Mayor and Council Authorize Floating Zone Text Amendment

During their meeting on Monday, Feb. 24, the Rockville Mayor and Council authorized the filing of a zoning text amendment to implement elements of the Town Center Master Plan’s (“the Plan”) land use and zoning recommendations. As we mentioned last week, this zoning text amendment will allow development in Town Center that is supported by the Plan to move forward in advance of the ongoing Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) and Comprehensive Map Amendment (CMA) project.

The proposed text amendment would revise City Code Sec. 25.14.35, Interim Comprehensive Plan Floating Zones, as follows:

Establish three interim comprehensive plan floating zones in Planning Area 1 which correspond with the three character areas identified in the 2025 Rockville Town Center Master Plan. The base and bonus heights established in the Plan are included in the ZTA.

Eliminate minimum off-street parking requirements for Planning Area 1 properties located within 0.5 miles of the Rockville Metro Station or 0.25 miles of a planned bus rapid transit station.

Permit residential uses on the ground floor of any building in Town Center.

A full copy of the text amendment can be found in the Agenda Center of the city’s website, under the Feb. 24 Mayor and Council meeting.

In an effort to expedite implementation of the Town Center Master Plan, the Mayor and Council have endorsed the following schedule for review and approval of the text amendment:

March 12 – Planning Commission review and recommendation. At this meeting, the Planning Commission will review the draft text amendment and render a recommendation to the Mayor and Council. Planning Commission also has the option to schedule additional meetings to consider the ZTA, which would alter the planned schedule. Planning Commission meetings are open to the public and are held in a hybrid fashion. More information about this meeting can be found under the “Key Dates” tab on the right side of this page.

March 24 – Mayor and Council Public Hearing and Adoption. Assuming Planning Commission makes a recommendation at the March 12 meeting, the Mayor and Council will hold a public hearing on the text amendment on March 24 to gather input from the Rockville community. Following the public hearing, the Mayor and Council will debate the merits of the text amendment and render a decision on adoption.

Mayor and Council meetings are open to the public and are held in person and online via Webex. More information about this meeting can be found under the “Key Dates” tab on the right side of this page. Those wishing to provide testimony for this public hearing may do so by either sending their written testimony or signing up to speak during the meeting by emailing mayorandcouncil@rockvillemd.gov by 10 a.m. on March 24.