Early December Public Meetings

The Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) and Comprehensive Map Amendment (CMA) project is gearing up to enter the adoption phase!

We want to take the opportunity to notify you of upcoming meetings on December 1 and December 4, but please keep an eye out for another News Feed post and updates to the Engage Rockville project page next week.

Authorization to File – December 1

On December 1, the Rockville Mayor and Council will vote to authorize staff to file the zoning text amendment to revise and replace the city’s Zoning Ordinance (also known as Chapter 25 of City Code); and to file the comprehensive map amendment to revise and replace the city’s zoning map.

The meeting begins at 6:30 pm and will take place in the Council Chamber at Rockville City Hall and will also be live broadcast on Rockville 11 and online. The staff report and meeting agenda are available in the Agenda Center of the city’s website. Members of the public may sign up to speak during the public forum section of the meeting; see the meeting agenda for instructions to sign up.

Commonly called “authorization to file”, this action is not the final step in this process – in fact, it is just the start of the next phase. This step is largely administrative, as it is required prior to any changes to Rockville’s Zoning Ordinance. Once authorization to file is granted, the real work begins – an approximately 6-month process of detailed review and discussion by the community, Planning Commission and, ultimately, a decision by the Mayor and Council.

Over the coming weeks and months, expect more information regarding public hearings and work sessions with the Planning Commission and Mayor and Council, prior to anticipated adoption in late spring 2026.

ZOR/CMA Orientation Session – December 4

CPDS staff will be hosting an orientation session to help the public understand how and where to review the draft Zoning Ordinance and draft zoning map, as well as how to submit feedback on these drafts. At this meeting staff will provide a brief project overview, then dive into a dynamic session outlining all of the resources tied to this project that are available to the public. This meeting will not cover all of the proposed changes to the Zoning Ordinance or zoning map but instead will focus on available resources and feedback tools.

The meeting is virtual and will begin at 7 p.m. Advanced registration is required to receive a Webex meeting link. Please register at the link below:

Can’t make the December 4 meeting? A duplicate meeting will be scheduled in early January prior to the first Planning Commission work session. Registration for that meeting will be made available in the coming weeks.

More Information to Come

Following the December 1 Mayor and Council meeting, this page will be updated with additional information, as noted at the top. More to come on that soon!