Community residents invited to testify about plan in Germantown that updates 50-year old zoning with recommendations for residential, commercial and mixed-use zones
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Council will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. at the Globe Hall at the Montgomery College Germantown Campus (20200 Observation Drive, Germantown, MD) for the Germantown Plan for the Town Sector Zone.
The plan was approved by the Montgomery County Planning Board at their November 7, 2019 meeting. View the latest draft of the plan.
Community residents and the public are invited to testify at the hearing. Community members who are interested in testifying at the public hearing should call the Montgomery County Council at 240-777-7803. The County Council is giving residents the opportunity to provide written comments no later than January 15, 2020. Written comments and testimony can be sent to county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov or to:
Council President
Montgomery County Council
100 Maryland Avenue
Rockville, Maryland 20850
About the Germantown Plan for the Town Sector Zone
The purpose of this plan is to update the zoning classifications in the area of Churchill Village now regulated by Town Sector (T-S) zoning. The T-S Zone is being phased out due to changes in the county zoning code.
The Germantown Plan for the Town Sector Zone addresses the 1,254 acres comprising the village’s T-S Zone, which includes Churchill Lake, parks, walking trails and recreational amenities. In 2014, Montgomery County updated its zoning ordinance and, as a result, the T-S Zone is being phased out.
Additionally, as approved by the original 1968 zoning case that authorized the development of Churchill Village, no new zoning classifications could be considered for 50 years. This zoning control feature expired in 2018 and is the primary reason for the new sector plan. Planners have analyzed existing land uses, densities and open spaces in order to prepare new zoning recommendations that best reflect current conditions, uses and densities.
These recommendations include the following:
- Maintain existing residential areas and densities
- Protect community open space and recreation areas
- Keep neighborhood-serving businesses and grandfather existing commercial uses
- Allow mixed-uses where appropriate
Learn more about the Germantown Plan for the Town Sector Zone by signing up for the plan e-newsletter. For more information, contact lead planner Phillip Estes.