Montgomery County Council Approves Job Creation Project ZTA Initiative
Last week, the Montgomery County Council approved the Job Creation Project zoning initiative, which is expected to cut permitting time in half for development projects that are in Montgomery County’s key industries—including life sciences and technology— or are expected to create at least 200 local jobs.
Spearheaded by Council President Natali Fani-González and co-sponsored by Council Vice President Marilyn Balcombe, Councilmembers Sidney Katz, Andrew Friedson, Laurie-Anne Sayles, Will Jawando, Evan Glass, Shebra Evans, Kate Stewart and Dawn Luedtke, the new ZTA initiative will help support the development of buildings that have already identified anchor tenants and would hire for the jobs immediately, which is also why these types of projects would benefit from predictable regulatory timelines and processes. The County has a similar expedited review process for biohealth projects, mixed income communities, and office-to-residential conversions.
“We must remain laser-focused on attracting new jobs and private-sector investment to the County, and that means evaluating and improving every touch point between county government and businesses,” said Council President and Economic Development Committee Chair Fani-González. “If you want to make significant business investments in Montgomery County to help grow economic opportunities for our residents, we are ready to partner with you to get your project to market faster, cheaper and more predictably.”
“Montgomery County’s continued success is dependent on bringing together public and private sector partners to create an environment where businesses can grow, innovate, and invest,” said Jared Smith, MCEDC President & CEO. “We appreciate Council President Natali Fani-González and the Economic Development Committee’s leadership on this issue, which is an important step toward strengthening our economic competitiveness. We look forward to continuing to work with our community partners on expanding opportunities for our County.”
Streamlining regulatory processes for companies in strategic industries, like the Job Creation Project ZTA will do, can ensure that Montgomery County continues to be a leading hub for innovation and attractive to businesses across industries.
