Committee hears 28-page zoning rewrite, holds bill for one week to refine amendments

The Baltimore City Land Use and Transportation Committee, chaired by Councilman Ryan Dorsey, spent a hearing reviewing Council Bill 2500006, a 28‑page package of zoning code modifications that the committee described as roughly 30 separate changes and two dozen amendments. Committee members continued the matter for one week and set a voting session for Thursday, March 27 at 10 a.m.

The bill is an administration bill from the Planning Department and carries amendments from planning staff and several council members; committee staff described the text as a mix of corrective edits and substantive policy changes. Jeff Hockstetler of the City Solicitor’s Office told the committee that law "could approve the bill with a minor amendment," and the Board of Municipal and Zoning Appeals and the Department of Housing and Community Development each presented favorable reports. Becky Witt of BMZA said the board had submitted a favorable report, and Jason Wright of the Department of Housing and Community Development said his department “stand[s] behind our favorable bill report.”

Why it matters: The package changes multiple parts of the code that affect how neighborhoods are reviewed and how routine projects move through permitting and appeals. Committee members and agency representatives said the changes aim to correct legacy drafting errors,…