Annapolis City Council Work Session on Comprehensive Rezoning Overview – February 19, 2026
Annapolis City Council Work Session on Comprehensive Rezoning Overview – February 19, 2026
This work session, held at 4:30 PM on February 19, 2026, focused primarily on the presentation of ID 38-26: an overview of the city's comprehensive rezoning initiative, "Zoning Unlocked." The session included extensive discussion of current zoning districts, proposed consolidations, and future land use goals outlined in the 2024 Comprehensive Plan.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jean shared her personal history growing up in Skidmore, her church involvement at Asbury Broadneck, and her work helping the homeless through a winter relief program. She emphasized the importance of community, love, and understanding, and spoke about her family's voting tradition, particularly her grandmother Lena Holland Foreman. Jean also expressed concerns about the loss of affordable housing and properties being sold at low prices only to be resold at high values, pushing out working-class residents.
- Lewis Day (Mooney Day) recounted his music career, including performing at Carr's Beach with bands like Mooney Day and the Moonlighters. He described Carr's Beach as a vital cultural hub for Black entertainment and discussed the history of Bates High School, the only Black high school in Anne Arundel County at the time. He highlighted the value of community and the importance of preserving such history.
Discussion Items
- Overview of Zoning Unlocked: Eric Lushinski, Alexa Robinson, and Casey Urties from the Department of Planning and Zoning presented the initiative. The city currently has 32 zoning districts (including one unused), which is excessive for an 8-square-mile city. The presentation contrasted the current zoning map with the future land use map from the 2024 Comprehensive Plan, noting that Charlottesville, Virginia has already aligned its zoning with its plan.
- Tyler Avenue Complete Community Overlay District: Successful community engagement led to recommendations to allow increased density without disrupting character, such as small multi-family units and traffic calming measures (center lane, parking lane, speed camera planned).
- Open Space Zoning District: Staff discovered an existing but unused open space zone from 2005. They propose applying it to parks, conservation easements, cemeteries, and certain public school properties to clarify that these lands are protected from development. Discussion included concerns from residents about environmental enhancement areas in Wardour and Admiral Heights; staff clarified these are not binding and reflect stewardship goals.
- Zoning Consolidation Recommendations: Staff recommended consolidating eight specific zones (R1A, R1B, R3R, BR, B3CD, C1A, C2P) into fewer, more consistent districts. For example, R1A would become R1 (single-family) except for a conservation easement area; Parkside Preserve would move from R1B to R3 to match its actual density. The B3CD and BR zones along West Street and Clay Street respectively would become MX (mixed-use) to allow more residential development, with auto dealerships becoming non-conforming.
- Downtown Historic District Zones: Staff proposed converting most C1A (conservation residence) parcels to C1, which allows multi-family uses (currently restricted to 1,800 sq. ft. minimum units), and adjusting C2P parcels to reflect existing residential or office uses. The bulk standard for dwelling units (currently 1,800 sq. ft.) was identified as a barrier to creating smaller, more affordable units.
- Alderman Savage emphasized the need to pair zoning changes with infrastructure improvements such as complete streets, transit enhancements, and cycling infrastructure to address community concerns. Alderman Huntley noted that without building in the city, development will occur elsewhere with possibly worse infrastructure. Alderman Smith Brown requested that the department provide legislation to the mayor and council as soon as possible, and asked about a public portal for zoning information. Staff confirmed that a map viewer and survey will be available during public outreach.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes or decisions were taken; this was a work session to discuss proposals.
- Staff will continue public engagement with open houses scheduled for March 30, 2026 (at Bush Library and Miller Library).
- A notification tool (online map viewer) and accompanying survey will be released during the public comment period.
- Final recommendations will be compiled into a report for the council's legislative process.
- Staff will provide the meeting presentation (including updated dates) to the council.
Meeting Transcript
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