Thrive 2050, the County’s general plan update being considered by the Council, is troubling many residents regarding myriad shortcomings and inconsistencies.  A central concern remains - the significant overhaul by MC Planning of the draft that was crafted with public input (we breakdown the striking differences between the plans here)- a move that relegated any discussion of how we meet environmental goals and climate resilience into an Non-binding appendix of suggestions.

And yet the plan seems to be speeding toward approval at the Council.

There is one glaring omission from the plan that should give the Council pause.
​
Why does Thrive barely mention water resources - the one most critical resource we can't do without?​


 We can't emphasize this problem better than supporter Amanda Farber did on Facebook:

In a plan meant to chart the future of our community- what you focus on is what you get more of - so where is the focus on the most essential resource we need?  The plan points to a 2010 functional water resources plan for guidance - that plan is both dated and expires in 2030. 

Thrive Omissions:

• The plan makes no mention of: "Chesapeake Bay" , "Potomac River", or "Patuxent River" and passing mention of the sole source aquifer that supplies most of the Reserve. The plan seems willfully disinterested in where our water comes from or where it is ultimately going.

• Unlike the plans of  surrounding jurisdictions , Thrive contains no watershed maps or stream quality maps and thus no discussion of their import.
  ​
• The plan makes no mention of projections from the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin that by 2040 we will have severe droughts where demand will far exceed supply, even with the 4 proposed new reservoirs.
  
  
• The Thrive draft moving toward approval already has 60% fewer instances of the word "equity" than the draft created with public input. Water is an equity issue. The quality of the water that flows from the tap and through our streams matters to all neighborhoods. Like other green infrastructure like canopy cover,  stream mapping would show that poorer neighborhoods have disproportionate water quality deficits with the associated public health issues.

The Council can not responsibly pass Thrive 2050 unless it includes a comprehensive vision of how we secure and distribute our water resources. 
Restoring the environmental chapter that was relegated to the appendix would go a long way to meeting this need. 
Take 2 minutes to let the Council know your thoughts before the next listening session on December 15: 

Update 11.8 The PHED Committee has released their draft of the Thrive Plan. Much like the staff recommendations, the changes are mostly in the introduction and conclusion sections of the plan.
Still missing from the plan are the chapters that specifically outline the goals and action items on environmental protection and climate mitigation that were stripped from the plan after the public hearings (see: Thrive By the Numbers for a comparison of the document created with public input and this far more watered down one the Council is moving toward approval). 
Councilmember Hans Riemer even called for these sections to be put back into the plan at a worksession in July. CM Riemer says  “I’m definitely convinced we need to have the chapter on the environment back in the main plan. Like no question about that. Let’s do that." So we are left to wonder - where is is? 

Update 10.22: The PHED Committee of the Council met on moving Thrive forward. While the inclusion of more language promoting Green Infrastructure, most of the changes are in the conclusion and introduction portions of the document.  See the staff recommendations here. 

The Thrive 2050 plan, the master plan update process that will guide the county's growth and development for the coming decades is nearing approval by the Council. Many residents are frustrated with the lack of concrete recommendations in the plan that take on real challenges like affordable housing, equity and climate preparedness.  As the plan moves forward, the county seems to be spending more time calling these legitimate concerns "myths" to be dispelled in both text and video form than revising the plan to make it stronger. 

It is fact, not myth, that the draft Thrive plan does not give appropriate emphasis to climate change response, the importance of green infrastructure and the role of the Reserve in our resilience both in food and fiber production and biodiversity. In general, the final plan offers 85% less actions than the one created from public listening sessions plus many other alarming reductions as seen below. (Check out Thrive by the Word Counts to see the data.) 
Dismissing concerns and those who express them  (repeatedly and in slick production) about the implications of the draft “Thrive” plan as myths reflects the continued disdain held for the public by Planning. 

We are proud to have joined with other civic organizations to call on the Council to add a comprehensive green infrastructure plan as a core priority of the Thrive 2050 plan. Green Infrastructure includes things like: interconnected greenway spaces, conservation landscaping including tree plantings and rain gardens, and constructed wetlands. 

This letter does not just call for green infrastructure to be made a priority - but the equitable distribution of the green infrastructure as well. 

The measure of "Tree Equity" is a term coined by planners to address the the disparity in green infrastructure in low income neighborhoods. Lower tree canopy is statistically correlated with poor health outcomes.  Green infrastructure can make healthier and more resilient communities (improving air quality, reducing flooding, reducing temperature)  and makes the biggest impact in the most vulnerable neighborhoods, just the sort of solution we should be prioritizing as we plan decades ahead. 

The letter urging Green Infrastructure planning has gone to the Council but we need your help to amplify the message - please take two minutes to send the Council a note. 

An Update- There have been some who insist that green infrastructure and environmental protection is already a part of the draft Thrive plan. For those wanting to take a deeper dive into the shortcomings of the plan on this score - please see the explainer here: "When Protecting the Environment is like dressing on the side."

The Thrive 2050 Plan is a sweeping update to the County's master plan that will guide growth, transportation and land use for the coming decades. In other words - a highly consequential document. (Scroll back through our many, many posts on this)

The plan seems to be speeding toward approval - with the record closing on 7/9. You would be forgiven for having just heard of this process - we have all had  a lot on our minds recently. Unfortunately, the draft that is up for a vote at the Council is woefully lacking. Not only it is a missed opportunity to meet our moment by laying out plans for climate resilience, forest protection and equity - it pales in comparison to the Thrive 2050 draft  that residents provided comment on in the public hearing. In fact, many of the specific action items from the earlier document were deleted or relegated to the appendix of the final plan - this includes forest and water protections, climate resiliency measures and strong support for the Ag Reserve. 
​
(Ready to write to the council with our letter tool?)

A side by side comparison is instructive. Here is the Public Hearing Draft and the Current Final Draft. Because you likely don't have time to read through many hundreds of pages, we have done a word search for key terms that a plan guiding our county for the next decades should have.  (Important to note that both plans have the same number of pages) 

On June 29th, MCA, along with many other civic groups and concerned individuals testified the the Thrive 2050 plan (full testimony transcript and video below) - a sweeping update to the County's master plan that will guide growth, transportation and land use for the coming decades. In other words - a highly consequential document. (Full plan here) (We've written extensively on Thrive 2050, scroll back through the posts here)

MCA along with many others have serious concerns that this plan does not meet the moment in terms of climate challenges, water protection, and notably addressing the missing middle housing without gentrifying vulnerable residents out of established neighborhoods. As part of the Stormwater Partners Network, and as MCA individually, we made our concerns known - among them:
-Generally the plan as approved has taken out portions related to Environmental protection and relegated them to an appendix section, a section that is non-binding and not part of the plan to be implemented. Across the board - the October 2020 version parts that were relegated to the appendix need to come back to the main, implementable document. 
-Much effort went into developing the County's Climate Action Plan (CAP) - the Thrive 2050 plan needs to mirror these commitments in land use, transportation and environmental protection.
-The Thrive plan also needs to specifically state a "no net loss of forests" policy and adopt policies to increase forest canopy, particularly in underserved areas where studies are showing tree canopy is disproportionately lacking-with real impacts on public health. 

See the video of our testimony, and right after, Amanda Farber's call for "Trees and Truth". As our Executive Director Caroline Taylor says in her testimony (transcript below) " as the plan itself states, there is 'little room for error' to get this sweeping and consequential plan correct. 
You can take two minutes to send a letter to the Council (before 7/9) here. 

Good evening, I am Caroline Taylor testifying on behalf of Montgomery Countryside Alliance. The draft plan aspires to much but, as has been noted in comments from others, including our colleagues Stormwater Partners, the CAP coalition, Audubon Naturalist Society and the County Executive there is work needed to improve it.

The draft plan falls short in ways that significantly weaken its ability to guide our County toward resilience. Between December 2020 and March 2021 various revisions made to the public hearing draft erased content largely relegating environmental protection, climate change response and the role of the Agricultural Reserve to an appendix of suggested actions. The transmittal letter noted that the appendices are not part of the plan. We ask that that council review the previous draft and return to the plan those deleted sections that best help Montgomery County meet its goals, especially those related to climate change resilience.

Hear our plea for a necessary focus on the environment, with emphasis on water resources and forests, through the words of county resident Rachael Carson:
Of all our natural resources water has become the most precious. In an age when man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of indifference.   Rachael Carson from Silent Spring

In conclusion:
We applaud the plan’s focus on racial equity and social inclusion but caution that the focus on urbanism to the exclusion of or indifference to environmental stewardship, a robust local food system, and climate change response is deeply concerning. By what standard do we measure this plan’s success? If we employ only a short term focused economic lens… we fail and we agree with the Plan when it notes that there is “little room for error.”
​

Other Civic Organizations are also expressing their concerns: 
- Audubon Naturalist Society 
-Darnestown Civic Association
-The Agricultural Advisory Committee

The pandemic has left all of us a little distracted to say the least. While we were all trying to adjust, Montgomery County has been planning sweeping changes to how our county lives, works, plays and gets around as the master plan gets an update through a planning process called Thrive 2050. This resulting plan will chart county growth for the coming decades (much more background here).

A letter this week came from County Executive Elrich to the County Council outlining how some sweeping rezoning proposals to radically alter neighborhoods that are part of the plan are going forward despite the fact that the full plan has not yet been approved by the Council (the draft of the plan went to the Council in May 2021)  Elrich also points out that  there are still equity and climate considerations that are not being taken into account in the plan. The full letter is here. 

At MCA we similarly want to see this process undertaken with more care and input from residents, particularly vulnerable residents - input that will be far easier to gather once the pandemic recedes. As the nation and world think of ways to build back better, Thrive 2050 is a way to carefully take stock and ensure that our goals are aligned with climate resilience, self sufficiency and equity.  

Among the highlights of the letter:
"I. INTRODUCTION— Montgomery County residents are confused and inadequately informed about Thrive Montgomery 2050 and know little, if anything, about the Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative’s complicated rezoning proposals that will make sweeping changes to their neighborhoods. I request that the Council separate the two projects and ask the Planning Board to stop work on elaborate rezoning proposals that would implement Thrive Montgomery before the plan has even been approved."

"The Executive objected to the county’s moving forward with Thrive Montgomery 2050 during an historic pandemic that overwhelmed government and residents with unceasing concerns about working and schooling while confined to home and experiencing economic hardship, business dislocations, and potential illness, and even death. These have not been circumstances in which our residents have had time to consider the first revision of the General Plan in 28 years, one that will shape the county’s future development over the next 30 years. "

"Montgomery County is already experiencing the impacts from climate change. These will only get worse. The General Plan should include specific recommendations related to enhancing resilience. "

"The county must reaffirm its unconditional support for the Agricultural Reserve and reject the Planning Board’s attempts to weaken the Reserve by no longer supporting farming as the preferred use in the Reserve. The Planning Board draft recommends that the county “...manage the areas designated within the footprint [of the Reserve] for a rural pattern of development for the benefit of the entire county.” The draft retreats from the support of farming as the preferred use in the Reserve, instead supporting the economic viability of farming and policies to “facilitate a broad range of outdoor recreation and tourism...” p. 20 15 Planning Board draft, p. 132. The General Plan must reaffirm the county’s commitment to the Agricultural Reserve, and to the 1980 Preservation of Agriculture and to the 1980 Preservation of Agriculture and Rural Open Space, Functional Master Plan as it did in the 1993 General Plan Refinement."

11/20 Update: MCA's testimony on the plan here. Our testimony sought to push back on an adversarial tone that has seemed to come from the planning commission. Charting our path forward relies on a strong working relationship. Click here to see MCA's testimony.
We have signed on to a memo to the planning commission with our civic partners to ask for more public participation in this process. Particularly, the input of certain groups has so far been lacking - high school and college students, Black and Latinx organizations, Historic Freeman communities, and organizations representing our low-income, elderly and disabled neighbors. We can all thrive together if the process to chart our future includes everyone. Weigh in on the plan here before December 10.

Update (11/20)-   From the Thrive 2050 staff - an opportunity weigh in on the draft and attend a public hearing on November 19.

"As you may know, the Planning Board review phase of the Thrive Montgomery 2050 is now underway. On October 1, 2020, the Planning Board unanimously voted to make the Public Hearing Draft Plan available to the public and to hold a public hearing about it on November 19, 2020. I am writing to invite you to comment on the key concepts and proposed recommendations in the draft Plan, and share your thoughts with the Planning Board.
 
The Planning Board will hold the public hearing at their virtual meeting on Thursday, November 19. You can testify online, over the phone, or submit written testimony. To testify online or by phone, you must sign up to testify by 12 p.m. on November 18, 2020. Written testimony must be submitted by email to mcp-chair@mncppc-mc.org  by 12 p.m. on November 18 for it to be reviewed before the public hearing. The public record will stay open until December 10, 2020, to allow more time for those who may not be able to submit testimony by November 19. All public comments, including those submitted after November 18, 2020, will be reviewed by the Planning Board during their work sessions on the draft Plan starting on or after December 17, 2020.
 
View the Thrive Montgomery 2050 Public Hearing Draft Plan. If you do not have the time to review the whole document, the “Trends and Challenges” and “A Plan to Thrive” sections will give you the key concepts and recommendations of the draft Plan or check out our two-page explainer. Also, goals, policies and actions specific to Agriculture and the Agricultural Reserve are located within Chapter 7, Diverse and Adaptable Growth. Additional information about Thrive Montgomery 2050 can be viewed at www.thrivemontgomery.com.
 
If you’re willing, we would also greatly appreciate it if you could notify other members of your communities of the Public Hearing Draft and the upcoming public hearing.
 
Thanks again for your continued collaboration in shaping the future of Montgomery County. Please do not hesitant to contact us if you have any questions!

Our submitted comments with Sugarloaf Citizens' Association support
and expanded comments from 8/2020 here. 
(Thanks to colleague Diane Cameron for her invaluable help in developing comments!)
Among our comments:
-Adding the provision for broadband being more available in the Ag Reserve under the Connectedness section. Currently internet issues make all aspects of modern life harder, including civic participation during the pandemic. 
​
-Under the water and sewer section, with the entire Ag Reserve outside the water/sewer envelope, more emphasis on helping businesses and residents manage their wells and septic systems to promote long term viability is key - particularly above the federally designated sole source aquifer. Well and septic resources can be found here.
-In the Climate Change section - MCA has provided edits to reflect the importance of strengthening our natural systems to provide for gains in air purification and water quality. We are planting acres of new forests along stream buffers through our Re-Leaf program to do just that.

​General Plan schedule (accelerated):
The Planning Board is off till September 10. The agenda for the Board meetings is posted two weeks in advance.
 
The next step in  Thrive Montgomery 2050 is publishing the Working Draft Plan. The schedule with dates will be posted later this week but here is a preview:
 
Thursday, 9/24:        Publish Working Draft Plan
 
Thursday, 10/1:        Planning Board to review the Working Draft Plan and approve it (with any changes/edits) as the Public Hearing Draft Plan and set the public hearing date for 11/19/20
 
Thursday, 11/19:      Planning Board to hold the public hearing on Thrive Montgomery 2050 Public Hearing Draft Plan
 
December 2020 through March 2021:  Planning Board work sessions to address public comments and review/finalize the draft plan.

​MCA is the lean, tenacious and award winning organization born of and for Montgomery County's Ag Reserve. Since 2001 we have been the boots on the ground focused on the protection of the small farms in the Ag Reserve, local food production and the protection of our shared water supply. We would be honored by your financial support. 

The County is undertaking a 50 year plan that will guide land use, environmental and historic resource stewardship, the health of our communities and the viability of our farms. The plan is called Thrive 2050. At this point, the county is gathering opinions from residents (and folks are encouraged to weigh in here) and hosting way-seeking conversations about the things that matter (MCA was honored to moderate the first such conversation - the Future of Food). 

The county staff issues briefing can be found here
​
MCA's suggested edits on the framework can be found here 

MCA is on the ground defending the county's open space, farmland and water supply and we have a seat at the table to help guide this important process because for more than a decade we have operated as a collegial and collaborative partner with the county and other civic groups. Your support is needed now more than ever as we help chart the next decades of life in Montgomery County. Please consider making a tax deductible gift today. 

Dear Friend of MCA,                           
​                              
As the year closes, we wish to thank you for support of our efforts to protect the Agricultural Reserve, its farms, parkland, open spaces, waterways and habitats For the third time MCA has been recognized as "One of the Best" small nonprofits in the Washington region by the Catalogue for Philanthropy because of the work we do.

​As a response to our climate crisis, MCA is proud to partner with Montgomery County Planning to identify landowners in the Ag Reserve with sensitive waterways in order to plant acres of native trees. Forest conservation easements and deer fencing will protect these new plantings - and the streams they help stabilize.

• And more...

We continue our Land Link program, connecting farmers who need land to landowners wanting to host sustainable farm practices. We also collaborated on the Clean Water Blueprint for the County. MCA is focused on educational outreach to well and septic owners and establishing impervious caps to better protect our Sole Source Aquifer, our only source of drinking water.

The County is undertaking a new Master Plan process called Thrive 2050. It will guide how our County grows and functions for the next thirty years. A short quiz from the Planning Department was issued to residents in order to gauge support for land use changes. It was quite disturbing. With a total of just ten questions, two of them directly suggest erosion of the Ag Reserve:

We know how you would vote - against destroying the crowning land use achievement of the Coun­ty's last forty years. On the eve of its 40th anniversary we should not stray from what is a nationally acclaimed land use model — but we must innovate. For all it does — protecting farms, open space, water and air quality and adding to the economy - the Ag Reserve can do more.

​Since 2001, MCA has had boots on the ground to protect the County's bold commitment to agriculture. Your support has allowed us to grow into a lean but mighty, well respected organization. Charting the future decades of the County and its Ag Reserve requires all oars in the water and our collective voices at the table. We hope you will continue to support us with a tax-deductible year-end gift. Peace to you and yours this holiday season!