The Rockville Youth Commission met on September 15, 2026, at 4:50 PM. The meeting covered approval of minutes, a chair report addressing a recent school incident, a presentation on the city's zoning ordinance rewrite, and detailed planning for a Twin Brook Town Hall youth event. The commission also discussed future agenda items including youth programs and the FY27 budget process, and made progress on a letter to city leadership.
Chair Report – School Incident & Advocacy: Commissioners discussed a recent shooting incident at a local school (referred to as "Louis" or "Luton"). They expressed concern and explored possible responses, including advocating for gun safety rules in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), promoting a "see something, say something" campaign, and using their platform to raise awareness. The discussion also touched on ICE activity in Rockville and the city's efforts to inform residents of their rights. Commissioners considered writing letters to the mayor and council and the superintendent.
Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map Rewrite Presentation: Holly Simmons, Deputy Zoning Manager, presented the city's comprehensive rewrite of the zoning ordinance and map, a project that began in 2023 following the Rockville 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The adoption process started with authorization to file on December 1, 2025, and is scheduled for final adoption by June 1, 2026. The planning commission is holding work sessions and public hearings, with a recommendation to the mayor and council expected on February 25, 2026 (as per the transcript timeline). Key changes include increased height allowances near metro stations to boost housing supply, new pedestrian and bicycle facility standards, and creation of an RFD infill zone to allow duplexes, triplexes, and cottage courts in some single-family areas. Commissioners asked about alignment with Montgomery County zoning (they are separate), environmental regulations (handled in other city codes), and the impact on existing neighborhoods. The presentation noted that infill development is prioritized over greenfield development.
Twin Brook Town Hall Event Planning: Commissioners presented a plan for a youth town hall event at the Twinbrook Community Center on April 10th (time 7-9 PM). Activities will include a slime-making station, computer lab with coding, sports games (basketball knockout), and a scavenger hunt with survey boards to gather youth input. Food will be provided, likely ice cream from Brewster's or another vendor, with a coupon incentive for completing surveys. The budget for the event is approximately $800. Staff advised on outreach strategies: postcards mailed to Twinbrook area families, flyers at schools (especially Twinbrook Elementary PTA), and social media promotion. Action items include finalizing the activity plan, contacting food trucks, and submitting design concepts to the Communications and Community Engagement (CCE) department by the end of September (per meeting date) for printing and distribution in March.
Youth Programs Presentation and FY27 Budget Process: A presentation on city youth programs was tabled to the next meeting (scheduled for March 2027). The FY27 budget process overview was also deferred; the city manager is expected to present the budget to the mayor and council in early March, with community input opportunities in March and April.
Old/New Business – Letter to City Leadership: The commission discussed updating a previously drafted letter to include advocacy points from the school incident and the need for a youth social media campaign. The letter should be condensed to no more than 1.5 pages. Commissioners agreed to work on revisions in a work session before the next meeting.
Okay, hello everybody. Welcome to our February meeting. Today is Wednesday, February 11th, 2006. And we are going to call the meeting to order. And we have someone to call the meeting to order. I'll call me to order. Second. Okay, all in favor say aye. Any of those. Okay, great. So our meetings now call to order at 4050. And so now we will move into our agenda review. First, we have our welcome and convene section. And then we move into the gender review. Then we have community form. Then the approval of the minutes from the previous meeting. Then we have our chair report. Then we will move into our staff link zone report. And then our council liaison report. And then we'll have a zooming ordinance and zoning map presentation. And then we'll move into the presentation and discussion of the Twin Brook Town Hall event. And then we'll have the discussion about the youth programs in Rockville presentation. Then they'll have we'll have the FY27 budget process overview. Then we'll move into old new business and then we'll again. So that's it for a gender review. Now we'll move to community form. And I don't think there's anyone here. So we'll just table that and then we'll move into the approval of the minutes from the previous meeting. Then we'll go security then. Okay. Um I have a motion to approve the number connections. Okay. A motion to approve the minutes. Do you have a second? Second. All in favor. Aye. Any opposed. Okay, okay. So the minutes have been approved from the previous meeting. Now we'll have to do a report. And I don't believe I have anything to report. The only thing that's really been going on. Um in our city. Oh, well, actually, we could talk about the current situation that happened at Louis. That was pretty sad. Um I don't know if there's much we could do about that. Maybe there's something we can talk about with that, but I don't know if there is much that we can do as a commission. This isn't as a commission, but it's at our school. We've been planning this for like three months now, so it's kind of I don't want to say coincidence, but it we have a um documentary of uh gun violence documentary, and we have a panel of MCPS, like safety, the chief, and so if people from other schools, it's our like SGA broadcasting hosting it, but if other people would be interested in attending it, um I need to get the specific date, but that is something that maybe participate in regarding but yeah, so I'll get the specific date and I'll send that out.