All Things Montgomery: December 2025
I hope you’re finding opportunities to rest and find moments of joy as we reach the end of 2025.
Thanks to you, this was a big year for Montgomery for All—we made our first t-shirts, launched a newsletter, notched housing wins with More Housing N.O.W. and the University Boulevard Corridor Plan, and reached new people at community events around the county.
Keep your eyes peeled for more opportunities to get involved in 2026. Earlier this week, the Montgomery for All steering committee elected our first Events, Membership, Communications, and Advocacy Chairs to work with members like you, and help coordinate our efforts in these areas. Look for more info early next year about how you can participate!
Carrie Kisicki
Maryland Housing Advocacy Manager, Coalition for Smarter Growth
Coordinator, Montgomery for All
NEWS: County Council approves University Blvd. Corridor Plan 7-3 🎉
On Tuesday, December 9, 2025, the Montgomery County Council voted to approve the University Boulevard Corridor Plan by a vote of 7-3.
Councilmembers Balcombe, Fani-González, Friedson, Glass, Luedtke, Sayles, and Stewart voted for the plan. Councilmembers Jawando, Katz, and Mink voted against the plan.
Recommendations in the plan approved by the Council include:
Re-zoning to allow mixed use (commercial and residential uses) for many institutional and commercial properties in the plan area, which will create new opportunities for housing and retail, and provide pedestrian safety improvements as sites are redeveloped
Allowing missing middle housing options on 170+ properties abutting University Blvd that are currently zoned for single-family detached homes only
Wider, well-buffered sidewalks on University Boulevard in Four Corners
More frequent crosswalks on University Boulevard with better lighting and visibility for drivers and pedestrians
A complete network of connected low-stress bicycle facilities, including a trail connection across I-495 connecting Colesville Road to Indian Spring Terrace Local Park and Marshall Avenue.
Get involved this month! Meetings, applications, and surveys
December 16 @ 6PM: The Banner Montgomery community listening session in Rockville
December 17 @ 7PM: District 18 Town Hall on University Blvd. Roadway Safety (in-person, RSVP)
Apply by January 9: Montgomery County Council Summer 2026 Fellows program, open to students in policy-related graduate programs
Apply by January 9: County's Climate, Energy, and Air Quality Advisory Committee (8 vacancies open!)
Open through January 31: Layhill Local Park - Playground Renovation survey
Ongoing: Safe Routes to School Safety Assessment Survey for 15 MoCo schools
Your winter break reading (and watching) list 🤓
Looking for something to do as the year winds down? Get caught up on your housing knowledge and advocacy skills with these upcoming events, webinar recordings, and a self-guided course!
⭐ Catch a live webinar on December 17 @ 7PM: Join Montgomery County’s League of Women Voters for The Impact of Affordable Housing on Economic Development in Montgomery County, a webinar featuring Council President Natali Fani-Gonzalez, GGWash’s Dan Reed, and Montgomery for All member Tony Byrne.
⭐ Learn more about two recent MD housing reports: Check out the recording and materials for CSG’s December 8 webinar on Maryland Housing Needs & Solutions. We spoke to researchers and public officials about what two important recent reports tell us about why housing is unaffordable in Maryland, and what we can do to fix it.
⭐ Build your data skills: Explore Urban Institute’s Upward Mobility Data Dashboard, Toolkit, and virtual workshop recording to learn step-by-step how local leaders and advocates can use datasets on housing, transportation, and other issues to help inform policy priorities and build powerful advocacy campaigns.
⭐ Brush up on your planning knowledge with this self-guided course: Montgomery Planning recently launched the Community Planning Academy, a free online course of 10 modules on the planning and development process in Montgomery County. Register for free, and learn at your own pace about topics like master plans, zoning, and participating in the planning process!
Become a member of Montgomery for All
Join our community of local advocates when you become a member of Montgomery for All!
Membership is just $5 a year and supports our advocacy for affordable, inclusive housing options and great, walkable communities across the county.
In 2025, members’ contributions have helped us expand our outreach by supporting costs like registration fees for tabling at community events and printed advocacy handouts on the Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative.
Photo credits: Carrie Kisicki (U Blvd)