Subject
title
Authorization to File a Comprehensive Map Amendment Application to Implement the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR), Including Zoning Recommendations in the Rockville 2040 Comprehensive Plan and Town Center Master Plan
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Department
CPDS - Zoning Review & Other
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Mayor and Council authorize the filing of the Comprehensive Map Amendment application to implement the changes to the Zoning Map recommended in the Rockville 2040 Comprehensive Plan and Town Center Master Plan.
Change in Law or Policy
Adoption of the Comprehensive Map Amendment will change the permitted uses and permitted density of development on the properties to be rezoned, in accordance with the adopted Plan documents.
Discussion
Background
The Mayor and Council adopted the Rockville 2040 Comprehensive Plan in 2021. The Plan describes a broad vision for the city’s future and contains goals, objectives, and specific recommendations for land use and zoning, among many other subject areas. The Comprehensive Plan itself does not regulate land use or establish zoning laws; instead, it anticipated that its land use and zoning recommendations would be implemented through a zoning ordinance update and adoption of a new zoning map.
Through this project, a new Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 25 of the City Code) and a new Zoning Map have been produced for public review and eventual adoption by the Mayor and Council. The implementation of a new zoning map is accomplished through a Comprehensive Map Amendment (CMA) process and covers the entire city. Most properties will not be rezoned but will have the existing zoning confirmed, while others will have a change in zoning based on recommendations in the Rockville 2040 Plan and Town Center Master Plan. The ZOR and CMA have been undertaken concurrently but will be adopted by separate actions. Through the adoption process, there will be an opportunity for changes to both the CMA and the ZOR.
Comprehensive Map Amendment
The language of the city’s Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map work together to implement the city’s zoning regulations. Land within the city is divided into different zoning districts (or “zones”), each of which has its own requirements. The city’s Zoning Map visually displays the zone assigned to each property in the city, which can be cross-referenced with the use and development regulations for each zone contained within the Zoning Ordinance.
The Rockville 2040 Comprehensive Plan includes recommendations to rezone certain properties that are intended to implement the goals and objectives for land use outlined in the Plan. These recommended rezonings underwent an extensive public engagement process during the Comprehensive Plan, and further targeted engagement has occurred with this project.
It should be noted that Maryland courts have affirmed that the Land Use Article requires that zoning regulations, subdivision regulations, and similar statutes must “further, and not be contrary to” provisions of the jurisdiction’s comprehensive plan that implement visions set out in Land Use Article Section 1-201 as well as the elements of the plan addressing development regulations and sensitive areas. This includes the Plan’s zoning recommendations. As such, a significant effort of the ongoing project is to rezone properties as recommended by the Comprehensive Plan through a Comprehensive Map Amendment (CMA).
Rezonings Included in the Comprehensive Map Amendment
The Comprehensive Plan recommends rezoning properties to reflect changing community needs and allow for planned land uses. The following rezonings are included in the CMA that has been prepared (see Attachment 1 - Proposed Rezonings).
During the development of the draft Zoning Ordinance and CMA, staff reviewed the recommendations for rezoning with the Mayor and Council at work sessions. The draft Zoning Map (see Attachment 2 - Proposed Zoning Maps) reflects these discussions.
The sections below highlight proposed rezonings that have been of particular interest to the Mayor and Council throughout this process, organized by Planning Area. This section also includes information on updates to the RMD-Infill zone, which provides flexibility for a diversity of ‘middle’ housing types. While much of this information has been provided in past staff reports, some information is new or updated.
Descriptions of existing and proposed zones is shown in Attachment 3.
Planning Area 3 (Hungerford, New Mark Commons, Lynfield, and Fireside Park)
Adjacent to the New Mark Commons neighborhood is a property that is zoned R-90 (single-unit detached dwellings permitted on 9,000 square foot lots) and is currently undeveloped. The Comprehensive Plan recommends that the property be rezoned to the RMD-25 Zone in order to permit additional residential unit types at a maximum density of 25 units per acre.
Staff conducted outreach to the New Mark Commons neighborhood, as residents expressed a number of concerns related to the potential development of the property, including that it may increase traffic, impact existing wetlands, or be out of character with the adjacent neighborhood. Some residents have suggested adopting a different zone, such as the RMD-10, RMD-15, or MXT (Mixed Use Transition) zones. Staff notes that the Plan recommendation affords maximum flexibility to achieve residential development of the property, although there are significant site constraints.
Through the associated Zoning Ordinance Rewrite, updates to modernize the RMD-25 zone are also proposed. These updates would impact not only the Planning Area 3 property proposed to be rezoned, but all properties zoned RMD-25. These changes include reducing the site area requirements to minimize existing nonconformities and revising the front, side, and rear setbacks to more modern requirements.
Planning Area 10 (Montrose and North Farm)
In a portion of Planning Area 10 (Montrose and North Farm), the Plan recommends that a new, high-density residential zone would be appropriate in a specific area currently zoned RMD-25 with one parcel zoned Residential-75 (R-75), and that contains existing apartment communities known as the Rollins Park Apartments and Congressional Towers. Following community engagement and staff consideration, a new, high-density residential zone has been developed for this location, to be known as the RHD (Residential High Density) Zone.
Through the associated Zoning Ordinance Rewrite, the RHD zone is proposed to have an allowable density of 50 dwelling units per acre (twice that of the RMD-25), and would be similar to the highest density residential-only zones in Gaithersburg and Montgomery County (54 and 43.5 dwelling units per acre, respectively; currently, the allowable density in the RMD-25 is 25 dwelling units per acre, while the R-75 requires a minimum of 7,500 square feet per lot, which is approximately 6 dwelling units per acre). The maximum height is proposed to be 75 feet, which is the same as the RMD-25 Zone, while the R-75 Zone has a maximum height of 35 feet. To respond to resident concerns and to ensure appropriate height transitions from single-unit residential, the proposed zone requires that buildings be limited to a maximum height of 45 feet within 100 feet of the property line when the property abuts or confronts a lot that is zoned for and developed with single-unit residential uses. Side and rear setback requirements, as well as design and access requirements, are proposed to be consistent with those of the mixed-use zones that currently allow for residential development.
Planning Area 1 (Town Center)
On January 27, 2025, the Mayor and Council adopted the 2025 Rockville Town Center Master Plan (TCMP) as an amendment to the Rockville 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The TCMP amends the Land Use Policy Map for Planning Area 1 and includes land use recommendations for three “character areas” within Town Center: the MD-355 Corridor, the Core, and the Edge. Specifically, the Plan recommends increased building heights and associated incentives, as well as no minimum parking requirements. The Mayor and Council also approved the use of floating zones to implement the TCMP recommendations for the three character areas earlier this year.
The proposed zoning map includes the expansion of the Mixed-Use Transit District (MXTD) Zone to become a family of zones with height restrictions corresponding to the three TCMP character areas (see below). The MXTD zones are proposed to be distinguished by the allowable base heights recommended in the TCMP, and named MXTD-235, MXTD-200, and MXTD-85 accordingly. All zones within the MXTD family will have the same uses, setbacks, design, and other such standards, tailored to be more walkable and less auto-oriented.
Proposed MXTD 'Family' of Zones
|
Character Area |
Proposed Zone |
Base Height |
Bonus Height |
|
MD-355 Corridor Character Area |
MXTD-235 |
235 feet |
100 feet |
|
Core Character Area |
MXTD-200 |
200 feet |
100 feet |
|
Edge Character Area |
MXTD-85 |
85 feet |
50 feet |
In conjunction with the creation of these zones, the map amendment includes the expansion of the MXTD-235 Zone to properties currently zoned MXTD near the Twinbrook and Shady Grove Metro stations, and the expansion of the MXTD-200 Zone to the areas currently zoned MXCD within the South Pike area.
RMD-Infill Zone
One existing zone that is recommended for greater implementation is the RMD-Infill (Residential Medium Density - Infill) zone, which was created in 2021 through the Stonestreet Master Plan process to implement that plan’s recommendation for “a new zone that allows a diverse range of housing types, including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and rowhouses, in addition to single-unit detached dwellings.” With the Stonestreet Master Plan, several properties in East Rockville near the Rockville Metro Station were rezoned to this district. The Comprehensive Plan recommends expanding this zone to a number of properties that are currently zoned for single-unit detached residential development only. These areas are particularly located near existing Metro stations and planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stops in the East Rockville and Twinbrook neighborhoods, near the Rockville and Twinbrook Metro stations, and along Veirs Mill Road.
Recommended changes to this zone are also addressed through the associated Zoning Ordinance Rewrite. These changes include increasing the types of residential dwellings that are permitted in the zone, which will include townhouses and those noted above. Development standards for the zone are also proposed to be updated to ensure flexibility to achieve Comprehensive Plan housing goals. These housing types are referred to as ‘middle’ housing because their density falls between single-unit detached development and mid- to high-rise apartment development. They are also sometimes called ‘missing middle’ housing, as this type of development has been less common since the 1940s. Missing middle housing types are intended to be ‘comparable in scale and form with single-unit detached housing, and to fit into existing residential neighborhoods. The zone has height limits that are generally in keeping with those in the city’s single-unit residential zones.
Rezonings Not Included in the Comprehensive Map Amendment
The following rezonings recommended in the Comprehensive Plan are not included in the Map Amendment, based on the Mayor and Council’s direction at work sessions.
• Properties in the Lincoln Park neighborhood on the west side of North Stonestreet Avenue, north of the MCPS Materials Management Facility, are currently zoned R-60 and recommended for rezoning to the RMD-Infill Zone. Staff have met with the community several times, and they have expressed their opposition to the rezoning as being in direct conflict with the recently adopted revisions to the Lincoln Park Conservation District that clearly recommended retention and support for the single-unit detached development pattern of the community.
• Properties within Planning Area 4 (West End and Woodley Gardens East-West) that are currently zoned MXT (Mixed Use Transition) are recommended to be rezoned to a new zone that would limit uses to residential and office only and exclude retail use.
• Two properties on Beall Avenue owned by the Jerusalem Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church that are currently zoned MXT and recommended to be rezoned to the R-60 Zone.
• All properties on Piccard Drive in the MXE Zone between West Gude Drive and Redland Boulevard are currently zoned MXE (Mixed Use Employment) and recommended for rezoning to MXCD (Mixed Use Corridor District), as the Mayor and Council did not support what would be a downzoning.
Mayor and Council History
The Mayor and Council approved a project charter for the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Project in October 2022 and awarded the consultant contract to ZoneCo in June 2023. The Mayor and Council have discussed the proposed changes to the Zoning Map at work sessions on January 27, May 5, September 16, and October 6. The proposed revised zoning map reflects the direction given at those work sessions.
Public Notification and Engagement
The public engagement associated with the Map Amendment has tracked with the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) public engagement, which is summarized in the Community Engagement Report to the Zoning Ordinance agenda item. Public comments are shown in Attachment 4 - Digest of Commentary on Comprehensive Map Amendment.
Boards and Commissions Review
The Planning Commission held the same work sessions on the ZOR and CMA that the Mayor and Council did. In addition, staff briefed the Board of Appeals, Historic District Commission, Transportation and Mobility Commission, and Environment Commission during the ZOR and CMA development process.
Next Steps
Once authorized for filing, the Map Amendment application will be filed with the City Clerk and forwarded to the Planning Commission for their review and recommendation, along with the associated ZOR Text Amendment. The Mayor and Council will then hold a public hearing prior to discussing both applications in a series of work sessions, prior to adopting ordinances that approve the Text and Map Amendment applications.