Rockville City Council Meeting - June 29, 2026: Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Adoption, Housing Needs Assessment, and Public Testimony
Rockville City Council Meeting - June 29, 2026: Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Adoption, Housing Needs Assessment, and Public Testimony
The Rockville City Council met on June 29, 2026, starting at approximately 7:45 PM and concluding after 11:00 PM. The meeting included a housing needs assessment presentation, public testimony on multiple issues, and the adoption of both the zoning text amendment (ZTA) for the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) and the comprehensive map amendment. The council also addressed consent agenda items, boards and commissions appointments, and community forum comments. Key outcomes included adoption of the ZOR with several amendments, direction to delay landlord-tenant code discussion to July 6, 2026, and scheduling of future work sessions.
Consent Calendar
- Emergency Operations Center: Approved a contract for support at Taft Court.
- Wayfinding Signs: Authorized contract for citywide wayfinding sign fabrication and installation.
- Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) Agreement: Approved an agreement for the Phase Three Flats at North Side condominium units.
- Electric Vehicle Charging Stations: Authorized a right-of-way agreement with Montgomery County for 28 new EV charging stations.
- Community Development Block Grant: Approved FY26 subgrant agreements supporting nonprofits and senior home modification programs.
- Road Code Waivers: Items C and D (related to waivers for pavement width at 2277 and 1455 Research Boulevard) were pulled by Councilmember Valeri due to concerns about Vision Zero goals; after staff clarification that reductions were only where parking was impractical, the consent agenda was approved (9A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J) with a motion by Councilmember Shaw and second by Councilmember Jackson.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Senator Cheryl Kagan: Thanked voters, discussed election training at Maryland Municipal League, requested better parking signage at Trader Joe's, and urged support for natural organic reduction zoning.
- Doug Campbell (American Legion Post 86): Requested correction to a mural plaque at Twinbrook Recreation Center, stating the flower depicted is a poppy, not a geranium.
- Linda Sarkassian (American Legion Auxiliary): Supported changing the plaque to recognize the poppy as the symbol of remembrance.
- Dana Petzanati (Twinbrook resident, Auxiliary President): Read "In Flanders Fields" and echoed the request to correct the plaque.
- Lynn Harris (Interfaith Works): Expressed gratitude for the city's housing work, particularly the pre-eviction support pilot and the new algorithmic rent price fixing prohibition in Chapter 18.
- Lauren Perrier (Interfaith Works CEO): Shared a story of a shelter resident who could have benefited from the pre-eviction pilot and thanked the council for their leadership.
- Susan Sutton (Landlord): Opposed some proposed rental code changes, arguing they demonize landlords and could lead to good landlords leaving the market; specifically concerned about a two-year lease requirement.
- Alex Belita (Newmark Commons resident): Criticized the final ZOR draft for allowing 55-foot height (instead of 40) for undeveloped property abutting I-270 and for removing compatibility requirements; urged council to adopt original agreement.
- Susan Knowles (Newmark Commons): Requested delay in ZOR adoption, citing that draft language on vehicle access through Don Mills Court does not match council's April 13 vote to limit access to emergency vehicles only.
- Julia Binder (Newmark Commons HOA): Highlighted inconsistencies between council instructions and staff draft regarding ZORID 17 zoning (55-foot height exception without MPDU requirement) and vehicle access; urged delay.
- Pat Reever (Newmark Commons): Noted errors in cross-references and insufficient time for public review; supported a delay and another public hearing.
- Nancy Winchester (College Gardens): Asked for delay, better comparison materials, and a formal public hearing on the ZOR.
- Kayla Browning (College Gardens Civic Association VP): Echoed requests for delay and better documentation to allow stakeholder review.
- Christine Gabriel (College Gardens): Pointed out that staff did not implement requested purpose statement for single-unit residential lots, did not complete a uses table comparison, and changed vehicular access restrictions for MXE/MXNC zones without public instruction.
- Mark Crishela (College Gardens Civic Association President): Listed nine concerns including insufficient time for review, staff changes without council instruction, potential inconsistency with 2021 comprehensive plan, and removal of pre-application meetings; requested delay, better materials, and a public hearing.
- Pete Fosselan (Historic District Commission Chair): Proposed zoning text amendments to allow administrative approval for minor work, prohibit demolition by neglect, and update evaluation of significance processes (VOS).
- Peter Krug (Resident): Opposed opening Don Mills Court to through traffic, citing safety for cyclists and pedestrians; supported emergency-only access.
- Anna Ashton Molina (Markwood resident): Requested extension of time for adoption, noted technical errors in ZOR draft regarding height exception and vehicle access, and emphasized safety concerns after a recent burglary.
- David Levy (Former City Employee): Criticized the city's pension cost-of-living adjustments, noting six years of 0% and four years of 1% over the past decade, which erodes purchasing power for retirees.
Discussion Items
- Housing Needs Assessment Presentation (HRNA): Consultant Laura Ryan presented key findings: 61% growth in households earning $150k+, 52% cost burden rate (highest in region), shortage of affordable rentals (31 homes per 100 households earning <$50k), and a $220k gap between median home value and what median renter can afford. Recommendations included enhancing the MPDU program, leveraging public land, formalizing the Housing Opportunity Fund (HOF), and supporting LITeC projects. Staff noted that the assessment is already informing current work, including the ZOR and landlord-tenant code.
- Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) Adoption: After extensive debate, the council adopted the ZTA with the following amendments:
- Historic Designation: Changed from unanimous to supermajority (5 of 7) for owner consent in historic designation (Section 25.11.1.2H).
- Annexation Process: Added language that if the Planning Commission fails to transmit a preliminary annexation plan within 60 days, the Mayor and Council may adopt a final annexation plan under state law (Section 25.1.3.1D).
- RMD-15 Height: Increased the maximum base height from 40 feet to 55 feet citywide (Table 7.1.6-1), without an additional MPDU requirement. The original footnote three (tying height to 20% MPDUs for a specific parcel) was deleted.
- Vehicular Access Restrictions: Revised three sections to clarify that vehicular access to certain residential streets is prohibited except for restricted access points authorized by the Director of Public Works, Chief of Inspection Services, or Fire Marshal for governmental and emergency access only. This applied to MXCD, MXE/IL/IH, and RMD-15 zones with specific language per zone.
- Natural Organic Reduction (NOR): Staff agreed to study allowing NOR in MXB zones and return with recommendations at a later date.
- Champion Projects: Staff explained that champion project benefits (bonus height) have been superseded by the new MXTD and MXCD bonus height provisions tied to MPDUs; no expansion of champion projects was pursued.
- Comprehensive Map Amendment: Adopted unanimously to implement the new zoning map.
- Landlord-Tenant Code: Discussion was postponed to July 6, 2026, due to time constraints.
- Future Work Sessions: Council requested a work session on the Housing Opportunity Fund (HOF) recommendations and broader historic preservation issues.
Key Outcomes
- Adopted Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA TXT2026-00271): Approved with amendments including supermajority for historic designation, annexation timeline clarification, citywide RMD-15 height increase to 55 feet without MPDU requirement, and strengthened vehicular access restrictions for multiple zones (motion by Councilmember Fulton, second by Councilmember Valeri, passed unanimously).
- Adopted Comprehensive Map Amendment (MAP2026-00126): Unanimously approved to implement the new zoning map (motion by Councilmember Valeri, second by Councilmember Van Grack).
- Postponed Landlord-Tenant Code Discussion: Moved to the July 6, 2026, meeting.
- Directed Staff: To study natural organic reduction in MXB zones and report back; to create better comparison documents for future zoning changes; to improve sound quality and physical accessibility in council chambers.
- Scheduled Work Session: On road code waivers (July) and MPDU program (December 2026).
- Acknowledged Community Concerns: Council recognized requests for more time to review the ZOR and committed to future outreach and transparency improvements.
Meeting Transcript
Pledge of allegiance. The United States of America. One nation under God. Liberty Justice Roll. Okay. Well now move to agenda review. Miss Sarah Taylor Pharrell. Madam Mayor and Council members, there was one change to the agenda staff report tonight for boards and commissions. We added a new appointment for tonight's agenda on top of their three reappointments. Thank you. Thank you. And I think there were two clarifications, one to a consent item and a data update. Yes, there was a consent item H for the ready agreement that was added. And then there was on another update to chapter 18. Excellent. Thank you. Mr. Mihala, can you please do the city manager's report? Mayor Ashton, members of city council, ladies and gentlemen, good evening. I usually don't do this, but there's some really um important issues on the consents agenda tonight, and I just want to make sure I mention those because it shows really great progress on a number of mayor and council initiatives. Um it includes build out of our new emergency operations center, which which obviously is about public safety. There is approval of wayfinding signs, which is which is part of our placemaking initiative. There is a moderately priced dwelling unit agreement, which um leans into more affordable housing for our residents. There's an agreement about more electric vehicle charging stations in the city, which really addresses our climate action plan. And finally, there's some funding agreements to support our community development block grant and economic uh development partners. So all those are really important items, but they're on consent, so we might not talk about them, but we're making great progress on those areas, so I just wanted to make note of them. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you very much. And also everyone is invited to our big celebration for July 4th, the 250th anniversary of our country. And please join us at Matty Stepanic Park. I do have one community update. Uh unfortunately, uh, over the past week or so uh long-standing member of the Rockville community passed away. His name was Selden Higgins. He died at the age of 100 years old. I hope we're all that lucky. But he was an important part of the Rockville community in African American culture, served in various leadership roles at Druze and Mar Pleasant Church as well as a civic association and West End. So just want to acknowledge Mr. Higgins and wish his family well. With that, we are moving on to our next agenda item, which is boards and commissions appointments and reappointments. We have the Board of Supervisors of Elections, and we have four appointments to make. Who would like to make the motion? Councilmember Valeri. Madam Mayor, I can make the first motion. Um I move to appoint Juliet Goldman to the Board of Supervisors of Elections to serve an expired term until June to serve an unexpired term until June 1st, 2028. Thank you. Do we have a second? Thank you. All those in favor, please raise your hand and say aye. Excellent. I think Miss Goldman may be in the audience.
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