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Commission backs footnote to limit RMD-25 density if new developments use neighborhood streets
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Summary
The Planning Commission agreed Feb. 4 to recommend that RMD-25 rezoning include a footnote capping density at 10 units per acre when vehicular access comes from an existing secondary residential street, a change meant to reduce traffic impacts on neighborhoods such as Newmark Commons.
The Rockville Planning Commission on Feb. 4 endorsed a staff-recommended footnote to the RMD-25 designation that would limit the density of any RMD-25 parcel to 10 units per acre if vehicular access is provided from an existing secondary residential street.
Staff presented the change as a narrowly targeted text amendment to the zoning ordinance intended to apply citywide as a footnote to the RMD zone but tailored to avoid unintended effects on other RMD parcels. The language discussed would read in substance that where any vehicular access to a parcel is provided from an existing secondary residential street abutting single-unit detached dwellings (for example Don Mills Court), the development density would be limited to 10 units per acre.
Residents from Newmark Commons testified that allowing access through neighborhood streets would create unacceptable traffic and safety impacts; several residents asked that access be limited to the parcel’s southern frontage and that high-rise development be prohibited. Commissioners questioned whether the footnote should be narrowly written to apply only to cul-de-sacs or be broader; staff advised that limiting applicability too narrowly could produce unintended legal or practical consequences while a broader 'any vehicle access' formulation would more reliably implement the intent to protect existing residential streets.
After discussion and staff clarification, the commission indicated consensus to support the staff’s RMD-25 recommendation for the parcel with the modification to incorporate the footnote limiting density to 10 units/acre if access is from a secondary residential street. Commissioners asked staff to finalize clear text for the memo to the Mayor and Council and to confirm, before transmittal, whether the proposed footnote would affect any other RMD parcels in the city.
What’s next: Staff will draft the specific code language for the footnote, check citywide applicability and potential legal issues (including emergency-vehicle access), and include the recommendation in the memo to Mayor and Council.
