The M83 Public Hearing: What Bethesda Beat Missed

On July 8, the Montgomery County Council held a public hearing on the Planning Board’s recommendation to remove the northern segment of M83 from the County’s Master Plan.

Bethesda Beat covered the hearing — but if you only read their article, you’d think it was a one-sided event, filled with well-informed environmental advocates and a few misguided road supporters. The piece framed anyone who spoke for M83 as either ill-informed or anti-environment.

What the article didn’t capture — and what matters most for Clarksburg — is the bigger story happening behind the scenes and in that room.

First, it’s not just M83 on the chopping block.

At the same time the Planning Board has recommended the removal of the northern section of M83, The Gateway Sector Plan is also recommending to the Planning Board the removal of Exit 17, a key 270 connection for Clarksburg. The idea that a community of our size could lose both a master-planned highway and a major interchange without a serious conversation or completed studies about traffic, growth, and infrastructure is hard to imagine anywhere else in Montgomery County. This is a huge contextual piece that should not be overlooked.

Second, this isn’t a simple “roads vs. environment” issue.

When the Planning Board voted in April to recommend removing M83, the lone “no” vote came from Commissioner Mitra Pedoeem — a former Parks Department Deputy Director and past Director of Permitting Services. Back in 2013, a former Parks Director also cast the deciding vote to keep M83 in the plan. The idea that all park leaders and environmental stewards oppose M83 simply isn’t true. The real story is more complicated than the headlines suggest.

Third — and most important — even many who spoke against M83 stood up for Clarksburg.

Yes, they opposed the road. But they also recognized that Clarksburg’s voice matters, that our transportation needs are real, and that decades of broken promises have left our community underserved.

That is something Bethesda Beat completely missed.

And it’s a sign of something bigger happening: Our voices are being heard.

Whether people are for M83 or against it, they recognize that an injustice has been done in UpCounty. Others are beginning to advocate for us because we’ve shown up with a commitment to speak truth with kindness, to listen respectfully, and to leave space for honest dialogue and collaboration. That’s the kind of advocacy that makes a difference. And it’s why we believe the story of Clarksburg is still being written — by all of us.

There is still time.

The County Council hasn’t voted yet. That happens July 21. Between now and then, we’re asking you to speak up — again.

What you can do:

1. Email the County Council
   Tell them Clarksburg deserves real transportation solutions — including M83 — and that the voices of residents need to be part of every decision. Need a template for the email addresses and content? HERE. Or feel free to use this blog post or these other materials that have been put together by local residents:

   • M83 Fact Sheet #1

   • M83 Fact Sheet #2

2. Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on what's happening and how you can advocate!

We may not win every battle. But together, we are winning a stronger voice for Clarksburg.

Let’s keep going. And, stay united!