive’s vision into reality. For now, our organizations urge you to make the amendments needed to make Thrive an even stronger document, and then to pass the plan by the end of this County Council term.

Sincerely,

Montgomery for All
Coalition for Smarter Growth
Action in Montgomery
Audubon Naturalist Society
Affordable Housing Conference of Montgomery County
Sierra Club – Montgomery County
Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing
Montgomery Housing Alliance
HAND (Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers)
Washington Area Bicyclist Association
Enterprise Community Partners
Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland
Action Committee for Transit

TESTIMONY re: Bill 22-22E – Landlord-Tenant Relations – Limitations on Rent Increases (Support)

The Coalition for Smarter Growth supports Bill 22-22E, which would limit rent increases to 4.4 percent for six months, and strongly urges you to develop and implement a long-term policy that protects tenants without hindering the construction of new housing. We also associate ourselves with the testimony of the Montgomery Housing Alliance, of which we are a member.

Register for our Diverse Neighborhoods webinar, on July 27!

Join us to learn about how the right policies and investments can allow neighborhoods to grow in a way that support racial and economic diversity. The DC region is one of the most diverse places in the country, but remains largely segregated. We’ll talk about the latest research, the policy implications, and why it matters to yo