Master Plan Review

Approved and Adopted

April 2004
ASPEN HILL
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Public Listening Session 9/2009
ONING CODE REWRITE
In 2007, the Montgomery County Council directed the Planning Department to undertake a
comprehensive zoning ordinance rewrite. Last rewritten in 1977, the current 1,200
+
page code is
viewed as antiquated and hard to use with standards that have failed to keep pace with modern
development practices.
With only about four percent of land in the County available for greenfield development, the new
zoning code can play a crucial role in guiding redevelopment to areas like surface parking lots and
strip shopping centers. An updated zoning code is important for achieving the kind of growth
Montgomery County policymakers and residents want.
Initial sections of the new code were drafted by Code
Studio, a zoning consultant. These drafts were
subsequently analyzed and edited by planners based
on feedback from the Zoning Advisory Panel (a citizen
panel appointed by the Planning Board to weigh in on
the projects direction), county agency representatives,
residents and other stakeholders. In September 2012,
planning staff began the release of a draft code in
sections accompanied by a report highlighting changes
from the current code. The staff drafts were reviewed
at length by the Planning Board.
The Planning Board held worksessions and public hearings between September of 2012 and May of
2013. On May 2, they transmitted their draft to the County Council. The Council adopted the text of
the new code in March and adopted the new zoning map in July 2014.
The new code and map will go into effect on October 30, 2014.
ZONE IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS
An important aspect of the Zoning Rewrite process is the potential simplification of 123 existing
zones into about 30 proposed zones. While some of the proposed zones are a direct one-to-one
translation of existing zones, others are the result of combining existing zones with similar
standards. Additionally, existing zones that are not currently mapped or are no longer used in the
County have been eliminated from the proposed code. Through the implementation process,
Montgomery County aims to simplify the number of zones, eliminate redundancy, and clarify
development standards. A full translation table for all zones can be found in the documents section
of our website: www.zoningmontgomery.org.
BACKGROUND
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Agricultural, Residential, and Industrial Zone Implementation:
For agricultural and rural zones, the existing zones will be translated to proposed zones on a one-to-
one basis, with the exception of the Low Density Rural Cluster zone which is not currently used in
the County and will be eliminated.
Many of the existing residential zones will remain the same. Other residential zones will be
combined with existing zones that have similar development standards. The R-4Plex zone, which is
not currently mapped anywhere in the county, will be removed from the proposed code.
Implementation of Industrial zones will combine similar zones (Rural Service, I-1, and R+D) into the
proposed Industrial Moderate (IM) zone. The existing heavy industrial zone (I-2) will be renamed as
the Industrial Heavy (IH) zone.


Examples:
Agricultural
and Rural
Rural Density
Transfer (RDT)
Agricultural
Reserve (AR)
R-60
(detached residential)
R-60
(detached residential)
R-60/TDR
(detached residential)


Residential
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Commercial and Mixed-Use Zone Implementation:
Parcels located in the existing Commercial, Mixed-use, Central Business District (CBD), and Transit
Station zones will be translated into one of the proposed Commercial/Residential (CR) or
Employment (E) Zones using a two-tiered process.
First, decisions about specific parcels in these zones were based on recommendations within the
Master Plan. Planning staff reviewed each Master Plan in the County. When the Master Plan
provided specific recommendations about allowed density, height, or mix of uses for individual
commercial or mixed-use parcels, those recommendations were used to build the formula of the
proposed zone. This ensures consistency with currently allowed density and height, and helps
codify Master Plan recommendations in a parcel-specific manner.
Second, if the Master Plan did not make specific recommendations, the current zone changed to a
proposed zone on a one-to-one basis or the proposed zone was determined using a specific
standardized decision tree (see example below). The standardized decision tree translates existing
zones by considering each specific parcels proximity to single-family neighborhoods or other
factors. The goal of the implementation decision tree is to retain currently allowed heights and
densities and maintain context sensitivity.

Example: C-1 Convenience Commercial









Confronts or abuts
R-150 or less intense
or site is bigger than 5 acres
NR-0.75
H-45
then
Within a Historic
District
NR-0.75
H-45
then
Confronts or abuts
R-90, R-60, R-40, or R-MH
CRT-0.75
C-0.75 R-0.25 H-35
then
Confronts or abuts RT
or more intense
CRT-0.75
C-0.75 R-0.25 H-45
then
C-1

if
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PLAN HIGHLIGHTS
The Aspen Hill Master Plan was approved and adopted in April 2004. The Master Plan reinforces the
primarily suburban and residential character of Aspen Hill, seeks to increase opportunities for
community interaction, and promotes diverse recreation and transportation options for community
residents and workers.
To support its vision for Aspen Hill, the Master Plan makes key recommendations for each of the five
areas: Land Use, Transportation, Environment, and Historic Resources and Facilities. In the area of Land
Use, the Master Plan recommends returning the former Vitro site to office use in the long term,
continuing the existing office use of the Lee Development Group site, transforming the right-of-way for
the former Rockville Facility to green space, and permitting appropriate infill development.
The Plans transportation element recommends creating a multi-use trail system to function as a
recreational and commuting resource, promoting a hiker-biker connection from Rock Creek Park to
Northwest Branch Park, and providing incentives to reduce vehicular trips. The Master Plan also
provides environmental recommendations that advocate for protecting stream valleys, wetlands, and
forested areas through development regulations; implementing stormwater management retrofits of
developed sites; and expanding
recycling programs for multi-family and
non-residential developments.
In the areas of Historic Resources and
Facilities, the Master Plan promotes
preserving the communitys historic and
architectural resources. The Plan also
recommends providing adequate
funding for the upkeep of recreational
facilities, allowing child day care
facilities in the non-age restricted
portion of the PRC zone, and supporting
a separate zip code for Aspen Hill to
increase community identity.




ASPEN HILL
Aspen Hills National Capital Trolley
Museum
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The Aspen Hill Planning Area currently has 25 zones: 15 Residential, 1 Mixed-Use, 5 Commercial, and 4
Planned Development.
Existing Residential:
RE-1: Detached Unit, Single-Family
RE-1/TDR: Detached Unit, Single-Family
RE-2: Detached Unit, Single-Family
RE-2/TDR: Detached Unit, Single-Family
R-150/TDR: Detached Unit, Single-
Family
R-150: Detached Unit, Single-Family
R-200: Detached Unit, Single-Family
R-60: Detached Unit, Single-Family
R-60/TDR: Detached Unit, Single-Family
R-90: Detached Unit, Single-Family
RT-8: Townhouse, Single-Family
RT-12.5: Townhouse, Single-Family
R-20: Multi-Family, Medium Density
R-30: Multi-Family, Low Density
R-H: Multi-Family, High-Rise Planned

Existing Commercial
C-1: Convenience Commercial
C-2: General Commercial
C-O: Commercial, Office Building
C-T: Commercial, Transitional
O-M: Office Building, Moderate
Intensity

Existing Mixed-Use:
RMX-2C: Residential Mixed Use

Existing Planned Development
PD-2: Planned Development
PD-3: Planned Development
PD-7: Planned Development
PRC: Planned Retirement Community


Standard Implementation:
The existing RE-1 and RE-1/TDR will translate to the proposed RE-1 zone. The existing RE-2 and RE-2/TDR
will translate to the proposed RE-2 zone. The existing R-150, R-150/TDR, and R-200 zones will be
combined to form the proposed R-200 zone. The existing R-60 and R-60/TDR will translate to the
proposed R-60 zone. The existing R-90 will remain R-90. All existing TDR zones will have a new TDR
Overlay zone.
The existing RT-8 will remain RT-8 (Townhouse) zone and the existing RT-12.5 will remain RT-12.5
(Townhouse) zone. The R-20, R-30, and R-H will remain.
The existing Planned Development PD-2, PD-3, and PD-7 zones will remain.The PRC zone will remain
PRC.
The existing Commercial and Mixed-Use zones will translate to the specific proposed EOF (Employment
Office), NR (Neighborhood Retail), CRN (Commercial Residential), and CRT (Commercial Residential
Town) zones using both the standard translation criteria and specific Master Plan recommendations.
Commercial and Mixed-Use parcels that do not have specific Master Plan recommendations will
translate to the proposed zone based on the standard zoning translation table.

ZONE IMPLEMENTATION
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In some cases, properties were not converted using the standard conversions as outlined earlier in the
packet.

Generally, this is because the relevant Master or Sector Plan made recommendations regarding the
appropriate density, height, or mix of uses on a given site.

In other cases, the text of the zoning ordinance or an overlay zone can affect the development potential
of a site, and therefore affect the conversion given as part of the draft proposed DMA.

Additionally, the PHED Committee instructed that, when requested by a property owner, existing site
approvals be reflected in the draft proposed DMA. Non-standard conversions sometimes reflect these
project approvals.

The following pages will give detail on all of the non-standard conversions in this plan area.

NON-STANDARD CONVERSIONS
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MP Number: ASPEN-02
Master Plan: Aspen Hill
Location: Connecticut Ave & Aspen Hill Rd
Existing Zone: C-O
Standard Conv: EOF-3.0 H-100
Proposed Conv: EOF-3.0 H-60
M
o
d
i
f
i
c
a
t
i
o
n
s

Zone Group: No change
Overall FAR: No change
Comml FAR: -
Residl FAR: -
Height: Reduced to 60
Reason for non-standard conversion:
Aspen Hill Master Plan: Page 46-47
No structure, excluding building mechanics, should be higher
than two stories above the existing structure [which is 3 stories
in height].

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Aspen Hill
Existing Proposed
Zone Acres Percent Zone Acres Percent
RE-1 30.63 0.42
RE-1 45.95 0.61
RE-1/TDR 15.32 0.21
RE-2 952.54 13.18
RE-2 1,002.81 13.88
RE-2/TDR 50.27 0.70
R-150 193.52 2.68
R-200 2,750.62 38.05 R-150/TDR 12.04 0.17
R-200 2,545.06 35.20
R-60 634.32 8.77
R-60 635.49 8.79
R-60/TDR 1.17 0.02
R-90 1,338.02 18.51 R-90 1338.02 18.51
RT-8 5.27 0.07 RT-8 5.27 0.07
RT-12.5 36.51 0.51 RT-12.5 36.51 0.51
R-20 238.21 3.29 R-20 238.21 3.29
R-30 33.14 0.46 R-30 33.14 0.46
R-H 19.84 0.27 R-H 19.84 0.27
RMX-2C 13.21 0.18 CRT-2.0 C-0.5 R-1.5 H-65 T 13.21 0.18
C-1 66.11 0.91
CRT-0.75 C-0.75 R-0.25 H-35 1.08
0.01
CRT-0.75 C-0.75 R-0.25 H-45 2.89 0.04
NR-0.75 H-45 62.14 0.86
C-2 19.17 0.27
CRT-2.25 C-1.5 R-0.75 H-45 2.89 0.04
CRT-2.25 C-1.5 R-0.75 H-75 16.28 0.23
C-O 5.13 0.07 EOF-3.0 H-60 5.13 0.07
C-T 1.79 0.02 CRN-0.5 C-0.5 R-0.25 H-35 1.79 0.02
O-M 2.06 0.03
EOF-1.5 H-60 0.88 0.01
EOF-1.5 H-75 1.18 0.02
PD-2 14.28 0.20 PD-2 14.28 0.20
PD-3 26.70 0.37 PD-3 26.70 0.37
PD-7 28.09 0.39 PD-7 28.09 0.39
PRC 947.17 13.10 PRC 947.17 13.10
Grand Total 7,229.57 Grand Total 7,229.57


ZONE IMPLEMENTATION
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Aspen Hill: Existing Zoning
Residential Estate
Residental Low Density
Residential Medium Density
Townhouse
Multi-Family
Mixed-Use
Commercial
Planned Development
Aspen Hill: Proposed Zoning
Residential Estate
Residental Low Density
Residential Medium Density
Townhouse
Multi-Family
Comm/Res - Neighborhood
Comm/Res - Town
Neighborhood Retail
Employment, Office
Planned Development
ZONE IMPLEMENTATION
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RE-1
RE-1/TDR
RE-2
RE-2/TDR
R-150
R-200
R-200/TDR
R-60
R-60/TDR
R-90
Townhouse
RT-8
RT-12.5
Multi-Family
R-H
R-20
R-30
Commercial
C-1
C-2
C-T
C-O
O-M
Mixed-Use
RMX-2C
PD-2
PD-3
PD-7
PRC
Existing Zones
Residential
Estate
Planned
Development
Residential Low
Density
Residential
Medium Density

EXISTING ZONING MAP
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RE-1
RE-2
R-200
R-60
R-90
Townhouse
RT-8
RT-12.5
Multi-Family
R-H
R-20
R-30
CRN
CRT
NR
EOF
PD-2
PD-3
PD-7
PRC
Proposed Zones
Residential
Estate
Comm/Res-
Town
Employment,
Office
Residential Low
Density
Residential
Medium Density
Comm/Res-
Neighborhood
Neighborhood
Retail
Planned
Development

PROPOSED ZONING MAP
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PLANNING AREA CONTEXT
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