Charge for GP Land Use Task Force

Charge for Garrett Park Land Use Task Force

Adopted by the Town Council at the January 12, 2009 Council meeting.

Goals

Review history of land use planning and open space preservation in Garrett Park to understand historical context.

Provide a forum for discussing a vision for the Town’s future and how it relates to land use and open space.

Identify why people move here. What comprises that “unique, special character� (USC) that we often hear as the reason people come?

Provide recommendations on how Garrett Park can maintain and preserve its USC (and the property values that differentiate GP from surrounding neighborhoods) while accommodating change.

Identify changes in land use within Garrett Park that can be anticipated over the next 20 years, and recommend which should be accommodated and which should not.

Issues to be Addressed

Should our open space law be changed?

In 2006, Montgomery County municipalities received new authority from the State to regulate in areas of land use such as parking, height, design and other subjects. What is the experience of other jurisdictions that are exercising the new authority?

Should Garrett Park adopt impervious surface and other "green" regulations?

How can the Town's review and regulatory processes work better?

What are the tools (incentives, initiatives, limits and/or restrictions) that can be used to achieve the vision for the Town's future?

Process

The GPLUTF's process must be open, inclusive and participatory.

Product

A report of Findings and Recommendations to the Town Council and Mayor