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Committee reviews zoning changes to allow duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes across single‑family neighborhoods
Summary
The Planning, Housing and Parks Committee reviewed staff and planning board recommendations to add a 'multiplex' building type (triplex/quadplex), allow duplexes by right in several residential zones, create a priority housing district near growth corridors, and develop a pattern book to guide design and permitting. The committee asked for more racial equity analysis before any ZTA is drafted and moved the amended plan toward full council review.
The Planning, Housing and Parks Committee on Tuesday reviewed a package of attainable‑housing recommendations that would broaden housing choices in Montgomery County's single‑family neighborhoods, including by allowing duplexes by right and permitting triplexes and quadplexes under defined circumstances.
Council staff said the planning board's small‑scale recommendations would allow duplexes in R‑40, R‑60, R‑90 and R‑200 zones, permit triplexes in R‑40/R‑60/R‑90 (and in R‑200 only within a proposed priority housing district) and allow quadplexes in R‑40/R‑60/R‑90 (and in R‑200 inside the priority housing district). The priority housing district would be mapped using transit and growth corridor buffers and would include reduced parking requirements, staff said.
Why it matters: supporters said the move aims to add "missing middle" housing types so households who cannot afford today's single‑family market—young families, downsizing seniors and moderate earners—have more options near transit. Opponents and some residents have warned about neighborhood character changes and infrastructure impacts.
Planning staff also recommended creating a new building type called a "multiplex" for three‑ and four‑unit buildings and revising definitions so that townhouses start at five units and small apartment buildings are 19 units or fewer. "The planning board recommends adding a new building type for triplexes and quadplexes that would be called a multiplex," planning staff said.
Council staff flagged process and equity concerns: zoning changes would come through a zoning text amendment (ZTA) and, historically, racial equity and social justice impact statements are prepared after introduction. "For an idea this grand, it would be great to have some more racial equity, social justice analysis before we get to the drafting ZTA stage," council staff said, urging additional analysis and public outreach before formal legislation.
Sizing, market and safeguards: planning staff noted roughly 49,000 "undersized" lots exist in certain zones but said many can accommodate multiplexes; in response to concerns about institutional investors, staff said past market evidence points to small builders and LLCs as the more likely actors rather than hedge funds or national conglomerates. "Based on our current market analysis...we think it's likely to occur in the tear‑down replacement model, which hasn't seen a lot of institutional investment," planning staff said.
Design and permitting: the committee heard a proposal to develop a county pattern book with visual examples and a checklist for permitting, intended to show how duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes can retain a house scale and predictable permitting paths. Planning said the pattern book would take roughly 4–6 months of planning work plus up to six months of community outreach to draft.
Next steps: members agreed the policy framework is worth pursuing but must be refined. The committee requested more analysis on equity impacts, infrastructure implications and ADU/duplex ownership distinctions before a ZTA is drafted. Committee members instructed staff to continue outreach and to return language and maps for review as drafting advances. The committee moved the amended materials forward to full council for consideration.
