Subject
title
Consider Approval of an Ordinance to grant Zoning Text Amendment TXT2025-00268, to Modify Parking Requirements for Certain Residential Dwellings; Mayor and Council of Rockville, Applicant
end
Department
CPDS - Zoning Review & Other
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Mayor and Council consider adopting the proposed text amendment. If satisfied with the proposed ordinance, staff recommends that the Mayor and Council introduce the ordinance and move to waive the layover period. If approved by 6 members, the Mayor and Council may move to adopt the ordinance (see Attachment 1 above - Draft Townhouse MPDU Parking Ordinance).
Change in Law or Policy
If adopted, this ZTA will only require one parking space per lot for certain townhouse units in Rockville. Staff believe this ZTA will bring a resolution to the issue of parking spaces that were constructed in the Tower Oaks community that do not meet the city's required width dimension of nine (9) feet for a parking space. If adopted, pursuant to State law, this ordinance will become effective ten days after the public hearing.
Discussion
See the public hearing staff report.
Impact Statements
Equity
This ZTA, if approved, will allow Allan Model homeowners an opportunity to modify their homes, with permits, into the garage area which is desired by the engaged owners.
Environment
The ZTA could potentially encourage owners to reduce the number of cars thus reducing associated emissions and increasing utilization of nearby public transit opportunities. Future developments may also use the flexibility of this ZTA to reduce the parking spaces and encourage more transit use.
Economy
The result of the ZTA will be that the units will be conforming, and the Allan Model homeowners will be able to sell their properties in the future.
Mayor and Council History
The Mayor and Council authorized the filing of the text amendment at its meeting on January 13, 2025.
Public Notification and Engagement
The staff has held three meetings with Allan Model Townhome owners. Staff also sent letters to all Allan Model Townhome owners to notify them of the public meetings, the process, and opportunities for public feedback. Staff also followed the city’s required notifications for public hearings, including newspaper notice and the use of city media outlets to publicize the hearing.
Boards and Commissions Review
The Planning Commission reviewed the ZTA at its meeting on February 19, 2025. A total of five speakers addressed the Commission at the meeting, including a representative of the Reserve at Tower Oaks Homeowners Association and four residents of the community. While all speakers were generally supportive of the ZTA, there were concerns expressed about the implications of the ZTA, including the status and condition of the remaining garage spaces and the potential impact of additional crossovers of the bioswales that parallel the public streets (See Attachment 2, Comments from SWM Committee 10 Feb2025, and Attachment 3, HOA Letter 02125, above).
The Commission recommended approval of the ZTA as achieving compliance for the property owners was viewed as paramount. However, the Commission did offer comments about several of their concerns, including establishing a parking requirement for MPDUs that is lower than the requirement for market-rate units, and whether there may be unintended consequences in future developments that may be able to utilize the new standard. The Commission also commented that marked spaces on the public streets should be considered and that the bioswales along the street frontages should accommodate crossings. The Commission understands that these issues are within the public right-of-way and not within the scope of the ZTA.
Next Steps
If the Mayor and Council adopt the ordinance, staff will notify the parties of interest.