Master Plan Review

POTOMAC
Approved and Adopted March 2002

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

BACKGROUND
ZONING 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. The Montgomery County Planning Department is working in coordination with Code Studio, a team of nationally recognized consultants; a citizen panel, known as the Zoning Advisory Panel (ZAP); and other County agencies to improve the zoning code. The ZAP was appointed by the Planning Board to weigh in on the projects direction and advise staff.

Public Listening Session 9/2009

Initial sections of the new code are drafted by Code Studio, and are subsequently analyzed and edited by planners based on feedback from ZAP, county agency representatives, residents and other stakeholders. The Zoning Code Rewrite drafts continue to undergo multiple reviews and revisions in preparation for the distribution of a public draft of the new code expected in summer 2012. The comprehensive public draft will then be presented to the Planning Board and, ultimately, the County Council as part of a public review process.

ZONE CONVERSION PROCESS

An important aspect of the Zoning Rewrite process is the potential conversion of 123 existing zones into 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 conversion process, Montgomery County aims to simplify the number of zones, eliminate redundancy, and clarify development standards. A full conversion chart for all zones can be found in the documents section of our website: www.zoningmontgomery.org.

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

Agricultural, Residential, and Industrial Zone Conversion:

For agricultural and rural zones, the existing zones will be converted 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. Several of the existing residential zones will also directly convert on a one-to-one basis. Other residential zones will be converted by combining 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. Conversion of Industrial zones will combine similar zones (Rural Service, I-1, and I-4) into the proposed Industrial Light (IL) zone. The existing heavy industrial zone (I-2) will convert directly to the proposed Industrial Heavy (IH) zone.

EXAMPLES:
Agricultural And Rural
Rural Density Transfer (RDT) Agricultural Conservation (AC)

Residential, Detached Unit (R-60) Residential, Detached Unit (R-40) Residential, Mobile Home Development (RMH)

Residential

Residential Detached, Medium Density (RMD-6)

Rural Service (RS)

Industrial

Light Industrial I-4 (I-1)

Industrial Light (IL)

Light Industrial (I-4)

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

Commercial and Mixed-Use Zone Conversion:

Parcels located in the existing Commercial, Mixed-use, Central Business District (CBD), and Transit Station zones will be converted into one of the proposed Commercial/Residential (C/R) or Employment (E) Zones using a two-tiered process. First, decisions for conversions of a specific parcel 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 conversion 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 converted 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 converts existing zones by considering each specific parcels proximity to auto-centric localities, village and town centers, and detached residential neighborhoods. The goal of the conversion decision tree is to retain currently allowed heights and densities and maintain context sensitivity.

EXAMPLE: C-1 Convenience Commercial

Then

Conversion Decision Criteria for C-1, Convenience Commercial Current Max FAR: None (90% Coverage) Current Max Height: 30 average at finished grade along the building up to 45

Then

If the C-1 Parcel Is:

Then

Then

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

POTOMAC
PLAN HIGHLIGHTS
The Potomac Subregion Master Plan was approved and adopted in March 2002. An important goal of the Master Plan is make the environment the pre-eminent policy determinant in the Potomac Subregion. The Master Plan provides recommendations in four main areas: the environment, land use, transportation, community facilities. Environment: Maintain and reaffirm a low-density residential green wedge for most of the Subregion Augment existing stream valley parks and provide additional protection for water quality by the acquisition of key vacant parcels. Acquire unique forest areas in the Greenbriar watershed, to be preserved as conservation park land. Reconfirm the Piney Branch Special Protection Area Limit sewer extensions to within the recommended sewer envelope Explore the ultimate use of the Rockville Crushed Stone Quarry as a regional reservoir Land Use: Rezone a limited number of development and redevelopment sites Rezone the Cabin John Center to provide development flexibility while ensuring neighborhood compatibility through the site plan review process Amend the 1980 Master Plan recommendation for Fortune Parc in order to create a mixed-use development Propose alternative uses for two of Potomacs stone quarries as their reserves become exhausted Create a Rural Village Overlay Zone for Darnestown Village center to address its unique characteristics Protect the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park, major transportation Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park corridors, and residential communities from incompatible design of special exception uses Avoid excessive concentration of special exceptions along major transportation corridors

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

Transportation: Maintain Potomacs two-lane road policy that limits road capacity expansion Designate nine identified roads or road segments as rustic or exceptional rustic Do not recommend a new Potomac River crossing within the Subregion Adjust road classifications to provide a rational hierarchy Provide an interconnected system of Class I bikeways Support as a priority, a study of paratransit options for Tobytown Community Facilities Acquire surplus school sites as new parks Establish a greenway system of park trails, primarily with a natural surface Acquire sites for the North Potomac community recreation center, fire station, and a regional services center satellite office Expand the Scotland community center

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

ZONE CONVERSION
The Potomac Planning Area currently has 31 zones: 2 Rural, 18 Residential, 4 Commercial, 2 Mixed Use, 2 Industrial, and 3 Planned Development.

Existing Rural RC: Rural Cluster RNC: Rural Neighborhood Cluster Existing Residential: RE-2: Detached Unit, Single Family RE-2/TDR: Detached Unit, Single Family RE-2C: Detached Unit, Single Family RE-2C/TDR: Detached Unit, Single Family RE-1: Detached Unit, Single Family R-200: Detached Unit, Single Family R-200/TDR: Detached Unit, Single Family R-150: Detached Unit, Single Family R-90: Detached Unit, Single Family R-90/TDR: Detached Unit, Single Family RT-6: Townhouse, Single Family RT-8: Townhouse, Single Family RT-10: Townhosue, Single Family RT-12.5: Townhouse, Single Family RT:15: Townhouse, Single Family

R-30: Multi-Family, Low Density R-20: Multi-Family, Medium Density R-10: Multi-Family, High Density Existing Commercial O-M: Office Building, Moderate Intensity C-1: Convenience Commercial C-2: General Commercial C-INN: Country Inn Existing Mixed Use: RMX-1/TDR: Residential Mixed Use RMX-2C: Residential Mixed Use Existing Industrial: I-2: Heavy Industrial I-3: Light Industrial Planned Development PD-2 PD-3 PD-5

Standard Conversion: The existing RC will convert directly to the proposed RC zone and the existing RNC zone will convert directly to the proposed RNC zone. The existing RE-2, RE-2/TDR, RE-2C, RE-2C/TDR, and C-INN will all convert to the proposed RE-2 zone. The C-INN zone will convert to the zone previously designated to the property before the development of the Country Inn. The existing RE-1 will convert to the proposed RE-1 zone. The existing R-200, R-200/TDR and R-150 zones will convert to the proposed RLD-20 (Residential Low Density) zone. The existing R-90 and R-90/TDR will both convert to the proposed RMD9 (Residential Medium Density) zone. The existing RT-6 and RT-8 will combine into the proposed TLD (Townhouse Low Density) zone, the existing RT-10 and RT-12.5 will combine into the proposed TMD (Townhouse Medium Density) zone, and the RT-15 will convert to the proposed THD (Townhouse High Density) zone. The R-30 will convert to the proposed RHD-3 (Multi-family, Low Density) zone, the R-20 will convert to the proposed RHD-2 (Multi-family, Medium Density) zone, and the existing R-H will convert to the proposed RHD-1 (Multi-family, High Density) zone.

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

The Existing I-2 will convert to the proposed IH (Industrial Heavy) zone and the existing I-3 will convert to the proposed EOF (employment, office) zone with an FAR of 1.0 and a height limit of 75 ft. The existing Planned Development zones will convert to proposed Planned Unit Development Zone. The existing Commercial and Mixed Use zones will convert to the specific proposed EOF, EG, CRN, and CRT zones using both the standard conversion criteria and specific Master Plan recommendations. Commercial and Mixed Use parcels that do not have specific master plan recommendations will convert to the proposed zone based on the standard zoning conversion table.

Master Plan Recommended Conversion: Several Potomacs parcels will convert to the proposed zones based on Potomac Subregion Master Plan recommendations. We refer to these as non-standard conversions. These parcels and the Master Plan guided conversions are shown below.

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

MASTER PLAN-DRIVEN CONVERSIONS

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

MASTER PLAN-DRIVEN CONVERSIONS

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

MASTER PLAN-DRIVEN CONVERSIONS

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

MASTER PLAN-DRIVEN CONVERSIONS

Area Existing Zoning Proposed Zoning Number of Parcels Reason for NonStandard Conversion Modification Relevant Text 1 C-1 (Rural Village Overlay) CRN-0.25 C-0.25 R-0.0 H-35 10 Overlay zone restrictions on height and density. Overall FAR limited to 0.25. Height limited to 35 feet. Montgomery County Zoning Ordinance 59-18.232(2)(B)
Density. Except as noted below, the floor area ratio for commercial uses is limited to FAR 0.2, and is computed only on the area of the underlying commercially zoned portion of the site

and Montgomery County Zoning Ordinance 59-18.232(2)(D)

Building height. No building may exceed a height of 35 feet.

Area Existing Zoning Proposed Zoning Number of Parcels Reason for NonStandard Conversion Modification Relevant Text

2 I-3 EOF-1.0 H-75 173 Master plan recommendations regarding density. FAR limited to 1.0. Potomac Subregion Master Plan (2002): Page 49-52
Including the adjacent Lot 40 [#3 below], the allowable density on the site will not exceed 850,000 square feet (0.39 FAR) of commercial space or, without Lot 40, 800,000 square feet; office, street retail, and hotel, 300 apartments, and 150 single family homes. An additional 150 dwelling units may be provided as part of a TDR program.

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

MASTER PLAN-DRIVEN CONVERSIONS

Area Existing Zoning Proposed Zoning Number of Parcels Reason for NonStandard Conversion Modification Relevant Text 3 O-M EOF-1.0 H-75 3 Master plan recommendations regarding density. FAR limited to 1.0. Potomac Subregion Master Plan (2002): Page 49-52
Including the adjacent Lot 40, the allowable density on the site [includes #2 above] will not exceed 850,000 square feet (0.39 FAR) of commercial space or, without Lot 40, 800,000 square feet; office, street retail, and hotel, 300 apartments, and 150 single family homes. An additional 150 dwelling units may be provided as part of a TDR program.

Area Existing Zoning Proposed Zoning Number of Parcels Reason for NonStandard Conversion Modification Relevant Text

4 RMX-2C CRT-0.75 C-0.5 R-0.5 H-35 5 Master plan recommendations regarding density and height. Overall FAR limited to 0.75. Residential FAR limited to 0.5. Height limited to 35 feet. Potomac Subregion Master Plan (2002): Page 43-48
Commercial development is limited to 300,000 square feet of gross floor area. Housing is not permitted under the standard method. Under the optional method, the following residential components are permitted up to a total of 135 dwelling units (including MPDUs) Heights of buildings, including combinations of housing and structured parking, shall not exceed 35 feet to ensure a scale compatible with the surrounding neihborhoods.

Area Existing Zoning Proposed Zoning Number of Parcels Reason for NonStandard Conversion Modification Relevant Text

5 C-1 CRT-1.0 C-0.75 R-75 H-35 6 Master plan recommendations regarding height. Height limited to 35 feet. Potomac Subregion Master Plan (2002): Page 63-67
Provide ground floor retail in compatible buildings not more than 35 feet high.

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

MASTER PLAN-DRIVEN CONVERSIONS

Area Existing Zoning Proposed Zoning Number of Parcels Reason for NonStandard Conversion Modification Relevant Text 6 C-1 CRN-0.75 C-0.5 R-0.5 H-35 1 Master plan recommendations regarding height. Height limited to 35 feet. Potomac Subregion Master Plan (2002): Page 63-67
Provide ground floor retail in compatible buildings not more than 35 feet high.

Area Existing Zoning Proposed Zoning Number of Parcels Reason for NonStandard Conversion Modification Relevant Text

7 RMX-1/TDR CRT-0.5 C-0.25 R-0.5 H-60 2 Master plan recommendations regarding height and density. Overall FAR limited to 0.5, commercial to 0.25, residential to 0.5. Height limited to 60 feet. Potomac Subregion Master Plan (2002): Page 56-62
The maximum density on the site must not exceed 80 single family units (including MPDUs) under the standard method. A waiver of the requirement for 15 percent detached dwelling is recommended. Under the optional method, up to 97 units (including MPDUs) are permitted Maximum height for any portion of building to be five stories.

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

ZONE CONVERSION
Potomac
Zone
RC RNC RE-2 RE-2/TDR RE-2C RE-2C/TDR C-INN RE-1 R-200 R-200/TDR R-150 R-90 R-90/TDR RT-6 RT-8 RT-10 RT-12.5 RT-15 R-30 R-20 R-H O-M

Existing Total
7067.27 137.84 14135.02 182.44 860.41 968.86 6.80 1600.71 7077.95 1374.46 504.99 1854.82 36.90 3.06 26.08 18.83 26.36 2.76 44.91 17.17 21.30 7.12

Proposed Percent
19.18 0.37 38.36 0.50 2.34 2.63 0.02 4.34 19.21 3.73 1.37 5.03 0.10 0.01 0.07 0.05 0.07 0.01 0.12 0.05 0.06 0.02

Zone
RC RNC

Total
7067.27 137.84

Percent
19.18 0.37

RE-2

16153.54

43.84

RE-1 RLD-20 RMD-9 TLD TMD THD RHD-3 RHD-2 RHD-1 EOF-1.5 H-75 EOF-1.0 H-75 CRN-0.25 C-0.25 R-0.0 H-35 CRT-1.0 C-0.75 R-0.75 H-35 CRN-0.75 C-0.5 R-0.5 H-35 CRN-0.5 C-0.5 R-0.25 H-35 EG-1.5 H-65 CRT-1.5 C-1.5 R-1.0 H-45 CRT-0.5 C-0.25 R-0.5 H-60 CRT-0.75 C-0.5 R-0.5 H-35 IH EOF-1.0 H-75

1600.71 8957.40 1891.72 29.15 45.19 2.76 44.91 17.17 21.30 2.75 4.37 9.30 3.70 3.46 28.46 65.29 20.40 13.07 23.53 295.32 41.89 367.41

4.34 24.31 5.13 0.08 0.12 0.01 0.12 0.05 0.06 0.01 0.01 0.03 0.01 0.01 0.08 0.18 0.06 0.04 0.06 0.80 0.11 1.00

C-1

44.92

0.12

C-2 RMX-1/TDR RMX-2C I-2 I-3 PD-2 PD-3 PD-5

85.69 13.07 23.53 295.32 41.89 84.96 279.39 3.05

0.23

0.04 0.06 0.80 0.11 0.23 0.76 PUD 0.01

Grand Total

36847.92

Grand Total

36847.92

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

ZONE CONVERSION

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

PLANNING AREA CONTEXT

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

EXISTING ZONING MAP

Existing Zones
Rural
RC RNC

Residential Estate
RE-1 RE-2 & RE-2/TDR RE-2C & RE-2C/TDR

Residential Low Density

R-150 R-200 & R-200/TDR

Residential Medium Density

R-90 & R-90/TDR

Townhouse
RT-6 RT-8 RT-10 RT-12.5 RT-15

Multi-Family
R-10 R-20 R-30

Commercial
C-1 C-2 O-M C-Inn

Mixed-Use
RMX-1/TDR RMX-2C

Light Industrial
I-3

Heavy Industrial
I-2 I-2

Planned Development
PD-2 PD-3 PD-5

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org

PROPOSED ZONING MAP

Proposed Zones
Rural
RC RNC

Residential Estate
RE-1 RE-2

Residential Low Density

RLD-20

Residential Medium Density

RMD-9

Townhouse
TLD TMD THD

Multi-Family
RHD-1 RHD-2 RHD-3

Comm/ResNeighborhood
CRN

Comm/ResTown
CRT

Employment, General
EG

Employment, Office
EOF

Heavy Industrial
IH I-2

Planned Development
PD

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

www.zoningmontgomery.org