Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Montgomery County, MD Fact Sheet

1. Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Montgomery County, Maryland Smart Growth and Climate Protection Policy Analysis Last updated December 2009 Montgomery County has been a leader among local governments in implementing land use policies that support compact, transit-oriented development in suburban cores while protecting rural agricultural areas. By their very nature, these approaches mitigate against climate change by reducing vehicle miles travelled, preserving natural areas that serve to sequester carbon, and creating more compact, energy-efficient buildings. Yet the lack of a coordinated methodological approach at the county has prevented them from measuring the benefits of these approaches as steps towards meeting their climate protection goals. The county requested assistance through EPA’s Smart Growth Implementation Assistance program to develop such an approach -- one which would estimate the greenhouse gas reduction impacts of various land use alternatives, thereby supporting local decision makers’ ability to approve projects that contribute to the community’s climate protection goals. The resulting tool will serve as a model for other communities around the country as they develop their own climate protection strategies, and demonstrate the important role of land use in protecting the climate. The project will be completed by November 2010. EPA is assembling the contractor team, which will include consultants with expertise in greenhouse gas reduction plans, scenario planning tools, and modeling impacts associated with land use and transportation investments. EPA is also coordinating a team of staff from EPA’s Smart Growth Program, as well as representatives from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Preliminary Project Goals Establish a model to baseline Montgomery County’s emissions related to land use and transportation investments as a means for the County to evaluate proposed land development approaches to determine those yield the best climate protection results. The County has a number of models that are currently used to measure various elements of climate impact, but no single model that ties them all together to support land use decision makers. The model that results from this effort will be instructive to other local communities that seek to make land use and transportation decisions integral to their climate protection efforts. Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Montgomery County, MD Fact Sheet More about Smart Growth at http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/

2. Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Montgomery County, Maryland Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Montgomery County, Maryland Smart Growth and Climate Protection Policy Analysis Last updated December 2009 The project team from Montgomery County includes representatives from the Department of Environmental Protection and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The county’s own Sustainable Working Group – a broad-based stakeholder group spearheading the county’s climate protection planning efforts – will also be involved to ensure that the resulting tool supports the goals they have for their community. Project Lead: John Thomas, US EPA Smart Growth Email: thomas.john@epa.gov Phone:202-566-1285 Project Partners: Danielle Arigoni, US EPA Smart Growth Email: arigoni.danielle@epa.gov Phone: 202-566-2859 Doug Weisburger, Montgomery County, Dept of Environmental Planning Email: douglas.weisburger@montgomerycountymd.gov Phone: 240-777-7775 EPA's mission is to protect public health and the environment. How and where communities grow and develop impacts public health and the environment. Therefore, EPA works with states and communities to find ways to grow while minimizing environmental and health impacts. Studies have demonstrated that smart growth development approaches have clear environmental benefits, including improved air and water quality, increased wetlands preservation, more brownfield sites cleaned and reused, and increased preservation of open spaces.