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Master Plan Review: North & West Silver Spring

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. The new zoning code can play a crucial role in guiding redevelopment to areas like surface parking lots and strip shopping centers. An important aspect of the Zoning Rewrite process is the potential conversion of 123 existing zones into 30 proposed zones.

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93 views

Master Plan Review: North & West Silver Spring

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. The new zoning code can play a crucial role in guiding redevelopment to areas like surface parking lots and strip shopping centers. An important aspect of the Zoning Rewrite process is the potential conversion of 123 existing zones into 30 proposed zones.

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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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Master Plan Review

NORTH & WEST SILVER SPRING


Approved and Adopted August 2000

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

ZONING CODE REWRITE

BACKGROUND

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. The Montgomery County Planning Department is working in coordination with Code Studio, a team of nationally recognized consultants; a citizen panel, known as the Zoning Advisory Panel (ZAP); and other County agencies to improve the zoning code. The ZAP was appointed by the Planning Board to weigh in on the projects direction and advise staff. Initial sections of the new code are drafted by Code Public Listening Session 9/2009 Studio, and are subsequently analyzed and edited by planners based on feedback from ZAP, county agency representatives, residents and other stakeholders. The Zoning Code Rewrite drafts continue to undergo multiple reviews and revisions in preparation for the distribution of a public draft of the new code expected in summer 2012. The comprehensive public draft will then be presented to the Planning Board and, ultimately, the County Council as part of a public review process.

An important aspect of the Zoning Rewrite process is the potential conversion of 123 existing zones into 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 conversion process, Montgomery County aims to simplify the number of zones, eliminate redundancy, and clarify development standards. A full conversion chart for all zones can be found in the documents section of our website: www.zoningmontgomery.org.

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

Agricultural, Residential, and Industrial Zone Conversion:


For agricultural and rural zones, the existing zones will be converted to proposed zones on a one-toone basis, with the exception of the Low Density Rural Cluster zone which is not currently used in the County and will be eliminated. Several of the existing residential zones will also directly convert on a one-to-one basis. Other residential zones will be converted by combining 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. Conversion of Industrial zones will combine similar zones (Rural Service, I-1, and I-4) into the proposed Industrial Light (IL) zone. The existing heavy industrial zone (I-2) will convert directly to the proposed Industrial Heavy (IH) zone.

EXAMPLES:
Agricultural And Rural
Rural Density Transfer (RDT) Agricultural Conservation (AC)

Residential, Detached Unit (R-60) Residential, Detached Unit (R-40) Residential, Mobile Home Development (RMH)

Residential

Residential Detached, Medium Density (RMD-6)

Rural Service (RS)

Industrial

Light Industrial I-4 (I-1)

Industrial Light (IL)

Light Industrial (I-4) Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

Commercial and Mixed-Use Zone Conversion:


Parcels located in the existing Commercial, Mixed-use, Central Business District (CBD), and Transit Station zones will be converted into one of the proposed Commercial/Residential (C/R) or Employment (E) Zones using a two-tiered process. First, decisions for conversions of a specific parcel 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 conversion 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 converted 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 converts existing zones by considering each specific parcels proximity to auto-centric localities, village and town centers, and detached residential neighborhoods. The goal of the conversion decision tree is to retain currently allowed heights and densities and maintain context sensitivity.

EXAMPLE: C-1 Convenience Commercial


Then

Conversion Decision Criteria for C-1, Convenience Commercial Current Max FAR: None (90% Coverage) Current Max Height: 30 average at finished grade along the building up to 45

Then

If the C-1 Parcel Is:

Then

Then

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

NORTH & WEST SILVER SPRING

PLAN VISION
The North and West Silver Spring Master Plan was approved and adopted in August 2000. Located adjacent to the Silver Spring CBD, the North and West Silver Spring neighborhoods are both primarily residential communities and include local commercial centers, light industrial, service, and institutional uses. The Master Plan Meadowbrook Stables: Historic resource in recommends enhancing the residential West Silver Spring neighborhoods with upgraded infrastructure, reuse of historic resources, a multi-modal transportation system to increase resident access to Metrorail and commercial areas, and enhanced parks and community facilities.

MASTER PLAN HIGHLIGHTS


Preservation of North and West Silver Springs residential nature is an important theme in the Master Plan which recommends limiting commercial and industrial development to the existing center and reducing the impact of traffic within the neighborhoods. To reaffirm the residential nature of the neighborhood, the Master Plan also recommends encouraging pedestrian Georgia Avenue in Montgomery Hills activity along Georgia Avenue in Montgomery Hills. The Plan proposes to transform the existing 7-lane highway into a landscaped urban boulevard with a center median, improved local circulation, and wide treelined sidewalks.

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

ZONE CONVERSION

The North and West Silver Spring Planning Area currently has 15 zones: 4 Commercial, 1 Industrial, 9 Residential and 1 Planned Development.

Existing Commercial: C-1: Convenience Commercial C-2: General Commercial C-4: Limited Commercial C-O: Commercial, Office Building Existing Industrial: I-1: Light Industrial Existing Planned Development: PD-15: Planned Development

Existing Residential: R-90: Residential, Detached Unit R-60: Residential, Detached Unit R-8: Residential, Townhouse R-10: Residential, Townhouse R-12.5: Residential, Townhouse R-15: Residential, Townhouse R-10: Multiple-Family, High Density Residential R-H: Multiple-Family, High-Rise Planned Residential R-20: Multiple-Family, Medium Density Residential

The existing C-O zone has typically consisted predominantly of office uses and will convert to the proposed Employment Office Zone (EOF) with a 3.0 FAR and 100 ft. maximum height limit. The existing C-1, C-2, and C-4 zones converted to the proposed zone (CRN or CRT) based on the location and context for each of the parcels located in these three zones. Each parcels proximity to auto-centric localities, village and town centers, and detached residential neighborhoods was considered in the conversion decision, with the overall goal to retain currently allowed heights and densities and maintain context sensitivity. The existing I-1 zone will convert directly to the proposed Industrial Light (IL) zone. The existing PD-15 will also convert directly to a proposed Planned Unit Development zone. The R-10 and R-H, both multi-family residential zones, will be combined to form the proposed RHD-1 (Multi-Family, High-Density) zone. The R-20 will convert to the proposed RHD-2 (Multi-Family, MediumDensity) zone. The RT-10 and RT-12.5, both residential townhouse zones, have similar standards and will be combined to form the proposed TMD (Townhouse, Medium-Density) zone. The existing RT-8 will convert to the proposed TLD (Townhouse, Low-Density) and the existing R-15 will convert to the proposed THD (Townhouse, High-Density) zone. The existing R-60 will convert to the proposed RMD-6 (Single-Family, Medium-Density) zone, and the existing R-90 will convert to the proposed RMD-9 (SingleFamily, Medium-Density) zone.

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

ZONE CONVERSION

North & West Silver Spring


Existing Zone Acres
R-60 R-90 RT-8 RT-10 RT-12.5 RT-15 R-10 R-H R-20 C-1 1276.41 199.07 4.65 1.88 13.33 2.46 48.92 11.23 72.39 5.37

Proposed Percent
72.23 11.27 0.26 0.11 0.75 0.14 2.77 0.64 4.10 0.30 0.51 0.25 0.32 4.62 1.73 RMD-6 RMD-9 TLD TMD THD RHD-1 RHD-2 CRN-0.5 C-0.5 R-0.25 H-35 CRN-0.75 C-0.5 R-0.5 H-45 CRT-1.0 C-0.75 R-0.75 H-45 CRT-1.5 C-1.5 R-1.0 H-45 CRT-2.0 C-1.5 R-1.5 H-65 CRT-0.75 C-0.5 R-0.5 H-45 EOF-3.0 H-100 IL PUD Grand Total

Zone

Acres
1276.41 199.07 4.65 15.21 2.46 60.15 72.39 0.84 3.38 1.14 4.70 4.36 4.48 5.62 81.63 30.55 1767.05

Percent
72.23 11.27 0.26 0.86 0.14 3.40 4.10 0.05 0.19 0.06 0.27 0.25 0.25 0.32 4.62 1.73

C-2 C-4 C-O I-1 PD-15 Grand Total

9.07 4.48 5.62 81.63 30.55 1767.05

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

ZONE CONVERSION

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

PLANNING AREA CONTEXT

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

EXISTING ZONING MAP


Existing Zones
Residential Medium Density
R-60 R-90

Townhouse
RT-8 RT-10 RT-12.5 RT-15

Multi-Family
R-20 R-10 R-H

Commercial
C-1 C-2 C-4 C-O

Light Industrial
I-1

Planned Development
PD-15

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

PROPOSED ZONING MAP


Proposed Zones
Residential Medium Density
RMD-6 RMD-9

Townhouse
TLD TMD THD

Multi-Family
RHD-2 RHD-1

Comm/ResNeighborhood
CRN

Comm/ResTown
CRT

Employment, Office
EOF

Light Industrial
I-L

Planned Development
PD

Proposal based on November 22, 2011 ZAP Review Draft

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