Adoption Process: Planning Commission Work Sessions

Happy New Year from the ZOR and CMA project team – we hope you enjoyed a happy and restful holiday.

As we noted back in 2025, the project has entered the final phase: Adoption. Below is a summary of the upcoming Planning Commission meetings, which will take place in January and February. Mayor and Council will then move forward with their own work sessions before ultimately adopting a final version of the Zoning Ordinance and zoning map. For those interested, the full adoption schedule can be found here (please note the schedule is subject to change). Public testimony will be accepted during the Public Hearings noted on the schedule.

If you have not had time to do so yet, we encourage you to watch the recording of the December 4 public ZOR and CMA Orientation Session, here. This session provides project background; focuses on available resources and tools; explains how and where to review the Staff Draft Zoning Ordinance and Staff Draft zoning map; and demonstrates how to submit feedback on these drafts.

Planning Commission Work Sessions – January 14, January 28, February 11

The Planning Commission will hold two public hearings and three work sessions over the course of the next two months before making a recommendation to Mayor and Council. Planned discussion topics are shown in the table below.

Planning Commission Meeting	Topics
January 14, 2026 Adoption work session #1; public hearing #1	Historic preservation (briefing) Comprehensive Map Amendment: Planning Area 12 (Tower Oaks) and Planning Area 10 (Montrose and North Farm) RMD-25 development standards Parking, including minimums, maximums, by-right adjustments. Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities Division. Amenity space.
January 28, 2026 Adoption work session #2; public hearing #2	Fencing, including deer mesh. Use standards: Use-based gross floor area restrictions. ADU standards. Group home standards. Front-loaded townhouse standards. Adult-oriented establishment and shooting gallery location requirements. Electric vehicles (EV) and solar canopies. Nonconformities Park zone
February 11, 2026 Adoption work session #3	Development standards, including: Bonus density. Established setbacks. Accessory structure setbacks. Development review processes, including: Zoning Ordinance/Development Review Manual relationship. Notification requirements. Length of time for submitting appeals. Public outreach for administrative decisions. Signs. Any necessary clean up.
February 25, 2026	Planning Commission recommendation to the Mayor and Council.

Planning Commission meetings begin at 7 p.m. and are held in the Mayor and Council Chambers of Rockville City Hall. The meeting is also broadcast live on Channel 11. The brief book for the meeting, which includes the staff report and other briefing materials, are available in the Agenda Center of the city's website approximately one week before the meeting.

Submit Your Feedback!

As a reminder, we are accepting comments on the Staff Draft Zoning Ordinance and Staff Draft zoning map. Once you’ve had an opportunity to review, we’d love to hear from you. The best way to share your thoughts with us is by completing the feedback forms on Engage Rockville. These forms ask a series of questions and provide an open space for anyone to leave additional comments. Feedback form submissions will be shared with the Planning Commission and Mayor and Council during their respective work sessions on the project.