Council advances zoning amendments and approves office-to-residential tax-abatement pilot after extended debate

The Montgomery County Council on April 8 approved a slate of land-use and tax measures the council said are intended to speed the conversion of underused office buildings into housing and to support other downtown improvements.

Key council actions - Bethesda Downtown Minor Master Plan Amendment (district council action): approved unanimously. Council members said the amendment prioritizes parks, a full-service recreation center and more family-sized MPDUs and is expected to reinforce the 2017 plan's commitments.

- Zoning Text Amendment 25-01 ("SAVE ZTA"; self storage, civic and institutional street activation and vacancy elimination): approved by roll call. The amendment allows self-storage above the ground floor in CR zones when a community-serving use occupies the ground floor and contains vacancy and conversion safeguards and site-plan review requirements.

- Zoning Text Amendment 25-03 (commercial-to-residential reconstruction and expedited approvals): approved by roll call. The amendment creates a defined "commercial to residential reconstruction" use, streamlines an expedited approval path in certain zones, and includes committee-led changes on zone…