All board members tendered their resignation after a series of investigations into improper behavior by board members.

Following recent scrutiny, the Montgomery County, Maryland planning board has issued their mass resignation, which was accepted on Wednesday by the County Council. According to a DCist article by Callan Tansill-Suddath, “The board, which serves as the council’s chief adviser on land use and and community planning, is one of two separate planning agencies in the county; the other is Montgomery Planning, which the board oversees, and which recently made headlines for voting to remove Gwen Wright as its Director a few months shy of her planned retirement.”
As Tansill-Suddath explains, “The recent drama involving the Montgomery County Planning Board includes an investigation into the actions of Vice Chair Partap Verma, according to a complaint made to the county council and obtained by the Washington Post.”
The complaint centered on two issues. “The first investigation looked into whether Anderson cultivated a ‘toxic’ work environment by using sexist and inappropriate language; the second involved a report that Anderson kept a stocked bar in his office.” Additionally, “The complaint also alleged Verma violated the Hatch Act, which forbids federal employees from partaking in partisan political activity; in this case, asking for donations for county council candidates.”
The article continues, “Sonia Healy, a Legislative Information Officer with the Montgomery County Council, says despite the shakeup, the council is still planning to move ahead this month with voting on THRIVE Montgomery 2050, the county’s general plan for the next 30 years, which the county has been working on since 2018.”
FULL STORY: All 5 Montgomery County Planning Board Members Resign

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie