germantown districts

North End District Land Use

THE NORTH END DISTRICT

This 280-acre district extends across both sides of

I-270 bounded on the north by Black Hill Regional
Park and the North Germantown Greenway. It
will showcase views and access to both natural
areas. The west side of I-270 will evolve from a
small residential community amid undeveloped
land to an employment location highlighted by
additional residential, retail, and hospitality uses.
Tall buildings focused on the Manekin CCT station
will mark sites visible from I-270.

East of I-270, redevelopment will be within

walking distance of the Dorsey Mill CCT station.
The Milestone Business Park will be expanded
with new residential and retail uses. Six-story
office buildings
will surround an
urban courtyard
within walking
distance
of existing
and future
residential
Multi-story office building in the
units near
Milestone North Business Park. Observation
Drive.
Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 47
 germantown districts

Land Use property at an average density of 0.75 FAR with a

mix of research and development, employment,
West of I-270
technology, street level retail, restaurants, and
• Create a center that clusters density at the
new housing. Orient up to 225 new multifamily
Manekin CCT station. If multiple ownership
housing units to the existing residential areas.
patterns occur, encourage higher density at the
Residential uses are not to exceed 20 percent of
transit station through density transfers within
total development on this site.
adjoining properties.
• In Stage 1, develop the Symmetry/Totah • Development of the Milestone North property
property (NE-1) at an average density of 0.75 (NE-6) in Stage 2 may proceed to 1.0 FAR if the
FAR and a mix of uses with a minimum of 60 Town Center has achieved an average density
Boat dock and recreation facility at Black Hill
percent employment and a maximum of 40 of 1.5 FAR. Regional Park

percent residential. Permit a limited amount Urban Form • Preserve forest adjacent to Black Hill Regional
of street level retail near transit and along Park on the north side of Century Boulevard
• Line the east side of Century Boulevard
Century Boulevard. Design employment uses as it curves into Crystal Rock Drive and use
across from the existing Cloverleaf North
and a hotel to take advantage of the site’s all available means to incorporate it into
residential community with 72-foot (six stories)
visibility from I-270. the existing park, or place in a conservation
tall buildings. Reduce the sense of building
• Development of the Symmetry/Totah property bulk and mass along Century Boulevard and easement.
in Stage 2 may proceed up to 1.0 FAR if the Cloverleaf Drive by limiting building heights • Expand stream restoration and water quality
Town Center has achieved an average density to three to four stories at street level with protection efforts on the Milestone Tributary
of up to 1.5 FAR. stepbacks to upper floors. to maintain the water quality and wetland
• Permit building heights of 143 feet (12 stories) functions of this tributary to Seneca Lake, an
• Orient signature office buildings and
and maintain the 100-foot setback along I-270. important drinking water supply.
employment uses along I-270 on the Lerner
property (NE-2). Allow up to 1.5 million square Create buildings with a three- to four-story base • Provide a 0.75-acre common in the residential
feet of employment uses, a hotel, and up to and setback upper floors. portion of the Lerner property to be privately
110,000 square feet of retail space. Allow a • Develop the east side of Century Boulevard developed and maintained for public use.
1,425 residential population as defined in the with wide sidewalks that can accommodate • Provide an urban plaza directly adjacent to the
Town Sector Zone with a mix of highrise and sidewalk cafes and seating areas. transit station with seating, lighting, shelter,
low-rise residential units. • Terminate vistas with the forested Germantown and other amenities.
East of I-270 greenbelt as Century Boulevard turns into
• Provide streetscape improvements in
• In Stage 1, develop the Milestone North Crystal Rock Drive.
accordance with the streetscape plan.

48 Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

 germantown districts

Transportation • Incorporate direct access to the Dorsey Mill along Century Boulevard.
station to and from north I-270. This access • Introduce a network of new streets with short
• Provide a dedicated street crossing over I-270,
can be provided by either direct access blocks, such as 250 to 350 feet in length.
an extension of Dorsey Mill Road connecting ramps at the Dorsey Mill Road interchange
the east and west sides of I-270 with four • Extend Crystal Rock Drive to Dorsey Mill Road
or a revision to the Father Hurley Boulevard
travel lanes and the CCT. as a four-lane business street.
interchange. The new access will create multi-
• Provide a transit station in the Century modal options between future managed lanes • Maintain Kinster Drive as a two-lane divided
Boulevard median near Dorsey Mill Road. and bus services on I-270 and CCT transit minor arterial roadway with on-street parking.
Park-and-ride facilities should be supplied on service along Century Boulevard. This access Should future demand increase, the road could
both the west and east sides of I-270 near the should also reduce congestion at the junction be redesigned to a four-lane divided roadway
Manekin and Dorsey Mill stations with at least of Father Hurley Boulevard with Crystal Rock with off peak parking within the existing right-
250 public spaces at each station incorporated Drive, reduce commercial traffic use of Kinster of-way.
into private development projects. Drive, and provide better access to businesses

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 49

 germantown districts

Seneca Meadows/Milestone District Land Use

THE SENECA MEADOWS/MILESTONE DISTRICT

The Seneca Meadows District illustrates the

office and industrial development that is possible
within current I-3 zoning. Development has been
in the form of one, two, and three story buildings
with surface parking. A significant portion of
the district has been retained in green space,
conservation areas, and stream buffers. A future
CCT station along Seneca Meadows Parkway will
be the focal point of activity in the 390-acre area.
In the interim, a mixed-use retail and office center
will provide services to existing businesses and
workers in the office park. A new urban recreation
center located in a multi-use building will offer
educational and recreational activities for workers
and residents.

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 germantown districts

Land Use recreation center and an urban park near the Transportation
• Concentrate mixed-use development at the transit station. • Create a network of new streets with short
transit station with an average density of • Building heights of up to 143 feet (12 stories) block lengths in the mixed-use neighborhood
1.0 FAR on the Seneca Meadows property are appropriate at the transit station to create around the transit center.
north of the Crystal Rock Tributary (SM-1). a focus for the mixed-use neighborhood.
• Provide a bridge over I-270 accommodating
To ensure the area retains an employment Building heights will be reduced toward
the CCT and a pedestrian connection to the
profile, develop with a minimum of 70 percent adjacent residential neighborhoods to the
employment uses that include limited street median of Seneca Meadows Parkway.
south and north. Establish a three- to four-story
level retail and a maximum of 30 percent building base with stepbacks for upper floors. • Expand the street network (B-25) with a bridge
residential uses. Street level retail must over MD 27/Ridge Road that accommodates
• Locate limited retail uses along streets. Big box
conform to the Plan’s urban design guidance. the CCT, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
retailers, if proposed, should have active store
• Provide industrial, office, and technology fronts with multiple entrances and smaller • Provide a local, signed, shared on-road bikeway
uses south of the Crystal Rock Tributary with retail uses facing the street. along Seneca Meadows Parkway.
signature office development along I-270.
• Permit building heights up to 100 feet (eight • In the absence of the CCT, expand bus service
• Support the Milestone Regional Shopping stories) and maintain the 100-foot setback along Observation Drive to link the Milestone
Center (SM-3) and Neelsville Village Center along both sides of I-270 to ensure that density North center and Montgomery College with
(SM-4) as the Germantown-Clarksburg and focus of taller buildings occurs at the
Clarksburg to the north.
destination retail center. Redevelopment is transit station.
unlikely given the fragmented ownership.
• New development along MD 355 should
If ownership consolidates, a coordinated
establish a building line, fronting the roadway
redevelopment option may be proposed
with parking located behind buildings.
that meets the existing RMX zone density
standards of 0.5 FAR. With redevelopment, add • Dedicate a two-acre urban park adjacent to
residential uses and urban open space in a the future recreation center to serve as the
compact urban form with structured parking. outdoor recreation component. Either dedicate
additional land for the recreation center or
• Design stormwater management, in
integrate the center into the ground floors of a
coordination with the Montgomery County
mixed-use building.
Department of Permitting Services and
the Montgomery County Department of • Provide an urban plaza with seating, lighting,
Environmental Protection, to protect the shelter, and other amenities adjacent to the
Germantown Bog. transit station.
Urban Form • Provide streetscape improvements in
• Locate a 25,000 square foot community accordance with the streetscape plan.

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 51

 germantown districts

Montogomery College District Land Use

THE MONTGOMERY COLLEGE DISTRICT

The education and technology uses in the

334-acre Montgomery College District are an
important community resource. The expanded
campus will be an active center serving 20,000
students. It should develop in a compact pattern
that inspires inviting gathering spaces, walking,
and biking. A compact pattern will reserve land
for the College’s future expansion and protect the
site’s natural features—a large stand of upland
forest and two tributaries to Gunners Branch. The
campus development plan fosters links between
business and education in the I-270 Technology
Corridor.

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 germantown districts

Land Use • Incorporate structured parking into buildings

• Expand Montgomery College’s academic facilities and pave surface parking areas with permeable
to 1.9 million square feet and provide up to one materials.
million square feet for a technology park linking • Buildings must have a minimum of three stories
the business and academic communities. Private with floorplates no greater than 25,000 square
sector facilities on the campus will be subject to feet for non-residential uses. Medical facilities
site plan review. such as hospitals are exempt from this guideline.
• Preserve 50 acres of high priority forest along • Permit building height up to 100 feet (eight
I-270 and other high priority forest within the site. stories) and maintain the 100-foot setback along
• Develop technology and office uses with I-270 to ensure a dense and cohesive campus.
signature architecture that takes advantage of Transportation
visibility from I-270. Use structured parking to
• The College’s planned expansion and
reduce impervious surface area and improve
technology park requires additional access and
water quality in the Gunners Branch watershed.
transportation capacity. Extend Observation
• Relocate the Cider Barrel historic site to another Drive as a four-lane 80-foot right-of-way arterial
location in the Sector Plan area. Additional roadway with a shared use path through the
guidance appears in Appendix 12. Montgomery College property connecting MD 118
Urban Form with Middlebrook Road. The road will be located
on the east side of the campus with future Academic buildings at the Germantown compus of
• Design the campus expansion and orient Montgomery College
connections to MD 355.
buildings to create a compact educational village
• Extend Goldenrod Lane outside of the protected
that promotes interaction between buildings,
forest area to connect Observation Drive and
synergy between public and private uses, reduces
introduce a network of new streets with short
the amount of disturbed land, and creates an
blocks, 250 to 350 feet long, to create a
appealing and safe environment.
pedestrian-friendly place with wide sidewalks.
• Provide a network of streets with extensive • Extend Cider Press Place to connect MD 355 with
pedestrian connections that create a walkable the extension of Observation Drive.
campus and technology park.
• Provide an open space buffer along the existing
residential community to the east.
• Use building placement and site design to create High quality forest in the Montgomery College District
smaller usable outdoor spaces characteristic of
urban areas.
Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 53
 germantown districts

Fox Chapel District Land Use

THE FOX CHAPEL DISTRICT

The 115-acre Fox Chapel District will become

the commercial hub at the intersection of MD
355 and Middlebrook Road with a bus transit
center providing the transit link to other parts
of Germantown. Retail, housing, and recreation
opportunities will flow between MD 355 and
Scenery Drive including an improved Plumgar
Recreation Center (FC-7) and greater density
at the Seneca Crossing community (FC-6). This
vision can best be accomplished by cooperation
among property owners and a coordinated
development plan.

Gateway and streetscape treatment along

MD 355 will improve pedestrian safety and
the pedestrian experience along Montgomery
County’s main street. At-grade, one-way couplets
could replace grade-separated at the MD
355 and Middlebrook Road intersection. This
option should be studied by state and County
transportation departments.

54 Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009

 germantown districts

Land Use • Establish a consistent building setback existing homes. No new driveways or parking
• The Fox Chapel Shopping Center (FC-1) should from MD 355, provide an eight-foot wide areas should be permitted in front yards.
be redeveloped as a mixed-use village center of sidewalk along commercial development, and Transportation
commercial and residential uses. If properties implement the streetscape plan.
• Connect the Middlebrook Mobile Home Park
are assembled, allow development up to 0.3 • Orient multifamily units toward MD 355 and site to MD 355 with a connected street system
FAR for commercial uses and 22 dwelling units the site’s interior to achieve a compatible through commercially zoned properties held
per acre for the Fox Chapel Shopping Center transition to R-200 residential property to the by same owner. Preserve the trees along
and the Middlebook Mobile Home Park (FC-5). east. Preserve existing woodland on the east the eastern end of the site for a compatible
• If properties are not assembled, commercial side of the Middlebrook Mobile Home Park site transition with existing R-200 residences.
density should not exceed 0.3 FAR and five to buffer the adjacent residential community
• Connect Blunt Road with Middlebrook Road.
dwelling units per acre for the Middlebrook and provide a pedestrian connection to the Fox
Chapel Shopping Center. • Improve MD 355 with streetscape
Mobile Home Park (FC-5).
improvements in accordance with the
• Retain the residential character of the MD 355 • Accessory apartments developed along MD
streetscape plan.
gateway into Germantown by allowing existing 355 should locate all parking behind the
R-200 properties (FC-8) to have by-right
accessory housing units.

Urban Form
• If properties along the east side of MD 355 are
assembled, create a new set of development
blocks that parallel MD 355 and are lined with
buildings. Provide urban open space defined
by streets or buildings and place parking within
the interior of the block.
• If non-assembled properties develop, redevelop
commercial sites along MD 355 with street-
oriented commercial development, wrapping
corner properties, and placing parking and
service areas in the rear of the property,
screened from adjacent residential areas.
Encourage rear connections along alleys.

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 55

 implementation

T he future envisioned
in this Plan requires
decisions and actions
for transit served and pedestrian-scaled areas.

The Transit Mixed Use Zone (TMX-2) will be used

The TMX-2 Zone allows the creation of a
contributory fund so that optional method projects
may provide all or part of a project’s public use
to implement the land use recommendations,
by government, property space and public amenities and facilities off-site.
development standards, the Building Lot
owners, and residents to The list of potential projects to be covered by
Termination program, and approval procedures
transform the type and the Amenity Fund appears in Appendix 20 and
for transit-oriented development envisioned by
character of development incorporated by reference in this Plan.
this Plan. The zone’s purpose is to “implement
occurring in Germantown. Direct governmental
the recommendations of approved and adopted The complete text of the TMX-2 Zone appears in
actions include comprehensive rezoning through
master or sector plans for Transit Station Appendix 23.
a Sectional Map Amendment and indirect
Development Areas.”
actions such as protection of forested areas and Proposed Transit Station Development Area
construction of capital improvements. Some The TMX-2 zone allows
facilities will be produced by the private sector for standard and optional
through the development review process. The methods of development.
recommended type, amount, and location of Both methods require site
development must take place at the appropriate plan approval. Optional
time and in the proper sequence. method projects must be
consistent with the general
FEASABILITY
design principles in this Plan
The Planning Board did not evaluate whether the and the design guidelines to
Plan’s incentives are sufficient to produce the be adopted by the Planning
recommended amount and type of infrastructure Board.
and amenities. They relied on testimony from
This zone also establishes
property owners to understand the feasibility of
a Building Lot Termination
the Plan’s recommendations.
(BLT) program for new and
ZONING redeveloped commercial
projects. The BLT program will
This Plan recommends an array of mixed-use
be used to terminate buildable
zoning categories to shape development. Existing
lots in the County’s Agricultural
zones such as RMX-2, RMX-2C, and I-3 with an
Reserve, as recommended by
option for mixed uses, as well as the Town Sector
the 2007 Ad Hoc Agricultural
Zone contain development standards appropriate
Policy Working Group.

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 implementation

Town Center Property Reference Town Center Zoning

Germantown Forward Planning Board Draft - February 2009 57