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Annapolis staff unveil 'Zoning Unlocked' plan to simplify map, activate open‑space zone and ease downtown housing rules
Summary
Planning staff presented 'Zoning Unlocked,' a multi‑phase rezoning tied to the 2024 comprehensive plan that would consolidate many of the city's 32 zoning districts, activate a long‑unused open‑space zone to protect parks and select school properties, and reconsider a downtown 1,800 sq ft minimum unit standard; staff proposed public workshops and an online parcel tool in March.
Annapolis planning staff on Feb. 19 presented 'Zoning Unlocked,' a multi‑year program to overhaul the city’s zoning map, reduce complexity and bring zoning into closer alignment with the city’s July 2024 comprehensive plan.
"We have 32 [zoning districts]," said Eric Leshinski, chief of comprehensive planning, describing the current map for an eight‑square‑mile city and arguing the number of districts makes the code confusing for residents and business owners. Staff said the immediate changes focus on consolidating a set of zoning districts and preparing form‑based standards for later phases.
The proposal would formally activate an open‑space zoning district created in 2005 that staff say was never used, mapping city parkland, conservation easements and certain public‑school parcels into that zone to make protections clearer. "The idea of Truxton Park being zoned for residential, I don't think anybody wants to see that turn into a residential development," Alexis Robinson, senior comprehensive planner, told the council,…
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