Montgomery County commissioners table proposal to require 5-acre minimum for rural agricultural lots

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on May 12, 2025 tabled Resolution 25-5-6, a proposal to ask the Regional Planning Commission (RPC) to prepare a zoning amendment that would establish a 5-acre minimum parcel size in agricultural (AG) zones in the county's rural growth area. The motion to table, made by Commissioner Harper and seconded by Commissioner Walker, passed 17-4.

The resolution prompted extended public comment and a lengthy floor debate. Several rural residents and farmers said the change would reduce housing affordability and harm family farming practices. Miranda Milton, who identified herself as an agricultural property owner in Montgomery County, told commissioners, “This proposal would hurt, not help farmers and other rural residents.” Deborah Moore, speaking from a rural address, argued that smaller lot development increases stormwater and infrastructure pressures: “When it pours, rainwater soaks into the ground or flows into sinkholes... Houses that…