July 17, 2025 Montgomery County Council

Montgomery County Council

100 Maryland Ave

Rockville, MD 20850

Re: Support for ZTA 25-02, Workforce Housing – Development Standards

Dear Council President Stewart and Councilmembers:

My name is Carrie Kisicki and I am the Montgomery Advocacy Manager for the Coalition for Smarter Growth. CSG advocates for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all.

I write to you to offer our support for ZTA 25-02, and raise a few final points (see next page) as the full Council prepares to hold a worksession on this measure.

In particular, I would like to thank lead sponsors, Councilmembers Fani-González and Friedson, and co-sponsors Councilmembers Stewart, Balcombe, Luedtke, and Sayles for their leadership on new housing solutions for Montgomery County. 

This ZTA is a straightforward application of the principles identified in the county’s Thrive 2050 general plan. Our county needs more homes that are affordable to more people and located near transit, jobs, and amenities. Measures like this that take on the structural problems feeding our housing shortage are a necessary step to achieve our shared vision of a sustainable, inclusive county for all.

I am extremely proud to call this county home at a time when there are many strong housing champions on the County Council—from those sponsoring this ZTA, to those who have supported historic levels of affordable housing funding and stepped up through legislation like Bill 7-24 and dedicated constituent services to ensure all tenants have a safe, healthy place to call home.

I am hopeful that this ZTA will enjoy broad support from the Council and look forward to your continued partnership on realizing housing solutions for all people in our community. 

Please see the attached memo for additional recommendations on this ZTA and future efforts to expand access to affordable homes in Montgomery County. 

Sincerely, 

Carrie Kisicki
Montgomery County Advocacy Manager, Coalition for Smarter Growth

Re: ZTA 25-02 — Topics for Consideration
Parking Flexibility

At the PHP committee worksession on June 23, Planning staff shared an analysis showing that current parking requirements will sharply limit the number of homes it is possible to build on R-60 and R-90 lots. We are concerned that this effective cap is contrary to the spirit of providing more flexibility to build smaller, more affordable homes in transit-accessible locations. 

As all new developments under this ZTA will necessarily be subject to Planning Board review, we ask that the Council provide greater discretion to the Planning Board to adjust parking requirements on a case-by-case basis for these homes where appropriate. These adjustments can also allow for more thoughtful site-specific stormwater management and tree canopy protection.

Corner Lots

Corner lots are currently excluded from this ZTA. However, these lots share the same benefits of location efficiency with regards to jobs, transit, and amenities as the other lots already included. Per Council staff, this would add 475 eligible lots to the approximately 2,470 currently included in the ZTA. Corner lots can also provide for greater flexibility to allow side or back vehicle access to homes on the corridor.

Service Roads

We ask the Council not to remove lots located on service roads from inclusion in this ZTA. These lots share the same benefits of location and access to transit and amenities as those not located on service roads. All developments proposed under this ZTA will be reviewed by the Planning Board at which time relevant factors specific to a given site, including location on a service road, will be considered and accommodated appropriately. Removing all lots on service roads from the ZTA would disqualify over one quarter of currently eligible lots.

Lot Consolidation

We ask that the Council not further limit lot consolidation. Any proposed lot consolidation would have to be properly assessed and approved through the subdivision process before moving forward, and would still have to meet all other criteria required to qualify for this ZTA. Where it is deemed appropriate through the subdivision process, lot consolidation can offer opportunities to more feasibly meet stormwater, tree coverage (including preservation of established trees), and parking standards. It would also allow for building a greater total number of homes more cost effectively than would be possible on each lot separately.

Expanding Eligibility in the Future and Reducing Barriers to New Homes

We look forward to seeing the results of this ZTA and the much-needed homes they will create in our communities. The housing need in our county is significant, and additional measures will be needed to build the homes we need in the places we need them. We hope the Council will consider further expanding the places in our county where it is possible to build transit-accessible, multifamily homes, and reduce the barriers to building these homes. This is essential to our County remaining an inclusive community with opportunities for all.