By Madison Go for The Montgomery News | April 13, 2026
Construction on the Montgomery Promenade is steadily progressing, with anticipated openings this summer. Among Montgomery High School students, excitement has coalesced around new additions such as Panera and Ulta, while many adults look forward to the arrival of Whole Foods.
Montgomery Promenade Site (left) Flooded Road in Montgomery Township (right)
Yet this enthusiasm exists alongside a growing concern: as the township develops, residents worry Montgomery is losing its rural charm even as they welcome the conveniences of expansion. The contradiction raises a broader question: can development serve both ecological and human interests, or are those priorities at odds?
In the MHS AP Environmental Science program, teacher Glen Stuart situates these questions within a transdisciplinary lens, examining interconnectedness of environmental, economic, and social systems.
Its current unit, the Anthroposphere, focuses on social-ecological systems, and how individuals both shape and are shaped by them. At its core are two driving questions: To what extent is a system working for the Earth, and to what extent is it working for us? In a rapidly developing township like ours, these questions take on real-world relevance.
From a socioeconomic standpoint, development presents a series of trade-offs.
Mr. Stuart says: “The more you preserve nature, doing ethical and eco-friendly development, the more expensive it will be. The trade-off to me is money. The more expensive the development, the better it is for the environment; the cheaper the development is, the worse it is for the environment.”
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Affordability often comes at an environmental cost, forcing developers and residents to reconcile competing priorities. Population growth, too, carries consequences. “Denser populations or denser housing puts more of a stress on localized institutions,” Stuart notes, pointing to potential impacts on schools and traffic. At the same time, he challenges the notion that preserving “rural charm” is simply a matter of limiting development. “If you keep population density low, taxes are going to go up,” he says, adding that maintaining the township’s standard of living—particularly the strength of our schools—requires a financial premium.
Environmental concerns are even more pressing. Stuart highlights risks to water quality, air quality, and biodiversity. He emphasizes the importance of careful site selection, particularly in Montgomery, which has become increasingly vulnerable to severe weather. “You could really mess up water movements if you’re not in the right spot… and that could exacerbate flooding,” he warns. Traffic congestion and its ripple effects—such as delayed school transportation—are additional concerns.
Perhaps most notably, Stuart raises questions about the land itself. Parts of Montgomery contain Superfund sites—areas designated by the Environmental Protection Agency due to contamination— and uncertainty about their proximity to new developments is concerning.
Still, Stuart stopped short of condemning development outright. “Like anything in the world, people just need to make informed decisions about who they’re supporting and how they treat people. [The development] has the potential to make it easier for people to make poor decisions environmentally,” he explains. “But I don’t think that it’s inherently bad.”
As Montgomery grows, what it gains in convenience, it must reckon with in cost.
