Council approves corrective map amendment to rezone 12701 Piedmont Road to R‑200, citing mapping error

The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously on Jan. 28, 2025, to approve Corrective Map Amendment (CMA) H‑151, changing the zoning of 12701 Piedmont Road in Clarksburg from Agriculture Reserve (AR) to R‑200. Council Member Lukey moved the motion and Council Member Friedson seconded; the roll call vote was unanimous.

Planning staff told the council the change corrects a technical/mapting error that dates to the 1980s Damascus master plan. Katie Mencarini of the Montgomery County Planning Department explained staff discovered the parcel had been split‑zoned in a way that “clearly looks like a mistake,” with the plan’s symbology and the master‑plan mapping creating a mismatch between the intended boundary (Stringtown Road) and the map area. The parcel is about 4.9 acres and contains two preexisting single‑family houses; no development application for the property is pending.

At a Jan. 14 public hearing the property owner’s attorney testified in support of correcting the map; an adjacent neighbor testified in opposition, saying future development could affect his property and values. Planning staff told the council that a corrective map amendment is a technical fix — not a rezoning hearing on future development — and that any future development would be subject to the normal review process, including opportunities for neighbors to participate.

The council voted to approve the planning board’s recommendation to correct the administrative error and change the property zoning to R‑200. Staff will prepare the formal resolution for signature at the council’s next meeting.

Vote at a glance: - CMA H‑151 (12701 Piedmont Road): Mover — Council Member Lukey; Second — Council Member Friedson; Outcome — approved (unanimous).