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Council introduces multiple zoning and incentive measures aimed at workforce housing and office-to-residential conversions
Summary
Council members introduced a package of zoning text amendments and companion measures (ZTAs 25-01, 25-02, 25-03 and SRA 25-01) to activate vacant storefronts, require 15% workforce housing on certain corridors, and expedite conversion of vacant offices, plus an associated $4 million workforce housing fund and a PILOT conversion pilot (Expedited Bill 2‑25).
Montgomery County Council members used the Feb. 4 session to introduce a multi-part proposal intended to increase housing supply and reuse vacant commercial buildings.
Introduced measures include ZTA 25-01 (street activation and vacancy elimination allowing above‑ground storage with ground‑floor community uses when buildings have been largely vacant), ZTA 25-02 (workforce housing development standards with a proposed 15% workforce housing requirement on certain master‑planned corridors and an associated $4 million workforce housing opportunity fund), ZTA 25-03 (expedited approvals for commercial-to-residential reconversions where office vacancy is 50% or greater), and a subdivision regulation amendment SRA 25-01 to align approvals.
Sponsors said the measures are part of a "More Housing Now — New Options for Workers" package aimed at middle-income workers (targeting households at 70–120% of area median income). Councilmember Friedson described the workforce requirement and said staff will publish an interactive map of eligible corridors this week.
Councilmember Natalie Fanning Gonzales and others emphasized locating workforce housing near transit and jobs. “Think about Georgia Avenue, University Boulevard,” she said, naming corridors the package targets.
As a companion financing tool, the council introduced Expedited Bill 2‑25 to authorize a 25‑year payment‑in‑lieu‑of‑taxes pilot for high‑vacancy conversions that meet affordability requirements; sponsors said the approach aligns tax incentives with the zoning changes and legal staff assisted in drafting.
Councilmembers said public hearings for the zoning measures are scheduled for March 11 at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Staff repeatedly framed the package as one piece of a broader set of efforts to address office vacancy and housing affordability, noting follow-up committee work and modeling that went into the proposals.
