Joint Committee Meeting on O-14-25 Comprehensive Plan Implementation - October 3, 2025
Joint Committee Meeting: Rules & City Government and Environmental Matters
On October 3, 2025, the Rules & City Government and Environmental Matters committees held a joint meeting from 1:04 PM to 3:17 PM to consider Ordinance O-14-25, implementing the Annapolis Ahead Comprehensive Plan 2040. The meeting focused on amendments to the zoning code regarding planned developments, green roofs, rooftop structures, and transit-oriented development.
Discussion Items
- Amendment #4 (Arnett): Reorganized and expanded the purposes of planned development to emphasize community benefits such as infrastructure, active transportation, parks, and neighborhood services (e.g., daycare, healthcare, dining). Staff supported the amendment as consistent with the ordinance's intent. Approved unanimously by both committees.
- Amendment #5 (Savage): A lengthy amendment addressing green roof standards in the historic district, rooftop accessory structure design guidelines, and height limits. Key changes included:
- Replacing "covered" with "enclosed" in prohibitive features to allow shade structures but prohibit habitable rooftop spaces.
- Changing "extend" to "not to exceed" for guardrail heights.
- Adding a requirement that the rooftop dining section be "in addition to" existing code (21.64.540).
- For height projections: reduced the baseline from 10 feet to 7 feet, but allowed up to 10 feet if the applicant demonstrates extra height is necessary, visual impacts are minimized, and other overlay standards are met. Staff preferred retaining the original 10-foot limit plus 5 feet for elevators, but accepted the compromise with added criteria. The amendment was approved as amended by both committees.
- Amendment #6 (Savage): Introduced transit-oriented development provisions, including conditional density bonuses, parking reductions, community benefit agreements, and tax increment financing. Staff expressed concerns about complexity and potential to discourage development. The Rules committee voted to take no action, but the Environmental Matters committee voted 2-1 to recommend favorably (Ayes: Savidge, Arnett; Nay: Finlayson). The full ordinance was then recommended favorably by both committees despite continued debate.
Key Outcomes
- Amendment #4: Approved unanimously by both committees.
- Amendment #5: Approved as amended by both committees (voice votes).
- Amendment #6: Rules committee took no action; Environmental Matters committee recommended favorably (2-1).
- Ordinance O-14-25 as amended: Recommended favorably by both committees (voice votes, with some opposition noted in Environmental Matters). The ordinance will proceed to the full City Council.
- Other: Staff was asked to present the rooftop provisions to the Historic Preservation Commission before final council consideration.
The joint meeting adjourned at 3:17 PM, with the Rules committee scheduled to reconvene separately for other agenda items.
Meeting Transcript
Are present from the rules committee and uh Alderman Savage, would you like to take role for the environmental matters committee? I can't hear you. You could approve your agenda first. Okay, I was doing a roll call first, as it says on my agenda. So would you please uh Alderman Savage take role for your committee? Uh I'm being told that we have to do it separately. Okay. All right. Then I have uh done roll call for the rules and city government committee, and I will entertain a motion to approve the agenda. So move for our committees. Second. Okay, all in favor, please say aye. Aye. Thank you. Alderman Savage. All right. Now I'm gonna call I call to order the October 3rd meeting for environmental matters and for the record. All the members are present. Or at least audio. Yeah, visual. That means I'm present. That's right. Is there a motion to approve the environmental matters agenda? So move. Second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Can we make a special announcement that because there's people here that I think are here for the three o'clock rules committee? And I Jody is one of them. I don't want them to sit through this, which is 014 only when you're coming at the end of the agenda for the three o'clock meeting for the market house lease. So we don't want to abuse your time. Uh thank you, Alderman Arnett, uh, for making that announcement. And um you're absolutely correct. So anyone that's here strictly for rules and the agenda as it's been presented, uh, that meeting starts at three. So we will be uh addressing only 01425, uh the annual comprehensive plan for 2040 in this meeting at one o'clock. Uh Alderman Shannemeyer. Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh point of order question. So uh I doubt we'll be this efficient, but hypothetical, if we knock out 014 in 15 minutes, we'll be taking a break. Uh that got audible laughter from Alderman Savage. Uh will we be taking a break all the way until three o'clock for the formal rules and city government meeting, or would we just roll into that normally? Um just trying to do this out here. Well, I would I would yield to the city attorney, but I think because the rules and city government committee meeting has been announced publicly for three o'clock that we may have to stick to that schedule. Okay, thank you. They're also just pointing information. Uh we have to give the uh staff 20 minutes to make the technology transfer for broadcasting. There needs to be a 20-minute gap between meetings so the studio can make the transfer. Of course, yes. Thank you. Okay, so we're on to uh legislation, madam chair.
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