Montgomery Aims to Fix Planning Agency

Board Chairman Seeks to Spend $900,000 From Reserves to Make Changes

The Montgomery County agency that oversees development is working on a series of changes to address criticism that it is poorly managed and unresponsive to the public, Planning Board Chairman Derick P. Berlage said yesterday.

Berlage, who outlined the plan to a County Council committee, asked for permission to finance the changes by spending about $900,000 from the agency's reserves, or about 1 percent of the total budget.

Berlage and the Department of Park and Planning he oversees have come under intense scrutiny after a group of residents unearthed construction irregularities last year at Clarksburg Town Center, a 1,300-home development being built north of Germantown. The residents said that the agency failed to heed their repeated warnings that builders were ignoring the requirements of the approved plans for the project.

Berlage, who is seeking reappointment to a second four-year term, is under pressure to show that the agency is becoming more efficient and more open to public scrutiny. He is appointed by the council, and his term ends in June.

"More than ever, I am convinced that Park and Planning will reemerge as a strong, more transparent, more predictable public agency," Berlage told the committee. "We have already learned dozens of lessons from Clarksburg and instituted numerous reforms."

Outlining the need to spend some of the agency's reserve funds, Berlage said the new management system is "a work in progress" that could make sweeping changes in agency practices, from the way staff members communicate with residents to the methods used to keep track of documents.

Last week, former planning board chairman Royce Hanson told the full council that Montgomery's planning department, once viewed as a national model of efficiency, suffered from "systemic problems," with morale at an all-time low and staff members complaining that they are under pressure to approve projects quickly. He recommended a top-to-bottom review, more oversight from the Planning Board and the council and a swift decision on Berlage's future.

Hanson, a nationally recognized land-use specialist at George Washington University, said many of the agency's troubles stem from a "sustained lack of institutional and intellectual leadership." His review was the harshest assessment to date of how development and growth are being managed in Montgomery.

While Berlage was said to be stung by the criticism, he avoided responding directly to Hanson's points, choosing instead to outline the agency's plans to improve and politely thank Hanson "for sharing his expertise with us."

Committee members asked Berlage and acting director Farroll Hamer to provide more details, inquiring about whether there should be an attempt to coordinate changes with recommendations of a consultant's report, due in April.

"There is this burning need out there to understand the structure you are going through," said council member Marilyn Praisner (D-Eastern County). "This is a first step. We need more meat put on the bones."

Berlage's comments yesterday came as the council also examined a report by its staff that suggested that the county might be better served if the Department of Park and Planning were split in two. Council members said the idea, while interesting, was premature. It could mean the county would have to revise or end the planning agency's relationship with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, a bi-county agency operated with Prince George's.

Yesterday, the Montgomery County Civic Federation, an umbrella organization of community groups, criticized the planning agency, the council and two executive agencies involved with permitting and housing, saying they had not fully investigated at least nine alleged violations similar to those found at Clarksburg Town Center.

"Everyone is offering solutions. But you risk solving a problem that you don't yet fully understand," said Jim Humphrey, an activist with the federation.