Planning Commission Endorses Text Amendment

18 Mar 2025

At their meeting on March 12, the Planning Commission unanimously moved to recommend that the Mayor and Council approve a floating zone text amendment to implement elements the Town Center Master Plan (“the Plan”). As previously reported on Engage Rockville, 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.

The Mayor and Council will be holding a public hearing on the text amendment, filed as TXT2025-00269, on March 24. Following the public hearing, the Mayor and Council will debate the merits of the text amendment and render a decision on whether or not to adopt the text amendment.

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 the Engage Rockville site. 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(External link) by 10 a.m. on March 24.