Montgomery County Council Committee Meetings on June 12, 2023
MARYLAND, September 6 - For Immediate Release: Friday, June 9, 2023
Committees will receive a briefing on economic indicators in the County; review the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Matching Grant Program, amendments to the Master Plan for Historic Preservation and Zoning Text Amendments for the Bethesda Overlay Zone and mixed-use housing communities
The Economic Development (ECON) Committee will meet on Monday, June 12 at 9:30 a.m. to receive a briefing on the fourth quarter Montgomery County economic indicators from the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) and the Montgomery County Planning Department. The committee will also review Expedited Bill 23-23, Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Matching Grant Program – Amendment, and Executive Regulation 2-23, Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Matching Grant Program.
The members of the ECON Committee include Chair Natali Fani-González, Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe, Council President Evan Glass and Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles.
The Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to review amendments to the Master Plan for Historic Preservation. The committee will also review Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 23-03, Bethesda Overlay Zone – Extensions, ZTA 23-02, Regulatory Approvals - Mixed-Use Housing Community, and Subdivision Regulation Amendment (SRA) 23-01, Administrative Subdivision - Mixed-Use Housing Community.
The members of the PHP Committee include Chair Andrew Friedson and Councilmembers Fani-González and Will Jawando.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Briefing: The ECON Committee will receive a briefing on fourth quarter Montgomery County economic indicators presented by MCEDC and the Montgomery County Planning Department. The report tracks changes in key economic indicators including the labor force, employment, venture capital, real estate development and commercial real estate. The full presentation is available in the staff report.
Review: The ECON Committee will review Expedited Bill 23-23, Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Matching Grant Program – Amendment and Executive Regulation 2-23, Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Matching Grant Program. Bill 23-23 would modify the requirement to allow acceptance of applications under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Matching Grant Program on a fiscal year basis, rather than a calendar year basis.
In November 2022, the Council enacted Bill 31-22, which directs the County Executive to establish regulations with eligibility criteria for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant matching program. The regulations were published in January 2023 and received a 30-day public comment period; however, the 2022 calendar year to apply was foregone. Under current law, this makes several businesses ineligible to apply for that year. The purpose of the bill, and accompanying Executive Regulation 2-23, would be to allow receipt of applications for recipients of a federal SBIR or STTR grant during the fiscal year rather than the calendar year.
The lead sponsor is the Council President at the request of the County Executive.
Amendments to the Master Plan for Historic Preservation
Update and review: The PHP Committee will receive an update from the Planning Department and review two amendments to the Master Plan for Historic Preservation. The first amendment is to the Master Plan for Historic Preservation: Edward U. Taylor Elementary School, which includes a seven-acre property in Boyds. The Planning Board found that the Edward U. Taylor Elementary School meets three designation criteria as listed in the County Code and recommended that the Council designate the former Taylor school as historic.
In addition, the Council will consider an amendment to the Master Plan for Historic Preservation for Weller’s Dry Cleaning, which is a 9,376 square-foot site in Silver Spring. The Planning Board found that the Weller’s site did not meet the designation criteria for listing to the Locational Atlas, nor did it meet the criteria for amendment to the Master Plan for Historic Preservation. The site is privately owned, and the current owners are not supportive of the master plan designation.
Additional details on the Planning Board’s recommendations are included in the staff report.
Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 23-03, Bethesda Overlay Zone – Extensions
Review: The PHP Committee will review ZTA 23-03, Bethesda Overlay Zone – Extensions, which would grant a one-time, one-year extension to existing deadlines within the Bethesda Overlay Zone. Under the current zoning ordinance, if the Planning Board approves a site plan using Bethesda Overlay Zone density, the applicant must have a building permit application within two years of the date of the Planning Board’s resolution and no extensions are permitted.
This ZTA would grant a one-year, one-time extension to have a building permit for all applicants who have obtained site plan approval using Bethesda Overlay Zone density as of the effective date of the ZTA. The Planning Board has indicated that the ZTA is needed because developers are facing hurdles related to approval for financing due to inflation and rising interest rates.
The lead sponsor is the Council President at the request of the Planning Board.
Review: The PHP Committee will review ZTA 23-02, Regulatory Approvals - Mixed-Use Housing Community and SRA 23-01, Administrative Subdivision - Mixed-Use Housing Community. ZTA 23-02 would define a mixed-use housing community and create an expedited approval process for projects that contain a specified percentage of affordable housing as well as two commercial uses. SRA 23-01 would create an administrative subdivision process for a mixed-use housing community plan to ensure that the timelines are compatible in the event subdivision is necessary.
Councilmember Sayles and Vice President Friedson are lead sponsors of ZTA 23-02 and SRA 23-01. Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Kate Stewart and Council President Glass are cosponsors.
The Committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. The current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.
Council and committee meetings are streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube and on Facebook Live and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on Xfinity/RCN 6 HD 996/1056, Fios 30, and on the CCM live stream.
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Benjamin Sky Brandt 240-777-7884
