Jason Sartori Appointed Director of Planning Department

Sartori has served as Chief of the Countywide Planning and Policy Division since January 2019.

“My colleagues and I are confident Jason will lead Montgomery Planning in delivering innovative, equitable, and economically competitive land use recommendations and policies for the county,” said Planning Board Chair Artie Harris.

“I know Jason will further the Planning Board’s priorities of accelerating the production of housing, especially affordable housing as this is a critical challenge our county is facing. Jason has the technical expertise and creativity to advance the county’s economic health, environmental resilience, and community equity goals,” he wrote in a news release.

“I am honored and humbled by the Planning Board’s appointment to be Montgomery Planning’s next Planning Director,” said Sartori. “As a resident of Montgomery County for the past two decades, I am energized and dedicated to enhancing the quality of life and livability for current and future generations of county residents, businesses, and visitors.”

Sartori issued a statement, noting, “I am excited to harness the department’s outstanding interdisciplinary expertise and independent analysis to craft plans and policy recommendations that strengthen every community and create a greater sense of place and inclusion for all. And I’m committed to using our community-focused, data-driven approach to advance the county’s priorities identified in Thrive Montgomery 2050.”

Stern was named following an ongoing investigation that led to Montgomery County councilmembers issuing a vote of no confidence last October to the entire five member Montgomery County Planning Board, who then resigned.

“On behalf of the Planning Board, I can’t thank Tanya enough for her leadership and commitment to Montgomery Planning’s work. During a time of significant transition in the department and on the Planning Board, she continued to guide the department’s development and approval of master plans, studies, and policy updates, as well as its regulatory work reviewing development project applications,” Harris said.

Sartori, who began his planning career as a Montgomery Planning intern in 2005, has been the department’s Countywide Planning and Policy (CPP) Division Chief since 2019.

He joined Montgomery Planning in January 2016 and has since helped lead two updates to the county’s adequate public facilities ordinance, known as the Growth and Infrastructure Policy, and led the team that developed the county’s first Pedestrian Master Plan that recently was adopted.

He previously served as the Associate Director of the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland.