Master Plan Review

Approved and Adopted April 2004

UPPER ROCK CREEK

Upper Rock Creek Page 1 of 13 Updated July 2014 based on Adopted DMA


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 Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan was approved and adopted in April 2004. The Upper
Rock Creek Planning Area lies in the east central part of Montgomery County and encompasses
roughly 60% of the Upper Rock Creek Watershed. The environmental setting of the Upper Rock
Creek Area has significantly influenced the Plans two primary goals: protect the areas
environmental resources and stream quality, and to preserve the areas residential character.
To protect the areas environmental resources and stream quality, the Plan seeks to direct
development away from environmentally sensitive areas, preserve open space through creation
of low density zones for undeveloped properties, increase open space with easements or direct
acquisition, and apply an impervious surface cap to minimize impacts of development on water
quality. To preserve the areas residential character the Plan maintains low densities near river
valleys and along ridges and encourages that the design of future development be compatible
with the existing neighborhoods.
Two secondary goals of the Master Plan are to enhance neighborhood centers and industrial
areas and to connect communities. To achieve these goals, the Plan recommends providing
additional housing adjacent to the Redlands commercial area, retaining existing industrial
zoning, and developing a trail and bikeway network to improve access within the community.











UPPER ROCK CREEK
Agriculture History Farm Park
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The Upper Rock Creek Planning Area currently has 13 zones: 1 Rural, 6 Residential, 2 Commercial, 3
Industrial, and 1 Planned Development
Existing Rural:
RNC: Rural Neighborhood Cluster

Existing Residential:
RE-1: Detached Unit, Single-Family
RE-1/TDR: Detached Unit, Single-Family
RE-2: Detached Unit, Single-Family
R-200: Detached Unit, Single-Family
R-90: Detached Unit, Single-Family
RT-12.5: Townhouse, Single-Family


Existing Commercial:
C-1: Convenience Commercial
C-4: Limited Commercial

Existing Industrial
I-1: Light Industrial
I-4: Light Industrial
I-2: Heavy Industrial

Existing Planned Development:
PD-2: Planned Development


The existing RNC zone will remain RNC.
The existing RE-1 and RE-1/TDR zones will be combined into the proposed RE-1 zone. The RE-2 will
remain RE-2. The R-200 will remain R-200 (Residential Low Density). The existing R-90 will remain R-90
(Single-Family, Medium-Density). The existing RT-12.5 will remain. The residential TDR zones will be
incorporated into a new TDR Overlay zone.
The existing I-1 will be renamed IM (Industrial Moderate) and the I-4 zone will change to the proposed IL
(Industrial Light) zone. The existing I-2 zone will be renamed IH (Industrial Heavy). The existing PD-2
zone will remain the PD-2 zone.
The existing C-1 zone translates to CRT (Commercial Residential Town) and NR (Neighborhood Retail),
and the C-4 zone will translate to CRT (Commercial Residential Town). The translation is based on the
location and context for each of the parcels located in the zone. Each parcels proximity to residential
neighborhoods was considered in the translation decision, with the overall goal to retain currently
allowed heights and densities and maintain context sensitivity.


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: UPROK-01
Master Plan: Upper Rock Creek
Location: 108 near Meredith Drive
Existing Zone: C-4
Standard Conv: None
Proposed Conv: CRT-0.25 C-0.25 R-0.25 H-35
M
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d
i
f
i
c
a
t
i
o
n
s

Zone Group: -
Overall FAR: -
Comml FAR: -
Residl FAR: -
Height: -
Reason for non-standard conversion:
This property is in the Upper Rock Creek Overlay, which limits
impervious cover, and therefore is not appropriate for higher intensity
commercial development; it is also not recommended for sewer and
septic.

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Upper Rock Creek
Existing Proposed
Zone Acres Percent Zone Acres Percent
RNC
840.41 8.30
RNC
840.41 8.30
RE-1
3,945.44 38.96
RE-1 4,072.59 40.21
RE-1/TDR
127.15 1.26
RE-2
3,658.96 36.13
RE-2
3,658.96 36.13
R-200
968.62 9.56
R-200
968.62 9.56
R-90
15.47 0.15
R-90
15.47 0.15
RT-12.5
26.99 0.27
RT-12.5
26.99 0.27
C-1 11.89 0.12
CRT-0.75 C-0.75 R-0.25 H-45
8.88 0.09
NR-0.75 H-45
3.01 0.03
C-4 3.58 0.04 CRT-0.25 C-0.25 R-0.25 H-35 3.58 0.04
I-1
237.51 2.35
IM-2.5 H-50
237.51 2.35
I-4
54.15 0.53
IL-1.0 H-50
54.15 0.53
I-2
147.20 1.45
IH-2.5 H-70
147.20 1.45
PD-2
89.75 0.89
PD-2
89.75 0.89
Grand
Total
10,289.21 Grand Total 10,289.21



ZONE IMPLEMENTATION
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Upper Rock Creek: Existing Zoning
Rural
Residential Estate
Residental Low Density
Residential Medium Density
Townhouse
Commercial
Light Industrial, Low Inten.
Light Industrial
Heavy Industrial
Planned Development
Upper Rock Creek: Proposed Zoning
Rural
Residential Estate
Residental Low Density
Residential Medium Density
Townhouse
Comm/Res - Town
Neighborhood Retail
Light Industrial
Moderate Industrial
Heavy Industrial
Planned Development
ZONE IMPLEMENTATION
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Rural
RNC
RE-1
RE-1/TDR
RE-2
R-200
R-90
Townhouse
RT-12.5
Commercial
C-1
C-4
Light Industrial
I -1
I -4
Heavy Industrial
I -2
PD-2
Residential
Medium Density
Planned
Development
Existing Zones
Residential
Estate
Residential Low
Density

EXISTING ZONING MAP
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Rural
RNC
RE-1
RE-2
R-200
R-90
Townhouse
RT-12.5
CRT
NR
Light Industrial
I L
Mod. Industrial
I M
Heavy Industrial
I H
PD-2
Residential
Medium Density
Comm/Res-
Town
Neighborhood
Retail
Planned
Development
Proposed Zones
Residential
Estate
Residential Low
Density

PROPOSED ZONING MAP
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PLANNING AREA CONTEXT
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