Committee clarifies how 500‑foot gas‑station buffer is measured, advances ZTA 25‑06 2–1

The Montgomery County Planning, Housing and Parks Committee voted 2–1 to forward Zoning Text Amendment 25‑06 to the full County Council with committee amendments that clarify how the county’s 500‑foot setback for larger filling stations is measured.

ZTA 25‑06 addresses a long‑standing point of uncertainty in the county zoning code: the exact point from which the 500‑foot separation for large stations (those dispensing at least 3,600,000 gallons per year) should be measured. Under the committee’s adopted language the 500‑foot setback for listed uses (dwelling units, schools, parks, playgrounds, daycare, and certain outdoor entertainment/recreation uses) is measured from the fuel dispenser — effectively the parked hose — while the committee also approved a planning board amendment requiring that environmentally sensitive features (streams, wetlands, floodplain) be protected by measuring the 500‑foot separation from the underground storage tank(s).

Planning staff told the committee the…