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Committee advances omnibus zoning fixes including outdoor-storage limits and height rule change
Summary
The Planning, Housing and Parks Committee voted to send ZTA 25-13, a package of technical zoning changes, to the full council after adopting amendments clarifying outdoor-storage rules for bulk items, restoring a 30% commercial-to-residential cap in employment zones and removing a 1.2 million sq ft height threshold at two mall overlay zones.
The Montgomery County Planning, Housing and Parks Committee voted to refer Zoning Text Amendment 25-13 to the full council after adopting clarifying amendments to several technical provisions.
Ms. Nadeau, council staff, said ZTA 25-13 is an omnibus measure that restores or clarifies several standards. One change removes the 1,200,000 gross leasable square foot threshold that had been required for additional building height allowances in the regional shopping center (RSC) overlay for Westfield Montgomery and Westfield Wheaton. The ZTA still requires a shopping center to have at least 600,000 gross leasable square feet to be eligible for overlay benefits, Ms. Nadeau said.
The committee further restored a 30% gross floor area cap on household living in employment zones (GR, NR and EOF) and clarified that commercial-to-residential reconstruction projects use the intended 30% cap rather than a conflicting 10% apartment-building cap.
A central part of committee discussion focused on a proposed limited outdoor-storage provision that would require large items such as boats, campers and unattached trailers to be stored within accessory-structure setbacks so they are not adjacent to neighboring property lines. Planning staff raised concerns the draft language could be read to apply to personal vehicles parked in driveways. Ben Berber of Montgomery Planning recommended adding an explicit exclusion for personal vehicles to avoid unintended enforcement of ordinary driveway parking.
The committee adopted three recommended amendments by consensus: add a reference to personal property/private residential property, strike the draft text listing "licensed/unlicensed/registered/unregistered" vehicles to avoid enforcement ambiguity, and remove "portable storage unit" language because pods and similar units are governed elsewhere in the county code.
Members also discussed practical effects on small lots and small businesses that use unattached trailers and asked staff to include setback tables and illustrative photos in the full-council report. Committee members agreed to recommend a specific exclusion for personal vehicles but requested staff check with the Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) and the Department of Permitting Services (DPS) to ensure there are no enforcement conflicts.
The committee recorded a 3-0 committee recommendation to advance the amended ZTA 25-13 to the full council.
The matter will next be considered by the full Montgomery County Council, where the full text and any remaining technical edits will be reviewed.
