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About the Planning Board

The five-member Montgomery County Planning Board, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, works to maintain and improve quality of life in our community. Acting upon such issues as growth, transportation, environmental protection, agriculture, historial preservation and forest conservation, the Planning Board affects your everyday life. In fact, the Board is largely responsible for setting land use and protecting parkland resources throughout the 323,000-acre county.

The Planning Board, which usually meets each Thursday in the auditorium at 8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, welcomes public participation. Meet the Planning Board.

More specifically, the Planning Board:

  • Considers large- and small-scale plans for new development
  • Provides guidelines for the pattern and pace of future development
  • Develops and manages Montgomery County's nationally recognized 32,900-acre park system
  • Recommends to the County Council which sites receive historic designations

Converse with the Chairman

Chairman Royce HansonPlanning Board Chairman Royce Hanson launches a blog to exchange ideas about current parks, planning issues. Tell us what you think.

Learn more

  • Get the scoop on all of the projects underway by Montgomery County's Department of Parks and Planning Department. The Planning Board will present its spring 2008 semi-annual report of activities to the County Council in April.
  • Great communities don’t just happen! Learn how park staff and land-use planners acquire and manage parks, design thriving communities, establish environmental protections, and preserve working farms and cultural sites in "Building Great Communities," our educational video.
    View video stream | Request a copy (specify VHS or DVD)
  • Stay Informed! Subscribe to our e-newsletter
  • Meet Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson
  • See us on "Montgomery Plans!"
    Our current episode takes a look at the community of White Flint and how planners might revitalize the area with new gathering places, new streets and walking routes, and easy access to transit.
  • Sign up online to testify
    The Planning Board welcomes your input on items that come before them. We can accept speakers up to 10 days in advance of a Planning Board hearing.
  • Read our Rules of Procedure specifying how we run public hearings as well as how to testify before the Board.