Zoning commission approves Chevy Chase mixed‑use zones, overrides ANC’s alternative on height and lot occupancy

The Zoning Commission voted to approve final action on Office of Planning’s text and map amendments to create new Chevy Chase neighborhood mixed‑use zones (Case No. 23‑25), adopting the Office of Planning’s proposal over a revised resolution from ANC 3/4G that sought different height and lot‑occupancy standards.

Vice Chair Miller, who moved the commission’s final action, summarized the record and said the Office of Planning’s proposed action “is not inconsistent with and furthered policy direction of the Comprehensive Plan” and incorporated the Chevy Chase Small Area Plan. Miller and other commissioners said the adopted zoning balances incentives for affordable and market‑rate housing, design controls for an active Connecticut Avenue retail corridor and protections for adjacent lower‑density neighborhoods.

Office of Planning had reduced its initial height proposal from 93.5 feet to 80 feet in response to public comment, Miller noted. ANC 3/4G later submitted a modified resolution asking for a different mix of height and lot‑occupancy limits; Miller and other commissioners said the ANC’s revisions would undermine the Small Area Plan objectives and the commission’s design criteria for the civic site.

Commissioner Ian Moore and others said the case advanced the Comprehensive Plan goals for housing and civic-site renovation, while commissioners urged attention to small-business impacts along the Connecticut Avenue retail corridor. Miller and Commissioner Stidham encouraged non‑zoning supports such as grants and technical assistance to help existing retailers adapt.

The commission recorded the final vote 4–0–1; Commissioner Wright did not participate. The approved action moves forward with the Office of Planning’s text and map changes and sets the regulatory framework for subsequent project‑level reviews, including any public‑market procurement processes for the civic site.