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Council advances zoning amendments to address vacancy, storage uses and expedited commercial‑to‑residential conversions
Summary
The council approved a package of zoning-text amendments and a subdivision regulation change to allow targeted self‑storage uses under strict conditions, and to create an expedited commercial‑to‑residential reconstruction process; the measures include safeguards such as use and occupancy permits, site‑plan approvals and restrictions to preserve street activation and future conversion potential.
Montgomery County lawmakers moved this morning to give planners new tools for addressing long‑term vacancies in downtowns, adopting multiple zoning‑text amendments and a matching subdivision regulation amendment.
Key changes approved during the session include ZTA 25‑01 (often called the SAVE ZTA), which permits self‑storage above the ground floor in CR zones in limited circumstances—specifically for buildings that have been largely vacant and where ground‑floor community‑serving, philanthropic, or cultural uses remain. The measure seeks to encourage street activation while preventing permanent structural changes that would foreclose later residential or commercial reuse; it requires site‑plan approval and a use‑and‑occupancy permit within two years of site plan approval.
The council also approved ZTA 25‑03, which establishes a new commercial‑to‑residential reconstruction use and an expedited approval pathway for buildings that are at least 50 percent vacant. The Planning, Housing and Parks Committee recommended a slate of technical and zone‑specific amendments (removing certain small retail from eligibility in neighborhood retail and general retail zones, preserving ancillary retail associated with office parks, and clarifying loading rules on boulevards). The SRA (Subdivision Regulation Amendment) 25‑01 was adopted as well to mirror zoning changes where a subdivision is required to implement a conversion.
During floor debate, council members concentrated on avoiding inadvertent harm to small, neighborhood retail and on ensuring the expedited pathway targets the types of underused office buildings the county intends to convert. Council members supported removing small retail from eligibility in many neighborhood zones while preserving options for large regional malls and ancillary retail. Department staff and planning counsel provided zone maps and counts to clarify impacts; for instance staff noted only two EOF parcels currently show retail uses that would qualify under the original draft.
Votes and next steps: all the zoning and subdivision amendments passed on roll‑call and hand votes during the session. Implementation will require coordination among the Planning Department, Department of Permitting Services (DPS), the Department of Housing and Community Affairs, and the county attorney to write procedures, ensure agency review timelines are workable (DPS requested longer review windows for stormwater-related technical approvals), and to implement monitoring and conversion safeguards.
Representative quote
• Chair Andrew Friedson: “The intent of ZTA 25‑01 is to encourage street activation … by allowing self storage in buildings that have been 90% vacant for at least 2 years.”
Article provenance
Topic intro: SEG 1026 (office vacancy framing and ZTA 25‑01 intro) Topic finish: SEG 2146 (SRA adoption roll call)
