Long Life for Long Branch: Tools to Preserve Independent Retailers

Through their work with the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland, the Montgomery County Planning Department commissioned this report from the university’s Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS). PALS works with local jurisdictions throughout Maryland to identify projects and problems that can be taught through university courses where students focus on developing innovative, research-based solutions. Long Life for Long Branch: Tools to Preserve Independent Retailers is the result of a graduate urban planning and studies class initiated under the course heading, “Preserving Community Value of Ethnically Diverse Retailers in Long Branch.” Long Branch, Maryland is a neighborhood at the threshold of rapid change with the construction of the Purple Line transit rail. Preserving the community value of businesses ultimately comes down to preserving opportunity for the businesses themselves. Building upon previous studies and ongoing community- and County-led efforts, the course evolved to focus on an inclusive economic development strategy that would make use of zoning, financing, technical support, and real estate development to retain and grow Long Branch businesses into the future.