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Council scheduled to vote on separate zoning measures covering accessory dwelling units and landscape contractors in industrial zones on July 23

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Also on July 23: Acting Police Chief Marcus Jones discusses community/police relations

The Council meeting on Tuesday, July 23 will begin at 9:30 a.m. Individuals interested in attending a Council meeting should confirm the information on the day of the meeting by visiting the Council’s web page or by calling the Council’s Communication Office at 240-777-7832. All meetings are held in the Council Office Building (100 Maryland Ave., Rockville, Md.) in the third-floor hearing room, unless otherwise noted.

Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 19-01, Accessory Residential Uses - Accessory Apartments
The Council is scheduled to vote on ZTA 19-01, which would liberalize the standards for allowing an accessory apartment, with the goal of increasing the supply of affordable housing in the County. Councilmember Hans Riemer is the lead sponsor. ZTA 19-01 would do the following:

  • allow detached Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) as a limited use in R-200, R-90, and R-60 zones (within Residential zones; detached ADUs are currently only allowed as a limited use in RE-1, RE2, and RE-2C zones);
  • require two off-street parking spaces (three spaces are currently required if two off-street parking spaces are required for the principal dwelling);
  • allow an ADU in a basement (accessory apartments are currently allowed in a cellar);
  • change the size of an ADU from 50 percent of gross floor area to 50 percent of habitable floor area;
  • delete the absolute maximum size of an ADU (the absolute maximum size is currently 1,200 square feet);
  • delete the maximum size of an addition that can be used as an ADU (currently limited to 800 square feet);
  • delete the requirement that the unit must be in a structure that is at least five years old;
  • delete the distance requirement between ADUs (currently 500 feet in large lot zones and 300 feet in smaller lot zones);
  • allow an accessory structure built before May 31, 2012 to be used as an ADU without regard to setbacks;
  • specifically require the owner of the site of the ADU to live on the site (this is consistent with licensing requirements);
  • allow a separate entrance for an attached ADU to be on any side of the dwelling; and
  • delete the requirement that a detached ADU be on a lot at least one acre in size.

The Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee recommends approval with amendments, which are found in the Council staff report here.

Key search terms for ZTA 19-01 on the Council’s website include: in-law suite, cottage, basement apartment, accessory apartments and accessory dwellings. #MoCoTinyHouse is being used for this item on social media. 

Zoning Text Amendment 19-05, Industrial Zones - Landscape Contractors
The Council is scheduled to vote on ZTA 19-05, which would allow landscape contractors as a permitted use in all industrial zones. Councilmember Tom Hucker and Council Vice President Sidney Katz are the lead sponsors. Councilmember Will Jawando and Council President Nancy Navarro are cosponsors. The Committee unanimously recommends allowing landscape contractor as a permitted use in the Heavy Industrial (IH) Zone; however, with respect to the Light Industrial (IL) Zone, the Committee recommends allowing landscape contractors as a limited use.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Strategies for Community-Police Relations
Acting Police Chief Marcus Jones will brief the Council on police training and de-escalation practices that are intended to keep community members safe and policies and procedures related to community-police relations. On July 9 Council President Nancy Navarro and Council Vice President and Public Safety Committee Chair Sidney Katz sent a memorandum to the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) requesting a public session with Acting Police Chief Jones to address the Council’s concerns about incidences of police misconduct and to discuss MCPD’s community engagement efforts and policing activities focused on building community trust in light of these occurrences. Assistant Chief (AC) David Anderson; Acting AC Dinesh Patil; AC Paul Liquorie; Captain Sonia Pruitt, Community Engagement Division; and Captain Jason Cokinos, Training Academy, are also expected to attend.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

The Council meeting and public hearings will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM). The channel can be viewed on Cable Channels 996 (high definition) and 6 (standard definition) on Comcast; Channels 1056 (HD) and 6 (SD) on RCN; and Channel 30 on Verizon.

The Council meeting also will be available live via streaming through the Council web site at:http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.

# # # Release ID: 19-257
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Juan Jovel 240-777-7931