Zoning codes regulate what takes place on privately, and sometimes publicly, owned lands through controls on three elements: use, shape, and bulk. Use regulations control the location of residential, commercial, and industrial development in separate sections of the City or in designated mixed-use developments. Shape, on the other hand, refers to where to locate objects on a lot. Finally, bulk requirements regulate the size of the buildings on a lot (height, width, floor area). Zoning creates the character of a city by regulating the types of buildings and the kinds of uses allowable in high-access areas of the City, like Town Center and Rockville Pike. The sense of place created in these areas is developed through zoning regulations which determine how high the buildings can be, what types of landscaping and other street features are present between the buildings, whether there is window shopping or sidewalk cafes available at the street level and whether offices or condos are available in the upper stories. In addition, zoning assures that there is adequate parking so visitors can use these businesses. Zoning not only affects commercial and office districts of a City, but residential uses as well. Zoning controls where citizens can build things and what can be built in a private yard. For instance, zoning limits where fences can be placed, how big garages can be built, what a house’s roof looks like, and whether residents can have a pool.
The last comprehensive zoning revision in the City of Rockville took place over 30 years ago. Since that time, the current ordinance has been amended on an ad hoc basis, causing the language to be inconsistent, unorganized, and overly complex. In other words, the average citizen would have a difficult time understanding the current ordinance. In addition, the theories of land use planning have changed since the last revision. New theories are being considered for incorporation in the revision. To adequately address these considerations, the entire document should be reviewed and brought up to date.
There are three identified goals of the revision: - Make the code user-friendly – To the extent possible, clear, concise, plain English should be applied. Archaic definitions and terminology should be revised or deleted.
- Modernize the zoning concepts – Modern zoning techniques need to be considered to supplement or perhaps replace, traditional zoning methods.
- Minimize impact on existing residential development – Address issues such as large scale housing redevelopment, setbacks for front porches, the types of accessory structures and uses allowed, the location and type of fences allowed, and other issues related to development in the single-family, residential neighborhoods.
The entire code needs to be reviewed to ensure that the regulations are adequate to address the development visions of the City. The City’s Master Plan, individual neighborhood plans, and various policy discussions before Mayor and Council, in conjunction with the white paper presentations, have determined a number of goals for the community to be incorporated into the revision. In particular, the main goal of the revision will be to enhance livability within the City. This means a number of things such as providing high quality development and walkability to activity centers. To ensure that the final document accurately reflects the best judgment of the City, there are a number of steps to a comprehensive revision. Each step requires different levels of review and discussion. As a result, there will be different amounts of time dedicated to each level of review. - Major Policy White Papers – These research papers reflect the overarching considerations of the revision. They address the three major topics that have been identified by staff and the City as the key issues to incorporate in the revision – urban design, optional methods of development, and competing policies. A few papers are more particular but still involve broad policy discussion before the particular standards can be drafted. These topics include uses (how to reclassify under current use theories), accessory structures and uses, and nonconformities. The papers provide background information on each topic (what Rockville does and what other communities are doing) and initial staff recommendations.
- Additional Issue Papers – Through the discussions on the major and minor policy papers, a number of particular standards in the ordinance were identified as requiring additional discussion. These topics include approving bodies, parking, green requirements, and environmental standards. In addition, the public outreach portion of this zoning revision is discussed in an issue paper.
- Outline – An annotated outline is being drafted to provide a clear idea of the organization and policies to be incorporated in the final ordinance. The outline will also present general descriptions of the substance of the ordinance so that major decisions can be made before anyone becomes bogged down in the minutia of the language.
- Draft – Individual articles will be drafted and reviewed separately. The final document will then be reviewed, as a whole, to ensure consistency and thoroughness.
- Adoption – The adoption process will begin around the spring of 2007. It will follow the requirements for adoption of any legislation though additional public hearings may be needed.
The steps listed above are in chronological order.
A number of groups will be involved in the various steps of the zoning revision. Included will be:
- Staff – There are three groups of staff involved.
Executive Committee – The executive committee on the zoning revision is comprised of the Director of CPDS, the Chief of Planning and two planning staff dedicated to the task.
Paper Review Committees – Depending on the topic and the expertise required, various staff from different departments of the City have been assembled to provide input and to review each white and issue paper.
Outline/Draft Staff Committee- Before the outline and draft articles are distributed to the Citizen/Board Review Committee, a select staff group will review these documents and provide input.
- Mayor and Council – The product from each stage of the revision process will be presented to the Mayor and Council. Recommendations will guide each following stage. Each presentation is televised on the Rockville Channel (cable channel 11).
- Other Boards – Regular reports on the progress of the revision will be presented to the Planning Commission, which are televised on the Rockville Channel (cable channel 11). In addition, each additional board will receive regular updates, though the number of and level of updates will depend on the type of board involved.
- Citizens – The citizens are an important part of ensuring that the document reflects the will of the community. Public input opportunities will be provided at the various stages of the revision. Particular opportunities are:
Citizen’s Forum – Throughout the revision process, citizens will have the opportunity to comment at Mayor and Council meetings where there is a Citizen’s Forum.
Direct Staff Contact – Citizens are encouraged to ask questions and make suggestions or comments at any point in the revision process. Staff can be reached via e-mail at zoning@rockvillemd.gov or by phone at 240.314.8200.
Representatives of Rockville Zoning Ordinance Review (RORZOR) Committee - Six citizens from different areas of the City and with various public involvement backgrounds have been selected to serve on an outline and draft review committee. These individuals will help to ensure the document refelects the interest of the City as a whole. A link to the list of citizen and board member representative biographies can be found on the zoning homepage.
Individual Neighborhood Meetings – Staff is available to provide presentations to individual neighborhood meetings, upon request. At those meetings, citizens will be able to provide comments to staff regarding the zoning revision.
Adoption Process Public Hearings - Citizens can testify at any of the public hearings that will be scheduled to adopt the ordinance.
The final document will be different from its current appearance. Additional reader-friendly options include illustrations and on-line hyperlinks to definitions and cross-referenced sections.
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