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Residents and planning board back zoning change to allow small auto-repair shops in rural village centers
Summary
The Planning Board and local speakers, including Wilnick Auto owner and customers, supported ZTA 26-09 to make vehicle repair a limited use in Rural Village Center overlay zones; the council closed the hearing and asked for the planning-board recommendations to be included in the record.
At a public hearing July 21, the Montgomery County Planning Board and multiple community speakers urged the council to adopt ZTA 26-09, which would allow vehicle repair (minor and major) as a limited use in the Rural Village Center (RVC) overlay for properties with mixed-use base zones and refine development standards to let small, long-standing shops continue operating.
Ben Burbert of the Planning Board said the board generally supports the ZTA but recommended allowing the board to modify setbacks via site plan review and ensuring alternative shade structures are balanced by planting required trees elsewhere on a property. Several local speakers, including long-time customers and the owner of Wilnick Auto, described the business as an essential, community-rooted service and urged flexibility for existing buildings and parking patterns. Casey Cerner, counsel for the business, asked the council to adopt the Planning Board’s recommended language to permit context-sensitive design and allow alternative shade structures when offset by on-site tree planting.
The public hearing closed with the planning-board comments entered; councilmembers indicated the measure will proceed to committee work sessions.
