montgomery county planning department

The Maryland - National Capital Park and Planning Commission

Sector Plan for the Germantown Employment Area:
An Amendment to the Germantown Master Plan
ABSTRACT

This Plan for the commercial center of Germantown contains the text and supporting maps of amendment to
the approved and adopted 1989 Germantown Master Plan. It also amends The General Plan (On Wedges and
Corridors) for the Physical Development of the Maryland-Washington Regional District in Montgomery and Prince
George’s Counties, as amended.

The Plan also amends relevant functional master plans including the Master Plan of Highways within Montgomery
County, the Countywide Bikeways Functional Master Plan, and the Countywide Park Trails Plan.

The Plan makes recommendations for land use, design, environment, transportation, and community facilities as
well as the zoning that is intended to guide development.

SOURCE OF COPIES

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3760

THE MARYLAND-NATIONAL CAPITAL PARK AND PLANNING COMMISSION

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is a bi-county agency created by the General
Assembly of Maryland in 1927. The Commission’s geographic authority extends to the great majority of
Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties; the Maryland-Washington Regional District (M-NCPPC planning
jurisdiction) comprises 1,001 square miles, while the Metropolitan District (parks) comprises 919 square miles, in
the two counties.

The Commission is charged with preparing, adopting, and amending or extending On Wedges and Corridors, the
general plan for the physical development of the Maryland-Washington Regional District.

The Commission operates in each county through Planning Boards appointed by the county government. The Boards
are responsible for all local plans, zoning amendments, subdivision regulations, and administration of parks.

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission encourages the involvement and participation
of individuals with disabilities, and its facilities are accessible. For assistance with special needs (e.g., large
print materials, listening devices, sign language interpretation, etc.), please contact the Community Outreach
and Media Relations Division, 301-495-4600 or TDD 301-495-1331.

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

Planning Board Draft

Sector Plan for the Germantown Employment Area:

An Amendment to the Germantown Master Plan

Prepared by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-3760

Approved by the Montgomery County Council

Date

Adopted by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

Date

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

Certification of Approval and Adoption

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

Elected and Appointed Officials

County Council
Philip Andrews, President
Roger Berliner, Vice President
Marc Elrich
Valerie Ervin
Nancy Floreen
Michael Knapp
George L. Leventhal
Donald E. Praisner
Duchy Trachtenberg

County Executive
Isiah Leggett

The Maryland-National Capital

Park and Planning Commission
Royce Hanson, Chairman
Samuel J. Parker, Jr., Vice Chairman

Commissioners

Montgomery County Planning Board Prince George’s County Planning Board

Royce Hanson, Chairman Samuel J. Parker, Jr., Chairman
John M. Robinson, Vice Chair Sylvester J. Vaughns, Vice Chair
Joe Alfandre Sarah A. Cavitt
Jean B. Cryor Jesse Clark
Amy Presley Colonel John H. Squire

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

The Plan Process

A master plan provides comprehensive to the County Council other comments and
recommendations for the use of public and recommendations.
private land. Each plan reflects a vision of the After receiving the Executive’s fiscal impact
future that responds to the unique character analysis and comments, the County Council
of the local community within the context of a holds a public hearing to receive public
countywide perspective. testimony. After the hearing record is closed,
Together with relevant policies, plans guide public the Council’s Planning, Housing, and Economic
officials and private individuals when making land Development (PHED) Committee holds public
use decisions. worksessions to review the testimony and makes
recommendations to the County Council. The
The PUBLIC HEARING DRAFT PLAN is the first
Council holds its own worksessions, then adopts
formal proposal to amend an adopted master
a resolution approving the Planning Board Draft
plan or sector plan. Its recommendations are
Plan, as revised.
not necessarily those of the Planning Board; it
is prepared for the purpose of receiving public After Council approval, the plan is forwarded to
testimony. The Planning Board holds a public the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning
hearing and receives testimony, after which it Commission for adoption. Once adopted by
holds public worksessions to review the testimony the Commission, the plan officially amends the
and revise the Public Hearing Draft Plan as master plans, functional plans, and sector plans
appropriate. When the Planning Board’s changes cited in the Commission’s adoption resolution.
are made, the document becomes the Planning
Board Draft Plan.

The PLANNING BOARD DRAFT PLAN is the

Board’s recommended Plan and reflects their
revisions to the Public Hearing Draft Plan. The
Regional District Act requires the Planning
Board to transmit a master plan or sector plan
to the County Council with copies to the County
Executive who must, within sixty days, prepare
and transmit a fiscal impact analysis of the
Planning Board Draft Plan to the County Council.
The County Executive may also forward

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

Table of Contents

Germantown’s Future 8 Appendices

Key Recommendations 10 Planning Framework

Germantown Demographic Profile, 2005
Germantown Population Pyramids
Areawide Recommendations 15
Germantown Housing Report
Land Use 15 School Capacity Analysis
Urban Form 16 Germantown Housing Report
Housing 23 Churchill Town Sector Analysis
Transportation 25 Top 100 Germantown Businesses
Environmental Resources 32 Top Germantown Retail Businesses
24 Water and Sewer Capacity
Environmental Resources Analysis
Germantown’s Districts 36
Cultural and Historic Resources
The Town Center 37 Germantown History, Historic Preservation
The Gateway District 43 and Germantown historic sites
The Cloverleaf District 45 Density Distribution
The North End District 47 Transportation Analysis, Park and Ride Locations, Bikeways
The Seneca Meadows/Milestone District 50 Trail Connections
The Montgomery College District 52 Recreation Needs
The Fox Chapel District 54 Parks and Open Space
Amenity Fund Projects
Implementation 56 Capital Improvement Projects
easibility
F 56 Urban Service District Legislation
Zoning 56 Transit Mixed-Use Zone and Delineation
Staging Plan 64 of Transit Station Development Areas
Road Network 66
Bicycle System 70
Implementation Mechanisms 73 60
Capital Projects 74
Implementation Plan 74

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

 germantown’s future

Germantown’s Future

T hisPlan establishes a
vision that will transform
Germantown’s central employment
corridor into vibrant town center
and mixed-use uptown districts.
The Germantown of the future
will be the center of business
and community life in upper
Montgomery County.

Future Germantown in the vicinity of the Germantown Transit Station

8 Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

 germantown’s future

The Plan’s Recommendations

• complete the economic core envisioned in the

General Plan
• increase employment
• organize communities around transit
• enhance connections to Germantown’s
greenbelt and stream valley parks
• pursue design quality and sustainability in the
public and private realms
• build on cultural, historic, and civic facilities
This Plan directs new uses, activity, and
design attention to the Town Center—the
heart of Germantown. Its mixed uses will be
complementary with the offices on the parallel
route, MD 118, and nearby Montgomery College.
Century Boulevard will be the community’s main
street, anchored with transit, lined with shops and
restaurants, its library, and arts center as focal
points for civic life.
Building at higher densities, in strategic locations
like Germantown, results in a greener approach to
building than the traditional development pattern
in Montgomery County. Low population densities
spread over half-acre can’t sustain the cost of
replacing current infrastructure. More residents
in a compact communities result in economies of
scale, allowing a more efficient use of resources Future park and boardwalk in the Germantown Town Center
that ensures sustainability.
In addition, jobs can draw workers from down-
County to employment sites in Germantown,
which increases the efficiency of the road and
transit network without additional capital costs.
Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 9
 key recommendations

• Create Germantown as a Corridor City with a MARC station and bus service, is essential to and stream valley parks are extraordinary
Quality of Place that makes it the up- addressing traffic congestion and building a environmental resources that will be enhanced
County’s commercial hub. sustainable community. The CCT will connect by park connections and a network of urban
• Create Germantown as a strategic location Germantown to the Metro Red Line and the open spaces, further supported by green
for employment in the County. Highway County’s Life Sciences Center. design and building techniques that conserve
access and the eventual connection to energy and resources.
• Create transit-served, mixed use
a transit network will make Germantown neighborhoods that include public facilities, • Encourage high quality design that
accessible and attractive for employers. enhance existing communities and shape enhances character and identity. Distinct
• Strengthen and expand the Town Center new ones, using references to Germantown’s neighborhoods, green streets, and attractive
to encompass properties within a walkable history and natural features. Infilling with urban spaces with historic and cultural
distance of the transit station by providing the connections, public facilities, and mixed uses references will give Germantown a strong
options and activity of a thriving downtown. will build distinct communities. sense of place. High quality design is expected
Focusing activity along Century Boulevard and for public and private development.
• Establish Germantown as the up-County
surrounding it with complementary residential cultural center. The Black Rock Center for • Balance the amount and timing of
and employment uses will create a vibrant the Arts, the new library, and the public green development with infrastructure capacity.
center. they frame will be the basis for active civic life Density brings opportunity and options, but
• Design and fund the Corridor Cities in the Town Center and for all of Germantown. must be shaped through zoning and other
Transitway as an essential feature of tools that create a community of lasting
• Enhance Germantown’s natural
Germantown’s evolution. Transit, including the quality.
environment. Germantown’s greenbelt

Creating the Corridor City

As early as the 1964 General Plan Germantown was defined as a corridor city, intended to “support a
full variety of commercial, cultural, and social services…”.
• The 1966 Plan
“Tall buildings will be the symbol of a core area” … “allows a great number of people, who come
together to make a downtown work efficiently”
• The 1974 Plan
A “new community” of six villages each with its own schools and commercial centers that would
include a new campus of Montgomery College, all accessible via I-270 and rapid rail transit.
• The 1989 Plan
A continued pattern of mixed housing development and a Town Center of employment uses.

10 Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

 key recommendations

Sector Plan Area within Planning Area

Plan Boundary

The Germantown Sector Plan area crosses

I-270 and focuses on a roughly 2,400-acre area
in the employment and Town Center areas of
Germantown. Roadways and road rights-of-way
encompass approximately 600 acres of the Sector
Plan area, almost 25 percent of the total acreage.

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 11

 key recommendations

I-270/MD 355 Corridor

The corridor created by I-270, MD 355, the

Metro Red Line, and the MARC line forms the
transportation spine of the up-County today.
The addition of the CCT will complete the transit
infrastructure. The Corridor employs almost half
of Montgomery County’s workforce but more than
one-third of the Corridor’s employed residents
commute to jobs outside of the County.

A significant portion of the County’s future

employment growth will take place on vacant or
under-used sites in Germantown on the both sides
of I-270 and in the area of Montgomery College.
This plan replaces the single-purpose zoning
designations of the 1989 Plan with flexible, mixed-
use designations that retain employment potential
and provide for retail, hotel, commercial, housing,
and entertainment uses near jobs.

12 Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

 key recommendations

Germantown Districts
I-270/MD 355 Corridor

The Town Center has the most concentrated

and varied development with a mix of
residential, retail, office, and cultural uses in
a compact and walkable form. New housing,
restaurant and retail uses, and the Black
Rock Center and the library attract patrons to
Germantown’s downtown.

The West End Neighborhood of the Town

Center District is a mix of retail and industrial
uses with surface parking that extends along
MD 118 from Middlebrook Road west to the
CSX tracks. West of MD 118 are industrial
uses and vacant property currently zoned for a
mix of commercial uses without housing. This
district is adjacent to the Germantown Historic
District and contains historic properties such
as the Pumphrey-Mateney House and the
Madeline V. Waters site.

The Gateway District stretches between the

MARC station and I-270. The area also includes
a mix of uses, including Seneca Valley High
School and residential uses. In the north end
of the district, adjacent to I-270/ Middlebrook
interchange are industrial uses and auto
dealerships. The federal Department of Energy
is the Plan area’s largest employer and is
expected to remain stable unless additional
federal programs are relocated.

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 13

 key recommendations

The Cloverleaf District is north of MD 118 continues to increase its enrollment and serves surrounding residential communities.
and west of I-270. It is currently all commercial the scope of its technology education and Other commercial uses along MD 355 include
uses including flex buildings and the former workforce training programs. The College also banks, specialty grocers, restaurants, and gas
Orbital Fairchild site, which will be the location intends to create a business park with a private
stations. The Plumgar Recreation Center on
of a future CCT station. This property is likely partner.
Scenery Drive is a County-owned recreation
to redevelop with office, retail, hotel, and other The Fox Chapel area is anchored by a center with an adjoining ballfield.
services as well as multifamily housing. neighborhood shopping center on MD 355 that
The North End District, north of Father Hurley
Boulevard, is a mix of residential development
office, hotel, and industrial uses along I-270 at
the Milestone Business Park. West of I-270, the
district is vacant land with a small residential
community north of Father Hurley Boulevard. A
future CCT station will serve this district before
crossing over I-270. On the east side of I-270
at Ridge Road are multi-story buildings and the
area will be served by a CCT station.
Germantown’s largest retail center, more
than 100 acres and 850,000 square feet, is
located in the Seneca Meadows/Milestone
District at the corner of MD 355 MD 27. A
mix of housing adjoins the retail area, along
with an important environmental feature, the
Germantown “Bog.” The district also includes
the Seneca Meadows Corporate Center, on
the east side of I-270, a business park of one
and two-story industrial and flex buildings with
surface parking. The protected habitat of the Germantown Bog provides a source of clean water to the Little Seneca stream system.

Montgomery College is recognized as one

of the nation’s leading two-year educational
institutions. The Germantown campus

14 Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009