Rules committee delays vote on O-1425, approves rooftop and downtown bulk-text amendments

The Annapolis Rules Committee on Thursday postponed formal action on Ordinance O-1425, the package of zoning text changes intended to implement the city’s Comprehensive Plan 2040, and approved two discrete text amendments addressing rooftop projections and how floor-area-ratio rules apply in a downtown segment.

Committee members voted to approve an amendment from Alderman Huntley that requires all three enumerated conditions to be met before rooftop structures may extend above regulatory height limits, replacing an “or” with “and.” The panel also approved a staff‑supported amendment (referred to in the meeting as “amendment 2”) that exempts a specific downtown area from the city’s floor‑area‑ratio (FAR) cap so that maximum height and setback rules — rather than FAR calculations — determine the usable building volume in that narrow district.

The ordinance package is designed to translate the Comprehensive Plan 2040’s goals into zoning tools. City planning staff told the committee the changes emphasize plan development mechanisms that allow mixed uses and greater housing capacity in targeted corridors and opportunity areas, link project review to performance standards drawn from the adopted plan, and create a stronger focus on community benefits such as pedestrian improvements, public art, stormwater modernization and transit readiness.

Director Kubiak and planner Eric (identified in the meeting as Eric) said plan development is intended to give the Planning Commission discretion to negotiate site‑level public benefits in exchange for regulatory flexibility. Staff also noted that the mixed‑use performance standards referenced in the ordinance are in the staff report and can be circulated in a separate document.

Aldermen pressed staff for more detail and safeguards. Alderman Savage said he supports directing more density to corridors but said the legislation as drafted does not do enough to ensure the infrastructure — transit, traffic mitigation and parking — will be in place before or concurrent with new development. Alderman Schandenmeyer and others raised safety concerns about Forest Drive and asked for stronger commitments on speed, sidewalks and transit before endorsing broad zoning changes. Several speakers urged that daycare and small medical uses be emphasized as complimentary services for higher‑density development.

On the rooftop provision, Alderman Huntley’s amendment changes the rooftop exception so that rooftop features that exceed height limits are allowed only if all three listed conditions are met; staff said the change corrects an unintended drafting issue and recommended approval.

On the downtown bulk/height discussion, staff explained the tradeoffs among FAR, height and setbacks in the city’s historic commercial area where buildings commonly cover the full lot. The approved amendment removes the FAR constraint for a specific stretch so that height and setback controls — and administrative review — will govern the buildable volume; staff said the change is narrowly targeted to an area where existing lot coverage and building patterns make the FAR cap functionally obstructive to compatible reinvestment.

Alderman Savage presented a suite of draft amendments — including provisions addressing green roofs, rooftop equipment standards and transit‑oriented financing mechanisms such as possible tax‑increment financing — but staff and the committee agreed those proposals require more study and legal review. The Planning Commission had reviewed many of the ideas and asked for further work before translating them into code language, staff said.

Given the number and complexity of outstanding issues, the committee voted to postpone final consideration of O-1425 to permit staff to meet with Alderman Savage and Alderman Arnett and to return the ordinance at a later Rules Committee meeting. Committee members said they want clearer language on the city’s adequate public facilities rules, concrete measures tied to transit and safety on major corridors, and refined definitions for green roofs and rooftop mechanicals before a final vote.

Next steps: staff will circulate the mixed‑use performance standards referenced in the Comprehensive Plan and work with aldermen on the outstanding amendments. The committee set a future Rules Committee meeting and indicated the ordinance will return to the council agenda after that follow‑up work.