For Immediate Release: Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Also on Sept. 11: Vote to approve legal defense fund for low-income residents facing deportation proceedings and several zoning and legislative proposals covering affordable housing, accessory apartments and solar power
The Council will meet on Tuesday, September 11 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 Legislative Information 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.
Briefing on I-495 and I-270 Managed Lanes Study
The Council will receive a briefing on the I-495 and I-270 Managed Lanes Study. The goal of this briefing is to review the alternatives developed to date with Planning Board and County Department of Transportation staffers. In 2017, Governor Larry Hogan announced a proposal to add four express toll lanes to the Beltway and I-270. This spring, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) began the I-495 and I-270 Managed Lanes Study to evaluate various forms of widening and transit improvements. MDOT is hosting public workshops for the proposed changes and has released proposed alternatives for the highways. Most of the alternatives involve road widening; however, two involve solely transit and one includes a transportation demand management (TDM) approach. TDM focuses on understanding how people use infrastructure and helping them use it better.
View the staff report here on the briefing for the I-495/I-270 Managed Lanes Study.
Resolution to Approve 2017-2026 Ten-Year Comprehensive Water Supply and Sewerage Systems Plan
The Council also will review the Resolution to Approve the 2017-2026 Ten-Year Comprehensive Water Supply and Sewerage Systems Plan (Water and Sewer Plan). In Maryland, the planning and coordination for sanitary services are delegated from the state to county governments. Montgomery County addresses this responsibility through the Water and Sewer Plan. The Water and Sewer Plan ensures that existing and future water supply and wastewater disposal needs are coordinated in a manner that: is timely and cost-effective; is well integrated with land use planning efforts; protects the health, safety and welfare of residents, businesses and institutions; protects the quality of the environmental resources of the county, the state and the Chesapeake Bay region; and helps to improve the quality of the environmental resources of the county, state and region. Those expected to attend the Council meeting include: Stan Edwards, Chief, Environmental Policy and Compliance, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Alan Soukup, Senior Planner, Water & Wastewater Policy Group, DEP and Heidi Benham, Manager, Well and Septic Section, Department of Permitting Services (DPS).
The Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy & Environment (T&E) Committee took no formal vote on the Water and Sewer Plan but reached consensus on numerous issues as described in the Council staff report. A Council vote on the Water and Sewer Plan is tentatively scheduled for September 18.
Amend Resolution 18-1144, Section G, for the FY19 Designation of Entities for Non-Competitive Contract Award Status: Ayuda, Inc., HIAS, Inc. and KIND, Inc. (Kids in Need of Defense)
The Council appropriated $370,000 as a part of its fiscal year 2019 Operating Budget to increase the amount of funding provided to support organizations providing legal services to County residents, with the specific purpose of providing increased resources for legal screenings and direct legal representation for low-income County residents in deportation proceedings. The contracts will be awarded to: Ayuda Inc., HIAS and KIND.
Council Public Hearings starting at 1:30 p.m.
Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 18-06, Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) – Bonus Density
Goal: To reduce barriers to creating more affordable housing.
Lead sponsors: Councilmembers Nancy Floreen and George Leventhal and Council President Hans Riemer
Committee meeting: The Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 20 at 9:30 a.m.
View the Council staff report here for the public hearing on ZTA 18-06.
ZTA 18-07, Accessory Residential Uses - Accessory Apartments
Goal: To streamline the process to create more affordable housing options.
Lead sponsors: Councilmembers Nancy Floreen and George Leventhal, Council President Hans Riemer and Councilmember Roger Berliner
Committee meeting: The PHED Committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 24 at 9:30 a.m.
View the Council staff report here for the public hearing on ZTA 18-07.
ZTA 18-08, Site Plan Amendment - Solar Collection Systems
Goal: To make it easier to install a solar collection system on any pre-existing impervious surface.
Lead sponsor: Councilmember Tom Hucker
Committee meeting: The PHED Committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 13 at 9:30 a.m.
View the Council staff report here for the public hearing on ZTA 18-08.
ZTA 18-09, Landscape Contractors - Rural Cluster Zone
Goal: To allow landscape contractors to be a permitted use under certain circumstances.
Lead sponsors: Councilmembers Tom Hucker and Nancy Floreen
Committee meeting: The PHED Committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 13 at 9:30 a.m.
View the Council staff report here for the public hearing on ZTA 18-09.
Bill 26-18, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Accessory Apartment Licensing
Goal: To streamline the approval process for accessory apartments to meet the primary goal of ZTA 18-07, which is to streamline the process for creating these types of affordable housing units.
Lead sponsors: The PHED Committee
Committee meeting: The PHED Committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 24 at 9:30 a.m.
View the Council staff report here for the public hearing on Bill 26-18.
Expedited Bill 27-18, Taxation - Development Impact Tax Credits and Local Area Transportation Review Mitigation Payments
Goal: To increase the incentive for owners to implement transportation improvements concurrent with development activity instead of paying fees to the County for public implementation of the improvements. Expedited Bill 28-17 would allow owners to receive credit against their impact tax liability to the extent of their financial investment at locations listed and improved in a Local Area Transportation Improvement Program (LATIP) or Unified Mobility Program (UMP) if the amount of investment exceeds their LATIP or UMP fees.
Lead sponsors: Council President Hans Riemer, at the request of the County Executive
Committee meeting: The PHED Committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 24 at 9:30 a.m.
View the Council staff report here for the public hearing on Expedited Bill 27-18.
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.
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Release ID: 18-220