For Immediate Release: Tuesday, April 4, 2006
The Montgomery County Council today unanimously approved the formation of an Ad Hoc Agricultural Policy Working Group, which would provide the Council with comprehensive advice on proposals dealing with the County’s 93,000-acre Agricultural Reserve.
“Protecting our Agricultural Reserve is too important to consider interrelated issues in a piecemeal fashion,” said Council President George Leventhal. “We need to step back and consider the big picture – maintaining this precious resource for future generations and keeping our agricultural industry strong and vital – and the recommendations of this working group will assist us to do that.”
The Council will ask the Working Group to:
• Undertake a thorough review of pending and potential Rural Density Transfer zone legislation, the child lot program, the proposed building lot termination program, uses of sand mound technology, and technical tracking and use issues associated with the Transfer of Development Rights program;
• Assure that this review provides a clear understanding of how the individual proposals interact with each other and consider the potential for unanticipated negative consequences; and
• Proceed in a way that respects the concerns of all stakeholders.
The Council is seeking individuals with significant knowledge of the issues involved. Those interested in serving on the Working Group, which will include 10-15 members, should send letters of interest by April 21 to Council President George Leventhal, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850. For more information, call Justina Ferber at 240-777-7938.
The group would report back to the Council by year’s end.
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Release ID: 06-039