Finding a way forward on farm solar

February 5, 2021

Category: agriculture, economy, environment

As a lead sponsor of the proposed zoning change to allow “community solar” on less than 2% of the County’s 100,000 acres of land zone Agricultural Reserve, I can no longer support the zoning change as it was amended by the Council on January 26, 2021. If it comes before the Council again, I am hopeful that we will still find a compromise that provides a clean path forward for a meaningful amount of solar energy; if not, with regret I will vote against it.

The original proposal I introduced with Council President Tom Hucker would have generated enough clean electricity to power about 50,000 homes, helping the County achieve important climate goals and supporting State goals to shut down coal-fired power plants — all while providing discounted clean energy to low income residents.

Working with groups such as the Sierra Club, Poolesville Green and Chesapeake Climate Action Network, we developed a plan that we hoped would be a cornerstone of our County’s environmental and climate action agenda.

The Council’s amendments thus far, unfortunately, restrict the land that can be used so significantly that, if adopted, the zoning proposal would establish a local precedent for solar power that many clean energy advocates are warning us could move Maryland backwards rather than forward, akin to a local government blocking offshore wind generation on the Eastern Shore.

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Why the Council voted to override the veto of the Metro smart growth plan

October 28, 2020

Category: affordable housing, Economic development, economy, housing, metro

Dear resident:

On Tuesday, the County Council voted to override County Executive Elrich’s veto of the “More Housing At Metro” Act, a smart growth plan adopted by the Council a week earlier.

Read the op-ed I wrote about it in the Washington Post

Our County’s 9 Metro station properties could be delivering enormous benefits to the County — including substantial tax revenues — but instead they are a drag. From a real estate perspective, some are nearly “brownfields” due to the overwhelming expense of building above a station.

The Council has a plan to break the status quo and generate some economic momentum. The legislation, vetoed by the County Executive, would provide a highly targeted property tax abatement exclusively for high rise construction on these 9 Metro station properties.

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Using ABS to help stabilize our restaurant sector

March 27, 2020

Category: COVID-19, economy, Liquor Control

Earlier today, I sent a letter (reprinted below) to County Executive Marc Elrich asking that he direct the County Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) to help stabilize the restaurant sector, which is experiencing a catastrophic decline in revenue as a result of the COVID-19 shutdown.

My proposal would allow restaurants to defer payments on beer, wine, and liquor purchases from the County warehouse for 12 months. Unlike grants, the money will be repaid (it will be effectively a zero interest loan; businesses that fail can be required to return their inventory to the county). The program will help restaurants with very low cash flow in a very uncertain environment to regain their footing. Keep reading >>

Jobs: We can do this

January 22, 2020

Category: Economic development, economy, National Institutes of Standards and Technology, technology

Dear resident,

You may have seen the recent Washington Post stories about economic challenges facing Montgomery County. As Northern Virginia’s tech sector booms, our job growth is lagging.

We urgently need a new vision and action to grow our job base. We can do it — by understanding our strengths and investing in them.

Looking at economic powerhouses like Boston or the Bay Area, it is clear that research institutions — usually major universities — are driving innovation and economic growth.

That is why I am so excited about my recent engagements with our Federal research labs, such as the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and others. Keep reading >>

5 ámbitos que plantean impulsar la economía del condado de Montgomery

October 18, 2019

Category: Economic development, economy, Español, technology

Estimado residente:

El condado de Montgomery es un lugar increíble. Hay muchos cambios positivos porque hacemos las cosas bien!

Claro que también enfrentamos algunos desafíos, particularmente en el área de desarrollo económico. Nuestro crecimiento laboral ha disminuido y si es que continúa disminuyendo y se convierte en una tendencia a largo plazo habrán consecuencias serias que enfrentar.

Por esta razón, estoy creando un plan de desarrollo económico que impulse la mejora económica de nuestro condado.

La necesidad es clara. Según el Instituto Fuller, en el 2018, Virginia generó el 71% de todos los empleos nuevos en la región de Washington. Hasta el momento, las cifras del 2019 muestran que Virginia está generando un porcentaje de empleos aún mayor que el del año pasado llegando a cifras de hasta un 90%.

Las cifras del 2018 y las de este año 2019 muestran un gran cambio en nuestro patrón histórico; ya que usualmente en Maryland se generan aproximadamente un tercio de los empleos del área de Washington. Estas cifras son sorprendentes y amenazan la sostenibilidad económica de nuestro condado. Siga leyendo >>

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