The Montgomery County Council recently passed ZTA 25-02 to allow more residential building types along major transportation corridors.
Last week, the Montgomery County Council approved a zoning measure that allows more residential building types, including duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, and modest apartment buildings capped at 40 feet, located along designated corridors with a case-by-case review process. Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Natali Fani-González led the effort as part of their More Housing N.O.W. (New Options for Workers) package to help increase housing supply and affordability and expand pathways to homeownership for hardworking Montgomery County residents.
The median sales price of a single-family detached home was $800,806 by the end of 2024. A couple would need a combined income of at least $270,297 (or 206 percent area median income) to afford this home, yet the current area median income for a couple in Montgomery County is $131,200.
Councilmembers Friedson and Fani-González introduced Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 25-02, Workforce Housing – Development Standards, in February. ZTA 25-02 aims to create more small-scale housing options along major corridors with access to jobs and amenities for working and middle-class residents. Under the zoning measure, 15 percent of units, or at least one unit in residential buildings with three or more units, must meet the requirements for workforce housing. The workforce housing program places controls on properties to, generally, maintain their affordability for at least 20 years for those with incomes at or below 120 percent of the area-wide median income (AMI), currently at $157,440 for a couple.
For a parcel to be eligible for redevelopment, the front lot line, typically indicated by the street address, must abut the applicable corridor and the corridor must be at least 100 feet wide and have three existing travel lanes (see eligible parcel map). To keep the appropriate scale with surrounding properties, the maximum amount of height is 40 feet for redeveloped properties, and the maximum density is 1.25 Floor Area Ratio (FAR). The properties are also subject to optional method development, which includes a full regulatory review by multiple agencies of elements such as stormwater, forest conservation, parking, transportation, water and sewer, and school infrastructure, among other development regulations. The optional method development also includes opportunities for public input.
Any application for housing constructed under this new zoning measure will need approval from the Montgomery County Planning Board and must be in compliance with zoning laws and other regulations.
