Questions for Applicants for Planning Board Chair

By Tony Hausner

Prezco (Presidents Council of Silver Spring Civic Associations) has requested that the 5 candidates for Planning Board Chair complete the questionnaire posted below.  We feel that this questionnaire would be useful to the County Council and the public in reviewing and commenting on their applications.  Prezco has requested a response to these questions by July 3.   The questionnaire can also be found at  http://tinyurl.com/prezplng

 

Questions for Applicants for Planning Board Chair

 1.      Can you suggest any ways to improve citizen participation in the planning  process?

 2.      What is your vision for the County’s parks in the next ten years ?

 3.      Once the new zoning code is enacted, would you uphold a master planrecommendation for height on a specific property, even if that recommendation is for a height lower than the height and/or density permitted in the zone?

 4.      Can you specify any protections you would add in the zoning code or in master plans for both single family neighborhoods and their edges.

 5.      What are the pluses and minuses of the proposed Bus Rapid Transit system? 

 6.      How will you encourage developers to increase protection of the remaining green and natural areas in the down county areas ?

 7.      At times the Planning Board has approved commercial office developments in hopes of adding jobs only to have the developer come back later and ask that the project be converted to residential. How should the board handle these requests? What steps can the planning board take to increase jobs in the Eastern part of the county?  

 8. The board will be considering new development around some Purple Line stations. How dense do you think development can be without making the stations inaccessible to drivers dropping off and picking up Purple Line riders?

 9. What can the planning board do to increase the stock of affordable housing for those between 20-80% of median family incomes.

 10. Socioeconomic status is a strong predictor of academic success, and research shows when children from different socioeconomic groups mix in the classroom, children from low income families perform better than when in a classroom with children from predominantly low income families. What can the planning board do to improve the mix of socioeconomic status through housing policy and practice in school clusters that are predominantly at the high or low end? The goal is to reduce the achievement gap between schools in the east county and some clusters off 270, where more minorities live, and schools in the west county.

 11. Do you commit to working with the Revenue Authority and the Sligo Creek Golf Association to keep open and enhance Sligo Creek Golf Course?

 12. How would you protect single family neighborhoods when the district map amendments convert commercial zones to CR zones?

 13. Will you commit to requiring provision of adequate public facilities before planned commercial and residential development takes place?

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“Silver Spring Neighborhoods” is a publication of the Presidents' Council of Silver Spring Civic Associations (PREZCO), a group of neighborhood Silver Spring civic groups that meet regularly to discuss community issues.

Silver Spring Neighborhoods” welcomes articles of interest from all members of the Silver Spring community.

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Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is to inform Silver Spring residents about important events and issues affecting them.  Any views expressed represent those of the author(s) and not necessarily all representatives of the Presidents’ Council of Silver Spring Civic Associations.