The Montgomery County Council held a public hearing Oct. 28 on ZTA 25-12, a zoning text amendment to create a University Boulevard overlay zone intended to implement recommendations in the University Boulevard corridor plan. Benjamin Burbert, representing the Montgomery County Planning Board, presented the board’s comments and clarifications on the draft and emphasized that funding for pedestrian and transportation improvements is the most urgent priority.

“The first is just to clarify that when we reference duplex, standards in the R-60 zone for these lots or sites that are under 15,000 square feet, we mean to use the duplex side standards,” Burbert said. He also recommended using “site coverage” rather than “lot coverage” as the standard and reported the planning board’s climate assessment found no net change to greenhouse gas metrics compared with the master plan assessment.

Many public commenters urged the council to reject the CRN upzoning that would accompany the overlay. John Holden said the plan “upzones entire neighborhood blocks near University Boulevard” and argued it “has no affordable housing requirement.” He cited an Office of Legislative Oversight racial equity and social justice review, saying it “anticipates ZTA 25-12 could have a negative impact on racial equity and social justice in the county.”

Jan Shirey, a nearby resident, urged more pedestrian safety improvements and speed cameras and said homeowners do not want to convert houses to duplexes or triplexes, adding: “The biggest beneficiaries of this plan will be developers.” Cheryl Gannon, president of the Montgomery County Civic Federation, warned that upzoning “invites higher prices and investors making homeownership out of reach for more people” and urged removal of the CRN zone.

Community members also raised transparency and outreach concerns. Kevin Bromberg said planning refused to release individual outreach responses and described a Maryland Public Information Act dispute over survey data. Kimbalin Persaud of EPIC of MoCo cited the OLO analysis and called for mandatory anti-displacement protections, affordability tied to increased density, property tax and home repair relief for vulnerable homeowners, and community ownership strategies.

Several speakers asked the council to defer consideration until the Planning, Housing and Parks committee completes revisions to the corridor plan; Councilmember Friedson announced the committee’s work session was moved to Dec. 1. The public hearing was closed without action and the council moved to the next agenda item.

Details sought and not specified at the hearing include the final alignment of the ZTA with the corridor plan, any specific affordability requirements, and whether the county will require site plans or limits on lot consolidation in the overlay area.