A few weeks back, I blogged about car-free visions taking over suburbia: reduced parking requirements in Tyson’s Corner; Parking meters that could suddenly be adjusted up to exorbitant rates in Arlington and D.C. to discourage driving in the area. And today,  the Washington Post reports on the latest move that  smart growth proponents are likely cheering.

Rather than promote construction in less developed areas, the Montgomery County Council just approved a plan that will provide discounts to developers building dense projects near Metro stations “as long as they also construct bike paths and walkways, put shops and other amenities nearby, and use environmentally friendly construction methods.”

The new policy will also allow MoCo to improve its bus systems and may assist developers in re-working “the jumbled White Flint area along Rockville Pike and provide new impetus to build a “science city” spearheaded by Johns Hopkins University west of Interstate 270 near Gaithersburg,” according to the Post.