Of 1,863 residents in Brentwood's 2040 plan survey, 53% made Maryland Farms a reinvestment priority. Consultants suggest more uses and taller buildings there.

More than half of the Brentwood residents who answered the city’s 2040 plan survey named Maryland Farms as a priority for reinvestment. The consultants writing the plan now suggest letting the office park take more kinds of business and taller buildings.

The figures came at the City Commission’s briefing Thursday, Nov. 5. Consultants from McBride Dale Clarion and Burch Transportation presented the survey results and their first recommendations. This account is from the city’s video of the briefing and its voice-to-text transcript. The full engagement report went to commissioners but has not been posted on the Brentwood 2040 Plan website.

Who answered

  • The city mailed more than 15,000 postcards to residents.
  • 1,863 residents responded, after 29 duplicate entries were removed.
  • That is a response rate of about 12%, which a commissioner and the consultants called unusually high.
  • Half of the residents who responded have lived in Brentwood for more than 20 years, a commissioner noted.
  • A separate business survey drew only 19 replies. The consultants said they would treat those as anecdotal and not report percentages from them.

What residents said

The consultants summarized five themes from the survey, the public meetings in June and July, an advisory committee and interviews:

  • protect the community’s character
  • manage growth slowly and strategically
  • improve transportation and traffic
  • modernize existing commercial areas instead of building new ones
  • add housing options for seniors and people who want to downsize

Maryland Farms

Of those surveyed, 53% picked Maryland Farms as a priority for reinvestment, the consultants said. They reported strong support for more sit-down restaurants there, and for indoor recreation, retail, personal services, elderly care and entertainment.

There was no strong support for adding homes to Maryland Farms, apart from elderly care. Most respondents said buildings should stay at four stories, although some chose every height offered, up to seven or more.

The consultants said Maryland Farms is still competitive. Its office vacancy rate was under 14% at the end of 2025, against more than 18% across the wider market. Demand is for newer, Class A space with more amenities. The consultants cited private projects already modernizing buildings there, including a $12 million to $15 million renovation at East Park.

Their first recommendations for Maryland Farms were to:

  • allow more office-compatible uses in the C-1 zone, which now bars standalone shops and restaurants
  • allow four stories by right instead of three, and possibly five or six with special approval
  • make parking rules more flexible

The office owners they interviewed said a rebuild would need more than four stories to pay for itself, with shops on the ground floor. Commissioners raised traffic and asked whether taller buildings were really needed. One commissioner said they opposed any suggestion of tax incentives.

Senior housing and neighborhood shops

On senior housing, the survey asked which housing types the city should encourage, with up to three choices. Active adult communities for people 55 and older were the top pick, chosen by 620 residents, or 35.8%. Maryland Farms was suggested as one possible place for 55-and-older housing.

Commissioners went back over an old problem. Zoning can regulate the type of home, but it cannot limit who buys it by age. Some worried that smaller lots meant for seniors could open the door to other multifamily housing.

The consultants also asked whether to look for spots for small neighborhood shops, such as a cafe or convenience store, mostly east of Interstate 65. Commissioners were split, and the consultants said support from the Planning Commission was lower still.

Roads

Burch Transportation is drafting the plan’s new Major Thoroughfare Plan. It will rank road projects by criteria such as safety, congestion, connections between neighborhoods and cost. Commissioners ranked those criteria by phone during the meeting.

What happens next

The consultants said the second phase, research and public input, is nearly done. The third phase is writing a full draft, reviewing it and putting it to a vote. They gave no date for the draft. The plan will replace the Brentwood 2030 Plan, adopted in 2016.

What it means for you

  • Still want a say? The plan website has a comment form open to anyone.
  • Work or shop in Maryland Farms? The proposals would mean more restaurants and services in the C-1 part of the park and, possibly, taller buildings. Each would need a zoning change, with public hearings, after the plan is adopted.
  • Thinking about downsizing? Senior housing is one of three topics the consultants are still working through, so the draft is the place to watch.
  • Watch it yourself: the Nov. 5 briefing video has a full transcript. The 2040 plan discussion starts about 40 minutes in.

The Planning Commission approved a 61-home subdivision off Liberty Church Road on Nov. 2, and traffic came up there too; see our Alderhurst report. Our guide to building permits and zoning explains how a zoning change moves through the city.