 Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Last Friday, I hosted Breakfast with Balcombe, an informal community meeting where constituents can come by to chat with me in a group setting. I set up shop at Bageltowne Deli to hear from residents of North Potomac and Darnestown, and want to thank everyone who attended! These community meetings are an opportunity for me to hear directly from the community about what matters most. I plan to be in Clarksburg for a Breakfast with Balcombe in March - more information to come in future newsletters!
 A photo of Councilmember Balcombe and constituents during a Breakfast with Balcombe community meeting.
The Clarksburg Library is coming soon! On Thursday, February 13th, the Department of General Services hosted a community meeting to present information about the library to Clarksburg residents. The new library will be built at the intersection of Frederick Road and Stringtown Road, and is estimated to be completed by Summer 2028. At this time, architects have put together a few designs for the library, which may change as community feedback is received. During the community meeting, several children and teenagers raised concerns with their rooms in the library being smaller than the adult area, which was noted by the designer and will be incorporated into future designs. The library will be about 20,000 square feet - comparable to the Olney and Bethesda libraries, and will include approximately 60 parking spaces.
DGS has posted its presentation from the February 13th community meeting online, and you can visit the agency website to find more information about the project.
If you have any questions about this project or have any feedback you'd like to provide, please reach out to me directly. I encourage you to attend future community meetings about this project!
Did you know that Germantown is home to a Major League Rugby team? Old Glory DC calls the Maryland SoccerPlex home and I was thrilled to meet with the team recently. On Saturday, March 1st, Old Glory DC will be facing off against San Diego Legion for its season opener at the SoccerPlex at 4PM, and I hope to see you there!
If you're a newcomer to the sport, head to Old Glory DC's website and check out the Rugby 101 page to learn all that you need to know before Saturday's home opener!
In my last newsletter, I shared information about More Housing NOW, a new housing proposal introduced by Councilmembers Friedson and Fani-González, and cosponsored by myself and Councilmembers Stewart, Luedtke, and Sayles. I received many questions in response, and wanted to take a moment to provide some additional information.
This housing package includes two Zoning Text Amendments (ZTAs), one Subdivision Regulation Amendment (SRA), one piece of legislation, and two budget items. You can read about each item below.
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Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 25-02, Workforce Housing - Development Standards: This ZTA will allow additional residential building types in the R-40, R-60, R-90, and R-200 zones along certain corridors with a minimum percentage of workforce housing units.
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Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 25-03, Expedited Approvals - Commercial to Residential Reconstruction: This ZTA will create a Commercial to Residential Reconstruction use, provide an expedited approval process for that use, and allow relocation of FAR in certain employment zones.
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Subdivision Regulation Amendment (SRA) 25-01, Administrative Subdivision - Expedited Approval Plan: This SRA will create an administrative subdivision process for a Commercial to Residential Reconstruction expedited approval plan.
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Expedited Bill 2-25, Taxation - Payments in Lieu of Taxes - Affordable Housing Amendments: This bill would require the Director of Finance to offer a payment in lieu of taxes for a residential development resulting from the conversion of a property that was designated for commercial use but had at least a 50% vacancy rate at the time of the development application.
- Creation of a new countywide Workforce Housing Opportunity Fund, with an initial $4 million in funding.
- Doubling of the County's investment in the Homeowner Assistance Program from $4 million to $8 million in the FY26 Housing Initiative Fund (HIF).
To see how this proposal would play out in your neighborhood, you can utilize the Planning Department's interactive map.
Public hearings will be held for the ZTA, SRA, and legislation mentioned above on March 11th at 1:30PM and 7PM. To testify at a Council public hearing or to submit written, audio, or video testimony, please visit the Council website or call 240-777-7803. The deadline to sign up to testify for a 1:30PM public hearing is 2PM the day prior. The deadline to sign up to testify for a 7PM public hearing is 5PM the day prior. If you would like to provide feedback on this housing package, I encourage you to sign up to testify. You can also submit written testimony through the County Council website.
In addition to the public hearings, Councilmember Fani-González is hosting two town halls to hear community feedback and answer constituent questions about the housing package. More information on the town halls is below. I encourage you to attend.
In-Person Town Hall:
Thursday, February 27, 2025 from 6-8PM Wheaton High School cafeteria (12401 Dalewood Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20906)
REGISTER HERE
Virtual Town Hall:
Wednesday, March 5, 2025 from 7-8:30PM Zoom Meeting
REGISTER HERE
Economic Development (ECON) Committee
The Economic Development (ECON) committee will be continuing its follow up discussions about the FY25 budget on Thursday, March 6th and Monday, March 10th. We will be discussing the incubators NDA, the Economic Development Fund, and the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation.
You can review the staff packets for our committee sessions on the Council website and can watch recordings of our meetings on the Council YouTube channel.
Transportation and Environment Committee
The next Transportation and Environment (TE) Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 3rd. We will be going through the FY26 Capital Budget and the FY25-30 Capital Improvements Program (CIP). Over the next few months, the Council will be working on the budget in each of our committees, and I will provide updates on our deliberations regularly.
You can review the staff packet for the March 3rd committee session on the Council website and can watch a recording of our meeting on the Council YouTube channel.
Council Legislation
Yesterday, the Council approved Executive Regulation 17-23AM, Building Energy Performance Standards. This regulation would set numerical site Energy Use Intensity (EUI) performance standards for building groups, define how renewable energy will be incorporated into performance metrics, and define the elements required in Building Performance Improvement Plans (BPIPs).
Over the year, the Transportation and Environment (TE) committee worked closely with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and held seven work sessions dedicated to BEPS. The feedback we received as a committee helped inform DEP, which developed necessary modifications to the regulation. BEPS is a crucial step in protecting our environment and I am pleased that the Council approved this regulation.
The Council also introduced Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 25-04, Overlay Zones - Bethesda (B) Overlay Zone, which is intended to implement the recommendations of the Sector Plan as it relates to density, building heights, affordable housing, parks and open space and design. A public hearing for this ZTA is scheduled for April 1st at 1:30PM.
Upcoming Public Hearings
To testify at a Council public hearing or to submit written, audio, or video testimony, please visit the Council website or call 240-777-7803. The deadline to sign up to testify for a 1:30PM public hearing is 2PM the day prior. The deadline to sign up to testify for a 7PM public hearing is 5PM the day prior.
March 4, 2025
March 11, 2025
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1:30PM: Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 25-01, Self-Storage - Civic and Institutional (Street Activation and Vacancy Elimination (S.A.V.E.)
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1:30PM: ZTA 25-02, Workforce Housing - Development Standards
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1:30PM: ZTA 25-03, Expedited Approvals - Commercial to Residential Reconstruction
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1:30PM: Subdivision Regulation Amendment (SRA) 25-01, Administrative Subdivision - Expedited Approval Plan
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1:30PM: Expedited Bill 2-25E, Taxation - Payments in Lieu of Taxes - Affordable Housing - Amendments
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7:00PM: Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 25-01, Self-Storage - Civic and Institutional (Street Activation and Vacancy Elimination (S.A.V.E.)
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7:00PM: ZTA 25-02, Workforce Housing - Development Standards
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7:00PM: ZTA 25-03, Expedited Approvals - Commercial to Residential Reconstruction
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7:00PM: Subdivision Regulation Amendment (SRA) 25-01, Administrative Subdivision - Expedited Approval Plan
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7:00PM: Expedited Bill 2-25E, Taxation - Payments in Lieu of Taxes - Affordable Housing - Amendments
The following County Council appointed boards, committees, and commissions are seeking applicants:
The following County boards, committees, and commissions are seeking applicants:
 Save the date for RespectFest, held at the Wheaton Community Recreation Center on Sunday, April 6th from 1-4PM!
If you would like to get in touch with me regarding anything mentioned in this newsletter or any other concerns you may have, please email me at Councilmember.Balcombe@montgomerycountymd.gov or call my office at 240-777-7960.
If you were forwarded this email and would like to subscribe to my newsletter, click the button below. I look forward to remaining in touch with you and serving you as your Councilmember.
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