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Planning staff outlines OpenGov rollout, new staff-report format and upcoming zoning-text updates
Summary
Planning staff described a shift to OpenGov, longer external-review timelines, a redesigned staff-report template emphasizing 'Montgomery matters,' and upcoming zoning-text amendments to implement state code (including manufactured-housing rules and R-3 compact adjustments). Commissioners requested clearer map legends and draft motions in staff reports.
Planning staff told the Montgomery County Planning Commission on July 15 that the department is deploying new land-development software (OpenGov), redesigning staff reports for clearer, visual presentation, and adjusting review timelines to allow more thorough review by internal and external reviewers.
Miss Hopkins said the county is moving to a process where July 1 submittals will begin the review cycle in August and first public hearings may occur in September to give reviewers more time. External reviewers (environmental services, VDOT, utilities, health department and others) will be given 30 days for comments rather than the shorter windows previously used.
Hopkins showed a draft staff-report template with front-page maps, a quick-reference table (parcel, owner, nature of request), a "periodic table" of land-use elements tied to the Montgomery matters analysis, and a topic-by-topic impact review (transportation, environmental, utilities) that will include both agency comments and staff analysis. She proposed removing explicit staff "recommend approval/deny" language and instead providing an "analysis summary" that makes the staff's assessment and suggested conditions clear; she also asked whether commissioners want draft motions included for approval/denial/deferral.
Commissioners praised the proposed changes but asked staff to make map legends more legible and to explore overlays for special districts (agricultural-forestal districts, conservation areas). Commissioner feedback included a request for sample templates, better color contrast in maps, and inclusion of draft motions as a helpful starting point.
Hopkins also briefed the commission on impending zoning-text amendments driven by state code changes: revisions to the R-3 compact district to allow small lots (3,000 sq ft, 30-foot width) with required curb and gutter and adjusted setbacks; and a state rule requiring that districts that allow a stick-built single-family dwelling also permit a manufactured home if it meets a permanent-foundation requirement and a construction-age standard (constructed within the last five years). Hopkins said the county will publish an interpretation memorandum and technical data sheets to guide applicants while a comprehensive zoning-code rewrite proceeds.
