Montgomery County Council

The Montgomery County Council is in the process of reviewing the Montgomery County Planning Department’s Attainable Housing Strategies recommendations, which include a set of potential zoning modifications prepared by the Department and recommended by the Montgomery County Planning Board to the Council in June that would allow duplexes, triplexes, townhomes and quadplexes in certain residential areas of the County, while still allowing the development of single-family detached homes.  

Council President Andrew Friedson and Montgomery Planning Director Jason Sartori invite community members to attend one of six listening sessions to provide feedback on the Planning Board’s recommendations. The five in-person listening sessions will be held in each of the County’s five regional service areas followed by a virtual session.

The Council’s Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee received three briefings on the Planning Board’s recommendations this summer. There is no legislation to implement Attainable Housing Strategies currently introduced or pending before the Council. The purpose of the listening sessions is to collect feedback on the Planning Board recommendations which will be shared with all Councilmembers as part of a deliberative review process prior to the introduction of legislation.

Attend a Public Listening Session 

The date, time and location for the five in-person listening sessions are listed below. Please sign up to attend by the deadline listed for each listening session. Additionally, a virtual listening session is available for those who cannot attend one of the in-person meetings. If you require sign language interpreters or interpretation assistance, please sign up at least seven days prior to the date of the listening session, to provide adequate time to meet the request.   

• Wednesday, Sept. 11, from 7 to 9 p.m. | Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center (1319 Apple Ave., Silver Spring, MD) | Sign up by Sept. 9 at 12 p.m. 

• Thursday, Sept. 12, from 7 to 9 p.m. | Wheaton Community Recreation Center (11701 Georgia Ave., Wheaton, MD) | Sign up by Sept. 10 at 12 p.m. 

• Tuesday, Sept. 17, from 7 to 9 p.m. | White Oak Community Recreation Center (1700 April Lane, Silver Spring, MD) | Sign up  by Sept. 13 at 12 p.m. 

• Monday, Sept. 23, from 7 to 9 p.m. | Germantown Community Center (18905 Kingsview Road, Germantown, MD) | Sign up  by Sept. 19 at 12 p.m. 

• Wednesday, Sept. 25, from 7 to 9 p.m. | Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center (4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, MD – Wisconsin Room) | Sign up by Sept. 23 at 12 p.m. 

• Wednesday, Oct. 2, Virtual Session (Zoom) 12 to 1:30 p.m. | Meeting details will be sent to registrants prior to the event | Sign up by Sept. 27 at 12 p.m. 

Sign Up to attend a Listening Session

The Council is also inviting residents to provide additional feedback on the Attainable Housing Strategies initiative.  

Background 

The Attainable Housing Strategies initiative, launched on March 4, 2021, recommends zoning modifications and other policy changes that would allow greater opportunities for Missing Middle Housing, which refers to a range of buildings that are compatible in scale, form and construction with single-family homes, but offer more than one housing unit, including a variety of duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes or flats. The proposed changes include a requirement for small scale attainable housing to adhere to the same setbacks, lot coverage and height restrictions as a single-family detached house.

The recommended changes are intended to help current and future Montgomery County residents find housing that fits their needs and enable more diverse, better integrated and economically sustainable neighborhoods.

The Attainable Housing Strategies initiative includes recommendations for three tiers or levels of development:  

• Small Scale Attainable Housing : Small scale attainable housing is what would be found in single-family neighborhoods. It refers to multi-unit buildings such as duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes that maintain the general size and scale of single-family homes in existing neighborhoods.  

• Medium Scale Attainable Housing : The medium scale recommendations focus on housing along growth corridors in the County and include three- to four-story stacked flats, small apartment buildings, and townhouses. The Planning Board recommends creating the Attainable Housing Optional Method of Development that limits the size of these housing types to promote a more attainable price than what existing new developments generally provide and would require approval by the Planning Board. 

• Large Scale Attainable Housing : Large scale attainable housing includes incorporating mixed-use, live/work, and apartment buildings that are four or more stories in height along growth corridors in the County through the master plan process or the creation of a new floating zone. The Council approves all zoning changes recommended in a master plan or requested via a floating zone application. 

Visit the Planning Department’s Attainable Housing Strategies initiative website or view the Attainable Housing Strategies Report for additional details.  

Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee Review 

The Council’s Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee held three meetings to review the Planning Board’s draft report. The Committee received a briefing on the Planning Board's report on June 24. The Committee reviewed the small and medium scale sections of the study on July 8. In addition, the Committee reviewed large scale and other recommendations, as well as code and policy considerations on July 22.  

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