At its Monday, March 3, 2025 meeting, the Rockville Mayor and Council will discuss parking policy changes in the Tower Oaks development and federal earmark requests for FY26. The Mayor and Council will also hold work sessions on the “Results Rockville” dashboard and revising the zoning ordinance to speed approvals.

This meeting is an important opportunity for you to stay informed and engaged with the decisions that shape our community.

Key Agenda Items:

Rockville Proposes Parking Rule Changes for Townhomes (starts page 26). A public hearing on a proposed Zoning Text Amendment (TXT2025-00268) that would reduce parking requirements for certain townhouses, particularly Moderately Priced Dwelling Units (MPDUs) in the Tower Oaks development. The townhomes were built with tandem garages (one car parked behind another), but one of the parking spaces in these garages was only 8 feet 7 inches wide for part of its length—5 inches narrower than the city’s requirement. City staff and the developer, EYA, failed to catch this design flaw during the construction approval and inspection process. Some homeowners, realizing the garages were too narrow for parking, converted the space into living areas without obtaining proper city permits, leading to zoning violations. The Planning Commission supported the proposal but flagged potential equity issues and future zoning implications. The Council will deliberate before making a final decision.

Rockville Launches ‘Results Rockville’ for Transparency and Accountability (60). The Rockville City Council will review Results Rockville, a new city-wide framework designed to enhance government transparency, accountability, and efficiency. The initiative, powered by Envisio software, will provide real-time dashboards tracking key city projects, including the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, Vision Zero, and Climate Action efforts. Officials discussed strategies for promoting the platform to residents and stakeholders. Next steps include building out dashboards, integrating performance metrics, and expanding public access to data-driven decision-making tools.

Rockville Moves to Streamline Development and Zoning Approvals (77). The Rockville City Council will review a proposed Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) and FAST 2 process improvements aimed at accelerating housing development and economic growth. The changes would streamline project plan approvals, allow more administrative site plan approvals, and simplify planned development amendments. City staff cited housing shortages, economic barriers, and bureaucratic delays as reasons for the overhaul. If adopted, the reforms could cut approval times from years to months, making Rockville more competitive for new residential and commercial projects. With 6,000 housing units in the pipeline, a faster approval process could help Rockville meet regional housing targets. The downside is that without proper safeguards, fast-tracked approvals could lead to less rigorous review of environmental, traffic, and infrastructure impacts and allowing faster approvals for market-rate housing without incentives for affordable units could exacerbate housing cost challenges.

How to Participate:

• Attend in Person: The meeting will be held at City Hall, 111 Maryland Avenue (downtown, behind the Maryland District Courthouse). We encourage residents to attend and voice their opinions during Community Forum.
• Watch Online: If you can’t make it in person, you can watch the live stream on the city’s website at https://www.rockvillemd.gov/157/Rockville-11.
• Submit Comments: You can submit your comments or questions in advance by emailing MayorAndCouncil@RockvilleMD.gov by no later than 10:00 a.m. on the date of the meeting.

Your participation is crucial in shaping the future of our city. Whether you have specific concerns or just want to stay informed, we hope to see you at the meeting.

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Thank you for being an active and engaged member of our community. More details in the 105-page agenda packet are available at https://www.rockvillemd.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03032025-7423.