Mayor and Council Work Session #1 and Adoption Process Meeting Schedule
As the weather begins to get warmer and spring is in sight, the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) and the Comprehensive Map Amendment (CMA) continue to move forward, having recently passed a major milestone.
On Wednesday, February 25th, the Planning Commission completed its review of the Staff Draft Zoning Ordinance and zoning map and adopted recommendations on both items. The Commission’s recommendations are advisory and do not constitute a change in policy or law. Commission recommendations are contained in memoranda which will be transmitted to the Mayor and Council for their consideration during their upcoming March 23 work session.
Mayor and Council Adoption Process Meeting Schedule
The ZOR and the CMA now move to the Mayor and Council for their consideration over the next several months. Their first meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 23rd. As noted above, during this work session, the Mayor and Council will discuss and provide direction on Planning Commission recommendations.
The following schedule outlines the Mayor and Council adoption process, including two public hearings each for the ZOR and CMA and five work sessions. Three of the work sessions are devoted to review and discussion of the “Key Changes” identified by article in Highlights: Staff Draft Zoning Ordinance.
Mayor and Council meetings begin at 6:30 pm. They 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 will be available in the agenda center of the city’s website approximately 10 days before the meeting.
Mayor and Council Meeting |
Topic |
March 23, 2026 Work session #1 |
Discussion and direction on Planning Commission recommendations
|
April 13, 2026 ZOR public hearing #1 CMA public hearing #1 |
Public hearings are formal opportunities for the public to provide oral testimony to the Mayor and Council. Because the ZOR and CMA are two separate legislative items, individual public hearings for each item will be held.
|
April 20, 2026 CMA public hearing #2 Work session #2 |
Public hearings (see notes above) Discussion and direction on Articles 1-5
|
April 27, 2026 Work session #3 |
Discussion and direction on Articles 6-8
|
May 4, 2026 |
Discussion and direction on Articles 9-13
Update on State legislation |
May 18, 2026 Work session #5 |
Follow-up on previous items, as necessary Direction on the Final Staff Draft Zoning Ordinance |
June 1, 2026 ZOR adoption CMA adoption |
Mayor and Council take formal action to adopt the ZOR and CMA. This will require two separate votes, one for each legislative item. |
Updates to the Staff Drafts
Two updates to the Staff Draft Zoning Ordinance and zoning map are also planned over the coming months. Following the March 23 work session, staff will produce a Revised Staff Draft reflecting direction from the Mayor and Council, along with technical corrections and plain language revisions. Following the May 4 work session, staff will produce a Final Staff Draft reflecting direction from the Mayor and Council received on/before May 4, along with technical corrections, to guide discussions at the May 18 work session. These updates will be posted to the Engage Rockville project page.
Submit Your Feedback!
Even if you are unable to attend the public hearings, comments on the Staff Draft Zoning Ordinance and zoning map continue to be accepted. The best way to share your thoughts is by completing the feedback forms on Engage Rockville. The Staff Draft Zoning Ordinance feedback form can be found here. The Staff Draft Zoning Map feedback form is here. These forms ask a series of questions and provide an open space for additional comments. Feedback form submissions will be shared with the Mayor and Council on a regular basis.
