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Mayor and Council authorize filing of Town Center floating-zone text amendment to implement master plan
Summary
Rockville staff will file a zoning text amendment to implement floating zones, parking relief and other Town Center master plan recommendations; Council directed staff to move the amendment to the Planning Commission for recommendation and scheduled a March public hearing window.
The Rockville Mayor and Council on Feb. 24 authorized city staff to file a zoning text amendment implementing recommendations in the recently adopted Rockville Town Center Master Plan, including a floating-zone framework, height recommendations tied to character areas, elimination of minimum off-street parking for much of Town Center and removal of an automatic ground-floor retail requirement.
Jim Wasilek of Community Planning and Development Services told the council the amendment would create three floating zones corresponding to the plan’s character areas—corridor (MD 355), core and edge—with base heights plus bonus heights consistent with the master plan. The amendment would also eliminate minimum off-street parking in large sections of the Town Center and remove mandatory ground-floor retail requirements in specified locations, measures the staff said are intended to accelerate mixed-use development, housing production and transit-oriented development consistent with the Town Center plan.
"This would allow developments to pursue the floating zone in advance of the comprehensive zoning ordinance rewrite," Wasilek said, and staff recommended referring the proposed text amendment to the Planning Commission for recommendation. The Planning Commission was tentatively scheduled to consider the filing on March 12, with a Mayor and Council public hearing to follow. Several council members asked staff to provide clear guidance for residents about building-code protections—particularly soundproofing—to protect future residential conversions from noise generated by public events in Town Center.
Councilmember Larry (last name on the record) and others urged staff to consider a joint or combined public meeting with the Planning Commission to reduce the burden on community members and to ensure both bodies hear public testimony in a single forum. Staff said combining meetings is possible and agreed to provide a summary of public inputs if separate hearings are held.
The council voted to authorize the filing and referral to the Planning Commission. Staff will post the proposed text amendment and outreach materials on Engage Rockville and work with partners to schedule public meetings.
