Press Releases - County Council

Council to vote on bills to improve Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit Program on July 24

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Also on July 24: Introduction of  zoning measures to make home accessibility improvements more affordable and changing the approval standards for certain telecommunication antennas in residential areas

ROCKVILLE, Md., July 23, 2018—The Montgomery County Council will meet at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 24 in the third floor Council hearing room. The Council will vote on two moderately priced dwelling unit (MPDU) items: Bill 34-17, Housing – MPDU and Bill 38-17, MPDU – Requirement to Build. The two bills are focused on improving Montgomery County’s MPDU Program.

Councilmember Nancy Floreen is the lead sponsor of Bill 34-17, Housing — MPDU. Councilmember Craig Rice is a cosponsor. Bill 34-17 would clarify certain provisions of law related to MPDUs; amend certain provisions of law related to the satisfaction of MPDU requirements; and amend certain provisions of law related to the sale and rental of MPDUs.

The staff report can be viewed here.

Council President Hans Riemer is the lead sponsor of Bill 38-17, MPDU – Requirement to Build. Councilmember Sidney Katz is a cosponsor. As introduced, Bill 38-17 would increase the minimum percentage of MPDUs that are required to be built in new residential developments from 12.5 to 15 percent in a MCPS High School Service Area with an eligibility rate for free and reduced meals (FARMS) of 15 percent or less. The Montgomery County Planning Board would make the determination about the number of affordable homes required at the time an applicant submits a preliminary plan of subdivision.

The staff report can be viewed here.

The Council also will introduce two separate zoning measures. Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 18-10, Townhouse Living – Accessibility Tax Credit and ZTA 18-11, Telecommunications Towers – Approval Standards.

Councilmember Craig Rice is the lead sponsor of ZTA 18-10, Townhouse Living – Accessibility Tax Credit. ZTA 18-10 would allow the owner of a project that was approved as an accessible, conditional use with increased density to be eligible for tax credits. The goal of ZTA 18-10 is to help make accessibility improvements more affordable. A public hearing is scheduled for September 18 at 1:30 p.m.

The staff report can be viewed here.

Council President Hans Riemer is the lead sponsor of ZTA 18-11, Telecommunications Towers – Approval Standards, at the request of the County Executive. The Council approved ZTA 18-02 on May 15, 2018. ZTA 18-02 principally focused on telecommunications in mixed use and non-residential zones. ZTA 18-11 will primarily focus on residential areas. ZTA 18-11 would, in part, allow replacements taller than 22 feet to be approved as a limited use and shorter poles to be approved as a conditional use.

Small cell antennas on existing streetlights, utility, and parking lot light poles taller than 22 feet would be able to proceed using the limited use process if they meet specific conditions. These taller poles are typically farther from residents, often located on wider streets, and usually require little to no height increase. Shorter poles always require a height increase, and are typically in neighborhoods with underground utilities where there are no existing tall utility poles, they are less likely to be compatible with neighborhoods and should require a conditional use. A public hearing is scheduled for September 11 at 7:30 p.m.

The staff report can be viewed here.

The Council also will review and vote on the following:
 
Technical Update to the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways 
The Master Plan of Highways and Transitways is an effort that classifies each Montgomery County road in the transportation network.

The staff report can be viewed here.

Proposed Charter Amendments
The Council will vote on resolutions to place proposed amendments to the County Charter on the ballot in November’s general election and to approve the ballot language.

The staff report can be viewed here.

At 11:30 a.m., the Council will sit as the Board of Health and receive and update from Dr. Travis Gayles, County Health Officer. The update will focus on the Health in Montgomery County 2008-2016 Report published by the Office of Planning and Epidemiology in the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services’ Public Health Services.

The full Health in Montgomery County Report can be viewed here.

At 1:30 p.m. the Council will hold a public hearing and vote on an amendment to the fiscal year (FY) 2019-24 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) and supplemental appropriation to the FY19 Capital Budget, Montgomery County Government, Department of Transportation, $7,000,000 for Streetlighting. The County Executive recommends this $7 million special appropriation, which consists of $6,105,000 in long-term financing and $895,000 in utility incentives, to fund the first phase of upgrading approximately 26,000 streetlight fixtures to light-emitting diodes (LED).

The staff report can be viewed here.

The Council meeting 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: 18-202
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Juan Jovel 240-777-7931