October 26, 2023 Emily Wishingrad, Washington, D.C.

Montgomery County, a suburban D.C. jurisdiction with over a million residents, has a new head of the department that plans how its 317,000 acres are used.

Jason Sartori will serve as the new director of Montgomery County Planning, the Planning Board announced Thursday, following a six-month nationwide search. Sartori, who has been with the county Planning Department for the past eight years, served as chief of the Countywide Planning and Policy Division since January 2019.

“My colleagues and I are confident Jason will lead Montgomery Planning in delivering innovative, equitable, and economically competitive land use recommendations and policies for the county,” Planning Board Chair Artie Harris said in a release.

“I know Jason will further the Planning Board’s priorities of accelerating the production of housing, especially affordable housing as this is a critical challenge our county is facing,” he said.

Sartori will lead a 150-person team and report directly to the county’s five-person board. The director guides the growth of the county based on the recommendations of its general plan, Thrive Montgomery 2050, which in 2021 was overhauled for the first time in over 60 years.

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