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Resident calls county’s self‑storage zoning change a 'private bill' at public hearing
Summary
At the outset of a multi‑item council hearing, a resident urged the council to reject ZTA 25-1 — a proposal to allow above‑ground self‑storage in certain commercial/residential zones with a civic or cultural ground floor — saying it appears designed to benefit a single company rather than residents.
Montgomery County opened public testimony on Zoning Text Amendment 25‑1, a proposal the council described as allowing above‑ground self‑storage in commercial‑residential zones when the ground floor is occupied by a charitable, philanthropic or cultural institution. The council president noted submission deadlines and testimony rules before the first public speaker made comments that extended into a broader critique of county planning.
Manasa Katz, a lifelong Montgomery County resident, told the council ZTA 25‑1 “doesn't have much in the way of climate or diversity or tax impact” and argued it would not improve residents’ lives. Katz described the measure as a private bill likely to help a single self‑storage company and said she expected a landlord and an institution to be identified quickly should the amendment pass: “Private bills to have 1 company in a healthy industry is simply wrong,” she said.
Katz used her time to connect the proposed self‑storage change to larger planning questions, including University Boulevard and Glenmont corridor plans, and said some related proposals (including workforce housing measures) would have broader fiscal and school impacts. The hearing record for ZTA 25‑1 remains open and council staff announced the deadline for written material; no council action was taken during the meeting.
