|
ROCKVILLE, Md., July 22, 2025—The Montgomery County Council approved a zoning measure today that will allow more residential building types, including duplexes, triplexes, townhouses and modest apartment buildings
“This proposal is about more housing options for more people so that our teachers, firefighters, police officers, and nurses can afford to live in our community,” said Councilmember Friedson, chair of the Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee. “The status quo clearly isn’t working for workers, for our economic competitiveness, or for fulfilling our values as an inclusive, welcoming County.”
“The high price of housing is putting an undeniable squeeze on working families, young professionals, and everyone wanting to call Montgomery County home,” said Councilmember Fani-González, chair of the Economic Development (ECON) Committee. “We, as government, have a duty to use every single tool out there to confront this crisis that has been decades in the making. Opening these corridors to more housing types will not only increase our housing supply and put downward pressure on price growth, but it also gives people more options.”
percent across all unit types last year, while wages have only increased by 1.7 percent (Sources: Bright/MLS, Montgomery Planning, and Bureau of Labor Statistics).
The high price of housing also makes the County less attractive to families, workers, entrepreneurs, and businesses. According to the Comptroller of Maryland’s 2024 State of the Economy Report, housing affordability and availability is hurting efforts to attract new residents who could fill job vacancies, noting “prospective businesses turning down potential location plans to Maryland due to insufficient workforce housing.”
Councilmembers Friedson and Fani-González introduced Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 25-02, Workforce Housing - Development Standards, in February after carefully reviewing community feedback on the Planning Board’s Attainable Housing Initiative. The Councilmembers then hosted numerous community meetings and town halls to gather feedback on the proposal prior to the public hearing. Following the public hearing, the PHP Committee met in March and June to discuss the proposal in detail and make amendments.
ZTA 25-02 aims to create more small-scale housing options along major corridors with access to jobs and amenities for working and middle-class residents. Under the zoning measure, 15 percent of units, or at least one unit in residential buildings with three or more units, must meet the requirements for workforce housing. The workforce housing program places controls on properties to, generally, maintain their affordability for at least 20 years for those with incomes at or below 120 percent of the area-wide median income (AMI), currently at $157,440 for a couple.
For a parcel to be eligible for redevelopment, the front lot line, typically indicated by the street address, must abut the applicable corridor and the corridor must be at least 100 feet wide and have three existing travel lanes (see eligible parcel map). To keep the appropriate scale with surrounding properties, the maximum amount of height is 40 feet for redeveloped properties, and the maximum density is 1.25 Floor Area Ratio (FAR). The properties are also subject to optional method development, which includes a full regulatory review by multiple agencies of elements such as stormwater, forest conservation, parking, transportation, water and sewer, and school infrastructure, among other development regulations. The optional method development also includes opportunities for public input.
Any application for housing constructed under this new zoning measure will need approval from the Montgomery County Planning Board and must be in compliance with zoning laws and other regulations.
Council President Kate Stewart and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke, Marilyn Balcombe and Laurie-Anne Sayles are cosponsors of ZTA 25-02. View the full staff report and learn more about the More Housing N.O.W. package.
# # #
|
