Rockville work session advances zoning rewrite: town‑center height tiers, new 'missing‑middle' and revised transition rules

Rockville city planners gave the Mayor and Council a detailed briefing on May 5 about a proposed rewrite of the city's zoning ordinance and a companion comprehensive‑map amendment. The work session covered a family of mixed‑use transit district zones for Town Center, proposed height‑transition regulations, expanded design clarity, and a new residential‑medium‑density infill (“missing‑middle”) zone.

Deputy Zoning Manager Holly Simmons said staff’s draft implements the Town Center Master Plan by creating an MXTD family with three height tiers that correspond to character areas: a lower edge tier, a core tier and a higher 355‑corridor tier (staff labels included MXTD‑85, MXTD‑235, and bonus heights consistent with the master plan). Staff also proposed applying an MXTD‑235 height in certain transit‑oriented areas outside the town center (Twinbrook and Shady Grove) to maintain competitiveness for transit‑oriented development.

Simmons described a shift away from the ordinance’s older layback (30‑degree) slope toward a two‑step horizontal setback for taller buildings. Under staff’s approach, buildings at or above 50 feet would be required to…