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Master Plan Review: North & West Silver Spring

The document summarizes Montgomery County's zoning code rewrite process and implementation for the North & West Silver Spring area. It discusses translating the existing 123 zones into around 30 proposed zones through a process that considers master plan recommendations, existing uses and development standards, and context sensitivity. For North & West Silver Spring specifically, the 13 existing zones will mainly be converted to similarly intensive proposed zones while retaining allowed densities and heights. Residential zones will stay the same and commercial zones will convert to new Commercial/Residential zones depending on location and context.

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39 views11 pages

Master Plan Review: North & West Silver Spring

The document summarizes Montgomery County's zoning code rewrite process and implementation for the North & West Silver Spring area. It discusses translating the existing 123 zones into around 30 proposed zones through a process that considers master plan recommendations, existing uses and development standards, and context sensitivity. For North & West Silver Spring specifically, the 13 existing zones will mainly be converted to similarly intensive proposed zones while retaining allowed densities and heights. Residential zones will stay the same and commercial zones will convert to new Commercial/Residential zones depending on location and context.

Uploaded by

Planning Docs
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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You are on page 1/ 11

Master Plan Review

NORTH & WEST


SILVER SPRING
Approved and Adopted
August 2000

North & West Silver Spring

Page 1 of 11

Updated July 2014 based on Adopted DMA

BACKGROUND

ONING CODE REWRITE

In 2007, the Montgomery County Council directed the Planning Department to undertake a
comprehensive zoning ordinance rewrite. Last rewritten in 1977, the current 1,200 + page code is
viewed as antiquated and hard to use with standards that have failed to keep pace with modern
development practices.
With only about four percent of land in the County available for greenfield development, the new
zoning code can play a crucial role in guiding redevelopment to areas like surface parking lots and
strip shopping centers. An updated zoning code is important for achieving the kind of growth
Montgomery County policymakers and residents want.
Initial sections of the new code were drafted by Code
Studio, a zoning consultant. These drafts were
subsequently analyzed and edited by planners based
on feedback from the Zoning Advisory Panel (a citizen
panel appointed by the Planning Board to weigh in on
the projects direction), county agency representatives,
residents and other stakeholders. In September 2012,
planning staff began the release of a draft code in
sections accompanied by a report highlighting changes
from the current code. The staff drafts were reviewed
at length by the Planning Board.

Public Listening Session 9/2009

The Planning Board held worksessions and public hearings between September of 2012 and May of
2013. On May 2, they transmitted their draft to the County Council. The Council adopted the text of
the new code in March and adopted the new zoning map in July 2014.
The new code and map will go into effect on October 30, 2014.

ZONE IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS


An important aspect of the Zoning Rewrite process is the potential simplification of 123 existing
zones into about 30 proposed zones. While some of the proposed zones are a direct one-to-one
translation of existing zones, others are the result of combining existing zones with similar
standards. Additionally, existing zones that are not currently mapped or are no longer used in the
County have been eliminated from the proposed code. Through the implementation process,
Montgomery County aims to simplify the number of zones, eliminate redundancy, and clarify
development standards. A full translation table for all zones can be found in the documents section
of our website: www.zoningmontgomery.org.

North & West Silver Spring

Page 2 of 11

Updated July 2014 based on Adopted DMA

Agricultural, Residential, and Industrial Zone Implementation:


For agricultural and rural zones, the existing zones will be translated to proposed zones on a one-toone basis, with the exception of the Low Density Rural Cluster zone which is not currently used in
the County and will be eliminated.
Many of the existing residential zones will remain the same. Other residential zones will be
combined with existing zones that have similar development standards. The R-4Plex zone, which is
not currently mapped anywhere in the county, will be removed from the proposed code.
Implementation of Industrial zones will combine similar zones (Rural Service, I-1, and R+D) into the
proposed Industrial Moderate (IM) zone. The existing heavy industrial zone (I-2) will be renamed as
the Industrial Heavy (IH) zone.

Examples:

Agricultural
and Rural

Rural Density
Transfer (RDT)

Agricultural
Reserve (AR)

R-60
(detached residential)

Residential

R-60
(detached residential)

R-60/TDR
(detached residential)

North & West Silver Spring

Page 3 of 11

Updated July 2014 based on Adopted DMA

Commercial and Mixed-Use Zone Implementation:


Parcels located in the existing Commercial, Mixed-use, Central Business District (CBD), and Transit
Station zones will be translated into one of the proposed Commercial/Residential (CR) or
Employment (E) Zones using a two-tiered process.
First, decisions about specific parcels in these zones were based on recommendations within the
Master Plan. Planning staff reviewed each Master Plan in the County. When the Master Plan
provided specific recommendations about allowed density, height, or mix of uses for individual
commercial or mixed-use parcels, those recommendations were used to build the formula of the
proposed zone. This ensures consistency with currently allowed density and height, and helps
codify Master Plan recommendations in a parcel-specific manner.
Second, if the Master Plan did not make specific recommendations, the current zone changed to a
proposed zone on a one-to-one basis or the proposed zone was determined using a specific
standardized decision tree (see example below). The standardized decision tree translates existing
zones by considering each specific parcels proximity to single-family neighborhoods or other
factors. The goal of the implementation decision tree is to retain currently allowed heights and
densities and maintain context sensitivity.

Example: C-1 Convenience Commercial

Confronts or abuts
R-150 or less intense

then

NR-0.75
H-45

Within a Historic
District

then

NR-0.75
H-45

Confronts or abuts

then

CRT-0.75
C-0.75 R-0.25 H-35

then

CRT-0.75
C-0.75 R-0.25 H-45

or site is bigger than 5 acres

C-1

if
R-90, R-60, R-40, or R-MH

Confronts or abuts RT
or more intense

North & West Silver Spring

Page 4 of 11

Updated July 2014 based on Adopted DMA

NORTH & WEST SILVER SPRING


PLAN VISION
The North and West Silver Spring Master Plan was
approved and adopted in August 2000. Located
adjacent to the Silver Spring CBD, the North and
West Silver Spring neighborhoods are both
primarily residential communities and include
local commercial centers, light industrial, service,
and institutional uses. The Master Plan
Meadowbrook Stables: Historic resource in
recommends enhancing the residential
West Silver Spring
neighborhoods with upgraded infrastructure, reuse
of historic resources, a multi-modal transportation system to increase resident access to
Metrorail and commercial areas, and enhanced parks and community facilities.

PLAN HIGHLIGHTS
Preservation of North and West Silver
Springs residential nature is an important
theme in the Master Plan which
recommends limiting commercial and
industrial development to the existing
center and reducing the impact of traffic
within the neighborhoods. To reaffirm
the residential nature of the
neighborhood, the Master Plan also
recommends encouraging pedestrian
Georgia Avenue in Montgomery Hills
activity along Georgia Avenue in
Montgomery Hills. The Plan proposes to transform the existing 7-lane highway into a
landscaped urban boulevard with a center median, improved local circulation, and wide treelined sidewalks.

North & West Silver Spring

Page 5 of 11

Updated July 2014 based on Adopted DMA

ZONE IMPLEMENTATION
The North and West Silver Spring Planning Area currently has 13 zones: 4 Commercial, 7 Residential, 1
Industrial, and 1 Planned Development.

Existing Commercial:
C-1: Convenience Commercial
C-2: General Commercial
C-4: Limited Commercial
C-O: Commercial, Office Building

Existing Residential:
R-90: Detached Unit, Single-Family
R-60: Detached Unit, Single-Family
RT-8: Townhouse, Single-Family
RT-10: Townhouse, Single-Family
RT-12.5: Townhouse, Single-Family
RT-15: Townhouse, Single-Family
R-10: Multi-Family, High Density
R-20: Multi-Family, Medium Density
R-H: Multi-Family, High-Rise Planned

Existing Planned Development:


PD-15: Planned Development
Existing Industrial:
I-1: Light Industrial

The existing R-60 and R-90 will remain. The RT-8 , RT-10, RT-12.5, and RT-15 will remain RT (Townhouse)
respectively. The R-10, R-20, and R-H will remain.
The existing C-O zone has typically consisted predominantly of office uses and will be translated to the
proposed EOF (Employment Office) zone. The existing C-1 and C-2 zones will translate to the proposed
zone CRT (Commericial Residential Town) based on the location and context for each of the parcels
located in these three zones. Each parcel will be translated using the standardized translation, with the
overall goal to retain currently allowed heights and densities and maintain context sensitivity.
The existing I-1 will be translated into IM (Moderate Industrial).
The existing PD-15 will remain.

North & West Silver Spring

Page 6 of 11

Updated July 2014 based on Adopted DMA

ZONE
ZONEIMPLEMENTATION
IMPLEMENTATION
North and West Silver Spring
Zone

Existing
Acres

Proposed
Percent

Zone

Acres

Percent

R-60

1,207.49

70.87 R-60

1,207.49

70.87

R-90

201.77

11.84 R-90

201.77

11.84

RT-8

4.65

0.27 RT-8

4.65

0.27

RT-10

1.87

0.11 RT-10

1.87

0.11

18.19

1.07

RT-12.5

18.19

1.07 RT-12.5

RT-15

2.46

0.14 RT-15

2.46

0.14

R-10

48.92

2.87 R-10

48.92

2.87

R-20

72.23

4.24 R-20

72.23

4.24

R-H

11.27

0.66 R-H

11.27

0.66

C-1

5.45

0.32

CRT-0.75 C-0.75 R-0.25 H-35

3.49

0.20

CRT-0.75 C-0.75 R-0.25 H-45

1.99

0.12

C-2

9.07

0.53

CRT-1.5 C-1.5 R-0.5 H-45

6.98

0.41

CRT-2.25 C-1.5 R-0.75 H-45

2.09

0.12

C-4

4.48

0.26 CRT-0.75 C-0.75 R-0.5 H-40

4.48

0.26

C-O

5.63

0.33 EOF-3.0 H-100

5.63

0.33

I-1

79.65

4.68 IM-2.5 H-50

79.65

4.68

PD-15

30.55

1.79 PD-15

30.55

1.79

Grand Total

North & West Silver Spring

1,703.71

Grand Total

Page 7 of 11

1,703.71

Updated July 2014 based on Adopted DMA

ZONE IMPLEMENTATION
North & West Silver Spring: Existing Zoning
Residential Medium Density

Townhouse

Multi-Family

Commercial

Light Industrial

Planned Development

North & West Silver Spring: Proposed Zoning


Residential Medium Density

Townhouse

Multi-Family

Comm/Res - Town

Employment, Office

Moderate Industrial

Planned Development

North & West Silver Spring

Page 8 of 11

Updated July 2014 based on Adopted DMA

EXISTING ZONING MAP


Existing Zones
Residential
Medium Density
R-60
R-90

Townhouse
RT-8
RT-10
RT-12.5

Multi-Family
R-20
R-10
R-H

Commercial
C-1
C-2
C-4
C-O

Light Industrial
I-1

Planned
Development
PD-15

North & West Silver Spring

Page 9 of 11

Updated July 2014 based on Adopted DMA

PROPOSED ZONING MAP


Proposed Zones
Residential
Medium Density
R-60
R-90

Townhouse
RT-8
RT-10
RT-12.5

Multi-Family
R-20
R-10
R-H

Comm/ResTown
CRT

Employment,
Office
EOF

Moderate
Industrial
IM

Planned
Development
PD-15

North & West Silver Spring

Page 10 of 11

Updated July 2014 based on Adopted DMA

PLANNING AREA CONTEXT

North & West Silver Spring

Page 11 of 11

Updated July 2014 based on Adopted DMA

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