Montgomery County’s Planning Board presented its proposed development plans for the University Boulevard Corridor on Tuesday morning.
“It looks for the next 20-plus years and delivers recommendations that can improve everyone’s experience along the corridor,” Planning Board Chair Artie Harris told county council members.
The plan covers a 3.5-mile stretch of University Boulevard from Interstate 495 to Amherst Avenue.
According to the draft of the plan submitted to the council, the plan is designed to support lower density “predominantly” residential development between five bus-rapid-transit, or BRT, stations, and higher density mixed-use development near those planned stations.
“The plan’s recommended zoning changes would not lead to change unless a property owner decides to pursue a development,” said Carrie Sanders, east county division chief for the planning department.
Sanders also said that in cases that allow more density, “Generally, the buildings facing the corridor between the transit stations, the five stations, will have a height of up to 50 feet.
According to planning board staff, a chief focus of the plan includes improving transportation safety. A video played at Tuesday morning’s council meeting pointed out that between 2015 and 2024, there have been 38 severe injury crashes and four fatal crashes along the corridor.
Included in the plan is consolidating, removing or relocating driveways from University Boulevard to side streets and alleys and “limit future driveways.”
