Dozens of Montgomery residents packed the Montgomery County Planning Department headquarters in Silver Spring Thursday evening to support the Planning Department’s goal of advancing a new rapid transit system for Montgomery. Citing the proposed system’s potential for offering the best solution to the County’s traffic challenges, reducing local air pollution from car emissions, and providing more affordable transit options and access to jobs for working families and young people, the residents asked the Planning Board to adopt the proposed system into Montgomery’s General Plan for transportation.

WASHINGTON, DC – Last night the Coalition for Smarter Growth presented its Tenth Annual Livable Communities Leadership Award to Gerald T. (Jerry) Halpin, the founder of WEST*GROUP, for his determined leadership in the transformation of Tysons, one of the nation’s most important redevelopment projects. They also recognized the Fairfax County staff for their hard work and important role in developing and implementing the Tysons plan.

In response to the Maryland Senate's vote in favor of the transportation bill (HR 1515), Coalition for Smarter Growth Executive Director Stewart Schwartz issued the following statement: "The Maryland Senate made a winning decision today for Marylanders. Passing the transportation bill means desperately needed transit projects like the Purple Line, Baltimore’s Red Line and MARC upgrades can go forward. Transit projects like these are top priorities to give Marylanders affordable transportation choices, relief from numbing traffic, and cleaner air."

UPPER MARLBORO – Today, the Coalition for Smarter Growth delivered a petition to Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker, urging him to choose a Metro station site for the planned Regional Medical Center. Over 1,000 Prince George’s residents signed the petition. "The petition demonstrates how many people in our county want the new medical center at a convenient Metro site,” said Coalition for Smarter Growth staff representative and Cheverly resident Reba Watkins, who delivered the petition. “As a Prince George's resident, this issue is important to me. Right now, without a car, I have to go to Bethesda or D.C. for quality, convenient care. We can do better." The petition adds to growing consensus that the new hospital should be located at a Metro station site.

We don't need a ranking to know our traffic is bad. What the headlines miss is the crucial role our Metro and our other transit investments have played in preventing gridlock, in offering us an effective alternative to sitting in traffic, and in fueling an economic boom that has revitalized our city and transit-oriented suburbs. "Fifty years ago, visionary leaders conceived, planned and built Metro, and reshaped the Washington, D.C. region. The first order of business is to complete the reinvestment and full rehabilitation of this system that is so critical for our regional economy. We are also calling today for a new vision for a new generation -- for a Next Generation of Transit investments and the leadership to make it happen," said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. "We believe our region's leadership is ready for the challenge."