Statement of Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg at the Press Event for Development Oversight

Statement of Montgomery County Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg

January 20, 2010

Yesterday morning, I joined with my colleagues—Councilmembers Mike Knapp, Phil Andrew, and Roger Berliner—to introduce a bill that will require important oversight of our County’s future development efforts.

Our bill requires that the County Executive to designate an employee in the Office of the Executive or in the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer as the development coordinator for each planning area for which a newly revised master or sector plan has authorized intensive new development or redevelopment.

The coordinator would oversee the financing and development of County infrastructure in the planning area. The coordinator also would serve as the primary point of contact for residents and businesses located in the planning area and the developer of any development located in the area.

With this legislation, we can provide all of the stakeholders in the development process—neighbors, taxpayers, labor, business owners, the development community, and County officials—with the assurances that our critically important development efforts will move forward, efficiently, effectively, expediously, and at reasonable cost to our County.

With this legislation, we can bring much needed oversight and coordination to the complex development process—something that I think we can all agreed is welcome and needed.

I am particularly proud of the coalition of stakeholders who are present with me today.

The business community is represented so ably by many, many individuals and groups. While our legislation would apply to all future master-planned development in the County, I want to particularly acknowledge the work of the White Flint Partnership with regard to the discussions regarding the White Flint Sector Plan. I commend their hard work and their outreach to the community.

The civic community is well represented today by the Friends of White Flint and leading civic organizations. I have benefited from many conversations with our very well informed neighbors and have attended many meetings where important development issues have been discussed and debated. I thank them as well for their interest in these matters and their support.

And, I am particularly proud of the support that this concept has received from working men and women. Mr. Vance Ayers, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Washington, D.C. Building and Construction Trades Council, is here with us today—heralding a valuable and “constructive” new partnership with all of the individuals and groups who are interested in the development of new walkable urban environments that will provide housing, new businesses, jobs, access to transit, and attractive public amenities.

I look forward to our future conversations about economic development and growth, the coordination of our development efforts, and the financing of infrastructure, among others.

This is the beginning of an important discussion, not the end of it. I am confident that, at the end of the day, we will forge an impressive and important partnership between all of these stakeholders that will work in the best interests of Montgomery County.

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For more information, contact Alan S. Bowser, Office of Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, 240-777-7965.