Testimony before the County Council: 2007-2009 Growth Policy Hearing

Presented by Diane Hibino, President, LWVMC, June 26, 2007

Good evening, I’m Diane Hibino, President of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County. We would like to add our testimony at this Public Hearing on Growth Policy issues.

For the past 50 years (or more) the League has been studying land use planning and has developed a number of positions on the topic. Our testimony tonight is based on the broad principles that we have adopted and that we hope you keep in mind when approving the 2007-2009 Growth Policy.

The League of Women Voters of Montgomery County has reached consensus on and supports the following position: Growth in Montgomery County should be controlled by Zoning, which should be strictly enforced; and on making services (such as schools, water supply, sewers, fire and police protection, transportation and roads) available as development proceeds (Adequate Public Facilities.). The Growth Policy is a resolution adopted by the Montgomery County Council that contains guidelines for administering the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO).

In order to measure the adequacy of these public facilities, indicators must be developed to aid in analysis of the current and future pace and pattern of growth along with analyses of the adequacy of facilities to meet the developing demand. As stated in Planning’s final draft, if any facility is found to be inadequate, a remedy will have to be found such as a moratorium, developer contributions, or other means.

While we do not use the word “sustainable” in our positions, most of them are directed toward sustainability and we would support the Growth Policy considering Sustainability in all aspects of growth. In particular, we “promote an environment beneficial to life through the protection and wise use of natural resources in the public interest by recognizing the interrelationships of air quality, energy, land use, waste management, and water resources;” and we support “Preserving the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of the ecosystem, with the maximum protection of public health and the environment.”

The facility that is most often inadequate is transportation. We support an integrated transportation system which includes bus and rapid rail and promotes and encourages the use of mass transit. We also support road space being allocated for high-occupancy vehicles (such as bus, carpools, vanpools, and light rail). The newly proposed Policy Area Mobility Review (PAMR) which includes a transit mobility measure, might be the instrument to encourage the development of more public transit to satisfy adequate transportation requirements. Transit is especially important for those urban and semi-urban parts of our county where transit is a viable option for many trips, but it also works in rural areas where long trips might take automobiles off of several roads during the length of the trips. The county’s ten year transportation plan adds four enhanced bus lines and two light rail lines but all lacking funding, which the Growth Policy could foster and encourage.

The League also supports regional land use planning and integration of transportation at a regional level for the Washington Metropolitan Area. Regional factors should be taken into consideration in a Montgomery County Growth Policy, especially in transportation matters.

Thank you for this opportunity to express our positions.