The 2012 PROS Plan Update
Project Overview
Plan Content
Public Outreach
Calendar and Meeting Notes
Contact the Project Coordinator
Project Update and What's Next
Two very successful public meetings were held on January 24 and 25 to collect input for our future park and recreation needs and how they should be implemented. The meeting used an Open House format which allowed participants to circulate among informational stations of their interest. The meeting included an Overview PowerPoint presentation (PDF, 909KB) and copies of the Draft Recommended Service Delivery Strategies (PDF, 989KB). Staff has compiled the Workstation Public Comments (PDF, 262KB). This input has been taken into account as we write the Staff Draft. This document will be updated as additional input is provided to us..
Staff will present the Staff Draft of the plan to Montgomery County Planning Board in Mid-March. If you still haven't sent us your input into this plan, please Contact the project coordinator at MCP-PROSPlan2012@mncppc-mc.org as soon as possible to make sure your voice is heard.
Project Overview
Parks and open spaces are essential to the high quality of life for Montgomery County residents. In the future, one of the greatest challenges will be to balance recreation facilities needed for the active lifestyles of a growing population with the stewardship of our park system’s sensitive environmental and cultural resources. The 2012 Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Plan update will be a guide to meeting this challenge.
Montgomery County Parks, in coordination with Montgomery County Department of Recreation is preparing an update of the 2012 PROS Plan. Guiding the 2012 PROS Plan is the recently completed Vision 2030 Strategic Plan for Parks and Recreation in Montgomery County, MD (Vision 2030 Strategic Plan) (June 2011). The overall strategies and specific recommendations for the delivery of facilities, lands, and services are guided by the Vision 2030 Strategic Plan.
The PROS Plan represents a refinement of the overall framework for parks and recreation contained in the County's 1964 General Plan for the Maryland-Washington Regional District within Montgomery and Prince George’s County and in existing park acquisition and development guidelines.
Required by the State of Maryland to maintain Program Open Space funding, The PROS Plan is updated every six years to keep pace with changing patterns of needs in our county. The plan also serves as the County’s Local Land Preservation and Recreation Plan.
The final plan will compare the park and recreation facility needs for different areas of the County so that decision makers have the information necessary to establish priorities as the County’s population grows in an era of high competition for limited resources. The plan will also include updated information on Recreation Needs, Natural Resource Conservation, Historic/Cultural Resource Preservation and Agricultural land Preservation.
Purpose and Scope
The primary purposes of the Plan update are to:
- provide guidance regarding recreation facility needs in the county for the next 10 years.
- recommend priorities for important natural and historic/cultural areas in Montgomery County that need to be preserved and interpreted.
- provide input to area and park master plans regarding the need for public parkland and recreation facilities
- help establish park acquisition and development priorities in the six-year Capital Improvements Program (CIP)
How is the 2012 PROS Plan Update different from the Vision 2030 Strategic Plan?
MNCPPC, Department of Parks, Montgomery County and the Department of Recreation have just completed the Vision 2030 Strategic Plan for Parks and Recreation in Montgomery County, MD which will significantly enhance the PROS Plan Update by its many recommendations and products. There are significant differences between the 2012 PROS Plan and the Vision 2030 Strategic Plan. The PROS Plan summarizes guiding policies. It also includes a park inventory and it estimates needs for neighborhood, community and countywide facilities, natural, historic/cultural and agricultural preservation and implementation.
The Vision 2030 Strategic Plan is much broader in scope, focusing on priorities rather than on specific needs for land acquisition and facilities. It addresses all aspects of operating the Parks and Recreation system, such as programming, facility renovation and construction, maintenance, operations, policing, management and marketing. The Vision 2030 Strategic Plan also helps us understand where generally underserved areas of the County are. Together, these two documents will enable us to set clear priorities for acquisition, renovation, and development of our Park System, as well as guide our recommendations in Area and Park Master Plans and the Capital Improvements Program.
Plan Content
Recreation and Parks Chapter
Natural Resources Land Conservation Chapter
Historic/ Cultural Preservation Chapter
Agricultural Land Preservation Chapter
Recreation and Parks Chapter
- Updated Parks Inventory
The Recreation Element is a major focus of the 2012 PROS Plan Update, which will be based on an updated inventory of parkland and facilities, and a demand analysis similar to the 2005 PROS Plan (pdf, 6.7MB) that includes: - Methodologies for Determining Needs
The methodologies will be similar to those used in the 2005 PROS Plan (pdf, 6.7MB) supplemented by information from the Vision 2030 Strategic Plan. - Projection of Park and Recreation Facility Needs to the Year 2022
The most challenging aspect of the plan update will be the projection of:: - Local Use Facilities - playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts;
- Community team area facilities –diamond and rectangular fields; and most needed additional
- Countywide facilities - recreation centers and aquatic facilities operated by the Recreation Department, natural areas, historic/cultural areas, natural and hard surface trails, picnic shelters, skate parks, and dog parks.
- General needs - Passive Recreation, Community Gardens, Cricket, Volleyball, nature education, ice rinks, Indoor Tennis, Adventure sports, etc.
- Implementation for Land Acquisitions, Facility Construction and Rehabilitation
The plan will also look at implementation for meeting needs for land acquisition, facility development and rehabilitation priorities for the short term-(2010-2016) mid-term- (2017-2021) and long range (2022 and beyond). - Calculation of How to meet the State Recreational Acreage Goal
Another important portion of this Chapter is the calculation of how the County meets the State Recreational Acreage Goal. - The Role of Renovation and New Construction in Meeting Future Needs
Natural Resources Land Conservation Chapter
- This chapter will compare State and Local Goals for Natural Resources Land Conservation, progress since the 2005 PROS Plan (pdf, 6.7MB), and priority preservation areas as compared to State Green Print program properties.
Historic/ Cultural Preservation Chapter
- This chapter will consider preservation planning tools, progress since the 2005 PROS Plan (pdf, 6.7MB), and priority preservation areas.
Agricultural Land Preservation Chapter
- This optional Chapter may include a brief update on the progress of local programs since the 2005 PROS Plan (pdf, 6.7MB).
- The full work program for the 2012 PROS Plan update as approved by the Planning Board on February 24, 2011 can be viewed by clicking here.
Public Outreach
A great deal of the input for the 2012 PROS Plan update is based on outreach from the Vision 2030 Strategic Plan, including the statistically valid 2010 mail survey, public meetings, summits, and focus groups. Additional outreach includes obtaining input from recreation and park advisory boards, focus groups and public meetings on the draft proposals.
Calendar and Meeting Notes
The Plan schedule and presentation materials are listed on the calendar below. You may also want to review all outreach from the Vision 2030 Strategic Plan including, Surveys, public meeting notes, and focus group notes.
| DATES / TIMES | EVENTS & MEETING NOTES | LOCATIONS |
|---|---|---|
2011 |
||
| February 24 | Work Program approved by Planning Board and submitted to State Planning Board Agenda item #5 - Staff memo (pdf) |
M-NCPPC Regional Office Building Auditorium, 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD |
| Fall | Focus group meetings held where needed | |
| Fall | Develop Draft Plan Preliminary Recommendations | |
2012 |
||
| January | Countywide Recreation Advisory Board (RAB) Meeting | |
| January 24 | Down-county Public Meeting on Preliminary Plan Recommendations - meeting notice flyer (pdf, 330KB) - Draft Recommended Service Delivery Strategies - pdf, 989KB |
M-NCPPC Regional Office Building Auditorium 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD |
| January 25 | Upcounty Public Meeting on Preliminary Plan Recommendations |
UpCounty Service Center, 12900 Middlebrook Rd., Germantown, MD |
| March 15 | Staff Draft of Plan presented for review to the Montgomery County Planning Board (no public testimony will be taken). Draft Plan transmitted to the State. |
M-NCPPC Regional Office Building Auditorium 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD |
| Spring | Public Hearing | M-NCPPC Regional Office Building Auditorium 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD |
| June | Planning Board Work session(s) | M-NCPPC Regional Office Building Auditorium, 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD |
| June/July | Request Planning Board Approval of Plan | M-NCPPC Regional Office Building Auditorium 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD |
| July | Submit Approved Plan to Maryland Departments of State Planning and Natural Resources | |
Contact the Project Coordinator
For more information, contact the Project Coordinator with your comments and questions at MCP-PROSPlan2012@mncppc-mc.org.
back to top - Last update: February 21, 2012
Montgomery County Department of Parks