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Council introduces package to convert vacant buildings and expand workforce housing options
Summary
The Montgomery County Council introduced a set of zoning and subdivision measures aimed at activating ground floors, converting vacant commercial space to housing, expediting approvals for commercial‑to‑residential conversions, and creating a targeted workforce housing program along major corridors.
Montgomery County Council members introduced a group of zoning and subdivision measures intended to address high office vacancy, activate street‑level retail frontage, and create new workforce housing opportunities along major corridors.
Council President introduced Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 25‑01 — the SAVE ZTA (Self‑storage, Activation, and Vacancy Elimination) — which would permit above‑ground storage in largely vacant buildings only when 90% of the building has been unoccupied for at least two years and the ground floor provides community‑serving uses (charitable, philanthropic or cultural institutions) with sidewalk frontage. "This would allow above ground storage while maintaining the ground floor as community serving activation," the council president said when introducing the measure.
Councilmembers Friedson and Natalie Fontaine Gonzalez introduced a three‑part housing conversion package. ZTA 25‑02 (More Housing Now / new options for workers) proposes targeted opportunities for residential construction on major corridors and roadways (streets with a master‑planned right‑of‑way over 100 feet and three or more travel lanes) and would require 15% of units created under the proposal to be workforce housing for households earning between 70% and 120% of area median income (AMI). Councilmember Friedson said the program is paired with a proposed $4,000,000 workforce housing opportunity fund.
ZTA 25‑03 would create expedited approvals for converting commercial structures that are 50% or more vacant into housing, reducing regulatory delay and aiming to accelerate conversions. Subdivision Regulation Amendment (SRA) 25‑01 would provide companion administrative subdivision authority to make expedited conversion projects consistent across zoning and subdivision processes.
All measures were introduced for public hearing on March 11, 2025, with afternoon and evening sessions scheduled. Planning and housing staff said interactive maps and further detail will be provided to the council and the public prior to hearings. The sponsors framed the package as a coordinated effort among the Economic Development Committee, Planning staff and Council housing staff to address office vacancy and the county's housing shortage.
Why it matters: The package pairs regulatory changes to speed conversions, a workforce housing requirement targeted to middle‑income households, and a ground‑floor activation standard intended to preserve street life in downtowns and transit corridors. Sponsors said the measures are intended to increase supply, reduce vacancy, and create housing for teachers, first responders and other workforce households.
Next steps: Each ZTA and the SRA were scheduled for public hearings on March 11, 2025.
