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Press Releases - County Council

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, May 18, 2021

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 18, 2021— Today the Council reappointed Commissioner Tina Patterson to the Montgomery County Planning Board for a second term. Councilmembers recognized Ms. Patterson’s experience in alternative dispute resolution, her commitment to economic development and the parks system as well as her work on racial equity and social justice issues. They also noted her community outreach efforts and her systematic and balanced approach to decision-making.

"Ms. Patterson is committed to affordable, attainable housing and access to reliable transportation for all residents," said Council President Tom Hucker. "Her values are matched by her professional background and expertise. For all those reasons, we look forward to having Ms. Patterson's leadership on the Planning Board for another four years."

Ms. Patterson is the owner of a management consulting firm headquartered in Germantown. She is an experienced arbitrator, mediator and facilitator, who for more than two decades has been involved in advocacy, education and outreach on topics related to human and women’s rights. She is also a former member of the Montgomery County Human Rights Commission and in 2019 was appointed to the County’s Remembrance and Reconciliation Commission by the Council. In 2021 she was one of 15 public leaders nationally selected to participate in the Public Leaders for Inclusion Council 2021 cohort organized by America Indivisible.

In addition to Ms. Patterson (Unafilliated), current board members include Chair Casey Anderson (Democrat), Vice Chair Natali Fani-Gonzalez (Democrat), Gerald Cichy (Republican), and Partap Verma (Democrat).

Members of the Planning Board serve four-year terms and are limited to two full terms. No more than three members of the Planning Board may be from the same political party, and each member must be a resident and registered voter of Montgomery County when appointed.

The Planning Board serves as the Council’s principal adviser on land use planning and community planning. Planning Board members also serve as commissioners of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

Some of the Planning Board’s responsibilities with regard to planning include the development of the County’s General Plan, master plans and functional plans, the formulation of subdivision regulations and the preparation of, or recommendations on, text amendments to the Montgomery County Zoning Code. The Planning Board also implements the subdivision process by reviewing and approving all preliminary plans, site plans and other plans for development, provides advice on the planning implications of capital facilities and programs. In addition the Planning Board provides comments, under its mandatory referral authority, on plans for public facilities of local, state and federal agencies and approves the work program and the annual operating budget for the Planning Department and the Commission’s bi-county offices.

The Planning Board also sits as the Park Commission and approves the annual Parks Department operating budget and Capital Improvements Program (CIP), reviews and approves land acquisition contracts and major development contracts, as well as development plans for individual park facilities.

 

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Release ID: 21-220
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Lucia Jimenez 240-777-7932