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Montgomery County hearing on ZTA 25-01 draws public concern about private-benefit and local fit
Summary
At a public hearing on zoning text amendment ZTA 25-01 — the “street activation and vacancy elimination” proposal — a resident urged the council to reject a provision she characterized as a private benefit that would allow above-ground self-storage in CR zones if paired with a ground-floor charitable or cultural use.
A Montgomery County resident used public hearing time on Zoning Text Amendment 25-01 to oppose a provision that would allow self-storage above ground in commercial-residential (CR) zones when paired with a ground-floor charitable, philanthropic or cultural institution.
Vanessa Katz, who identified herself as a lifelong Montgomery County resident, told the council she had reviewed the ZTA materials and related planning documents and concluded ZTA 25-01 “doesn’t have much in the way of climate or diversity or tax impact, but has nothing to do with improving the lives of the residents of Montgomery County.”
Katz said the amendment looks like a private bill written to benefit a single company in a mature industry, and she predicted developers already have prospective sites. “Private bills to solve real problems are great. Private bill to have 1 company in a healthy industry is simply wrong,” she said. Katz added, “This spells bill smells a little off.”
Katz framed her comments about ZTA 25-01 within broader concerns about the county’s housing and transit planning, including the University Boulevard and Glenmont corridor plans, Vision Zero roadway changes and a proposed bus rapid transit program. She criticized elements of multiple proposals in the “More Housing Now” package and linked them to possible fiscal effects and neighborhood impacts, arguing the changes do not necessarily serve county residents’ daily needs.
The council’s staff notice for ZTA 25-01 described the measure as intended to permit self-storage above ground in CR zones when accompanied by a qualifying ground-floor use; a Planning, Housing and Parks committee work session was scheduled for 03/24/2025 and materials were due by 03/17/2025, as noted at the hearing. No formal action or vote on ZTA 25-01 was recorded during the hearing.
Speakers at the hearing also discussed other zoning items and countywide proposals; Katz’s testimony touched multiple agenda items and county plans, but her comments opposing the self-storage allowance were limited to concerns about private benefit and neighborhood fit.
The council closed the public hearing on ZTA 25-01 after receiving testimony.
