Jason Sartori, the director of Montgomery Planning, first wrote “Meet the New Montgomery Planning” on the Third Place blog, which is the blog for the Montgomery Planning Department.
At Montgomery Planning, the main concern since the adoption of Thrive Montgomery 2050 in 2022 has been what comes next in terms of implementation.The county’s new general plan, Thrive, represents a change in planning and will have a significant impact on how the county develops over the next several decades. We discovered that in order to position our company for that change, we needed to examine the department’s structure as we started creating Montgomery Planning’s new Strategic Plan, which sets internal goals and objectives for the ensuing five years.
We thought it was appropriate to do so. We haven’t updated our organizational structure in its entirety since 2011. Since then, a lot has changed in the globe and in our county. This introspection showed us where we were lacking in adaptability to deal with the opportunities and difficulties of the future.
I’m thrilled to share important changes to our department’s operations. These adjustments, in my opinion, will put us in a better position to answer the demand of Thrive and our strategic plan while also ensuring that we are offering the greatest possible service to the county’s citizens and stakeholders. Although we are dedicated to offering communities and partners the same degree of customer support and creative planning solutions, you might be collaborating with some new people as a result of this reorganization, which takes effect July 1, 2025.
New planning regions
We’re restructuring our geographically based planning divisions to better correspond with the corridor-focused expansion thatThrivecalls advocates for. These departments are in charge of development reviews and master planning initiatives at the local level. The West County Planning Division, East County Planning Division, and Upcounty Planning Division will be our new planning divisions.
These borders not only make greater spatial sense, but they also help us focus on the goals and connectivity opportunities that are most crucial to their planning areas and better link our work with theThrives vision:
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Upcounty:
Agricultural initiatives, regulatory cases, and master plans.
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Upcounty:
Agricultural initiatives, regulatory cases, and master plans.
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East County:
Corridor planning and a strong master plan and development review portfolio.
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East County:
Corridor planning and a strong master plan and development review portfolio.
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West County:
Master plan implementation and connections across existing plans along the MD 355 corridor.
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West County:
Master plan implementation and connections across existing plans along the MD 355 corridor.
The four new functionally focused divisions now have significant avenues to further their work thanks to the revised boundaries.
New Structure
Our emphasis on the Thrives goal and the methods in which we actually operate and serve the county are reflected in Montgomery Planning’s new organizational structure. We’ve established four new divisions to highlight the crucial job Montgomery Planning undertakes throughout the whole county:
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Design, Placemaking and Policy:
Combines the housing, infrastructure, and zoning teams with urban design staff to implement
Thrive s
vision for design, placemaking, and housing.
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Design, Placemaking and Policy:
Combines the housing, infrastructure, and zoning teams with urban design staff to implement
Thrive s
vision for design, placemaking, and housing.
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Historic Preservation:
Responds to the increased volume of this team s work, particularly relating to racial equity and social justice and understanding historic inequities.
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Historic Preservation:
Responds to the increased volume of this team s work, particularly relating to racial equity and social justice and understanding historic inequities.
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Transportation Planning:
Ensures consistency in transportation initiatives and development application reviews, and aligns multimodal, Vision Zero, and complete streets efforts.
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Transportation Planning:
Ensures consistency in transportation initiatives and development application reviews, and aligns multimodal, Vision Zero, and complete streets efforts.
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Environment and Climate:
Unites environmental and forest conservation staff to address climate change and promote resilience.
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Environment and Climate:
Unites environmental and forest conservation staff to address climate change and promote resilience.
The following current divisions—the Research and Strategic Projects Division, the Information Technology & Innovation Division, the Communications and Engagement Division, and the Management Services Division—will not undergo significant changes in light of these new divisions. Internally, we will place a greater emphasis on intention, openness, and integrity in all of our community engagements, as well as more explicitly prioritize staff development, coordination, and collaboration. This enables us to provide exceptional planning for Montgomery County while optimizing effectiveness, influence, and creativity throughout operations.
New benefits
The goal of this reorganization is to create a department that is more effective, dependable, adaptable, and consistent while strengthening community ties by cultivating trust in more narrowly defined geographic and subject areas.Our mission-driven, forward-thinking planning projects will serve as the foundation for Thrives’ vision of a sustainable future focused on entire, walkable communities. Furthermore, since we are now prepared for success both now and in the future, these changes allow for stronger ties to the community.
Additionally, there will be more chances for cross-training and interdepartmental cooperation, which will expose workers to a wider range of job duties and enable more thorough planning and nuanced community relations.
What s next
Looking ahead, the Fiscal Year 2026 work program, which also starts on July 1, 2025, will show county citizens how our improved operations are being implemented. This program includes:
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- Burtonsville Employment Area Minor Master Plan Amendment
- Burtonsville Employment Area Minor Master Plan Amendment
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- Kensington Sector Plan Amendment
- Kensington Sector Plan Amendment
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- Housing Needs Assessment and Preferences study
- Housing Needs Assessment and Preferences study
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- Retail Market Analysis and Strategy Update
- Retail Market Analysis and Strategy Update
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- Green Streets Guidelines
- Green Streets Guidelines
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- Locational Atlas Update
- Locational Atlas Update
By reshaping our organization to better and more effectively serve the county’s changing needs and pursue Montgomery Planning’s vision of thriving, resilient communities for everyone today and in the future, these structural updates are putting Montgomery County in a better, more resilient position for the future.
View my June 26, 2026, briefing to the Planning Board regarding Montgomery Planning’s new organizational structure.
