To: George Leventhal, President, Montgomery County Council
From: Pamela Lindstrom, Leader, Urban Planning
RE: Appointing a Planning Board Chairman
It did not take Al Gore’s movie to convince us of the urgency of responding to the demands of the 21st Century for more sustainable living. You as the County’s elected officials have a leading role to play in this response, through your land use and transportation planning powers. This role must guide your choice of our new Planning Board Chairman.
This letter lists the qualities of the Planning Board Chair we need at this turning point. It will be clear that no candidate embodies all these qualities. But Royce Hanson comes much closer than any other.
• Dr. Hanson understands and would work to implement a strong land use vision. The County’s general plan can lead us toward a sustainable future if followed vigorously. We need a recommitment to both its urban and rural aspects: more compact, human scale urban centers connected by an expanded transit backbone, and permanent preservation of the agriculture reserve.
• Dr. Hanson has the professional stature and self confidence to make the tough complex decisions ahead, and integrate the work of our expert professional planners and those who care deeply about their communities but lack professional skills. Professional stature will help the Chairman and Planning Board retain their independence and objectivity.
• By far the easiest course for the next Planning Board (and the next Council) will be to stay our present course, and respond to the new imperatives with little decisions rather than the big decisions the times require. Dr. Hanson has the vision and determination to see big plans become reality.
• He has broad and deep knowledge of County procedures and issues. We don’t have time to train the new Chairman.
• The only issue on which we differ with Dr. Hanson is transportation policy. The priorities for the transition to urban, sustainable development must be completing the transit backbone and providing the numerous local facilities that allow people to live sustainably. Spending our wealth on the ICC will set back the transition indefinitely. We can only hope that County officials will reconsider this decision which is so terribly inappropriate for our times.
The field of urban planning has progressed dramatically in the last few years. Dr. Hanson’s professional activities show he has progressed with the field and is fit to lead the transition from suburban to sustainable urban development the County must undergo. He has shown political courage and determination in advocating for the agriculture reserve, for preserving outstanding natural features, and for the integrity of the planning process. He has shown willingness to learn and change when presented with convincing evidence and opinions. We must seize this opportunity to employ his leadership and vision at this time.