Montgomery County Council to Hold Committee Meetings on Sept. 18

Per Montgomery County: The joint Transportation and Environment (TE) and Public Safety (PS) Committee will meet on Monday, Sept. 18 at 9:30 a.m. to receive a briefing on safety while traveling by transit. The members of the TE Committee include Chair Evan Glass and Councilmembers Marilyn Balcombe and Kate Stewart. The TE Committee will meet at 10:30 a.m. to continue review of the Planning Board draft of the Pedestrian Master Plan. The members of the PS Committee include Chair Sidney Katz and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Kristin Mink.

The Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to review Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 23-05, Vehicle Parking Design Standards – Commercial Vehicle Parking for Properties with a Residential Use. The Committee also will receive an update from the Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) on first time homebuyer programs and receive a briefing on the Bethesda Overlay Zone Annual Monitoring Report.

The members of the PHP Committee include Chair Andrew Friedson and Councilmembers Natali Fani-González and Will Jawando. The joint PS and Health and Human Services (HSS) Committee will also meet at 1:30 p.m. to review Bill 33-23, Police – Voluntary Registry for Emergency 911 Calls – Established. The members of the HHS Committee include Chair Gabe Albornoz and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Laurie-Anne Sayles. The PS Committee meeting on Bill 32-23, Police – Policing Advisory Commission – Amendments, has been rescheduled to Oct. 2.

More detail on each agenda item is provided below.

Safety While Traveling by Transit

Briefing: The joint TE and PS Committee will meet to receive a briefing on safety while traveling by transit from representatives of the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) and the Washington Metro Transit Authority (WMATA). The briefing will include details about safety on County Ride On buses, Metrobuses and Metrorail. WMATA has its own police department, while Metro Transit Police and MCPD provides assistance as needed.

Montgomery County has a robust public transit infrastructure that is served by a 79-route County Ride On bus system and averages 46,000 riders daily. The regional Washington Metro Transit Authority (WMATA) bus and rail system also serves the County. In June 2023, Red Line daily ridership from County stations was about 36,000 riders. Daily WMATA bus ridership averages about 29,000 riders on bus lines that serve Montgomery County.

Pedestrian Master Plan

Review: The TE Committee will continue to review the Planning Board draft of the Pedestrian Master Plan. The Committee held its first meeting to review the plan on Sept. 11, 2023. The plan is Montgomery Planning’s first comprehensive vision to create safer, more comfortable experiences walking or rolling around the County, and to make getting around more convenient and accessible for every pedestrian. On July 25, the Council received an overview of the Planning Board draft by its staff, followed by a public hearing.

Zoning Text Amendment 23-05, Vehicle Parking Design Standards – Commercial Vehicle Parking for Properties with a Residential Use

Review: The PHP Committee will review ZTA 23-05, Vehicle Parking Design Standards – Commercial Vehicle Parking for Properties with a Residential Use, which would expand the options for parking certain vehicles in the R-200, R-90, R-60 and R-40 zones. The lead sponsor is Councilmember Albornoz. Councilmembers Balcombe and Katz are cosponsors.

Currently, the zoning ordinance allows only one light commercial vehicle and one recreational vehicle to be parked on any lot or parcel in the R-200, R-90, R-60 or R-40 zones. ZTA 23-05 would expand these options to allow, alternatively, two light commercial vehicles to be parked on any lot or parcel in the R-200, R-90, R-60 or R-40 zones. A light commercial vehicle is a motor vehicle or trailer used for carrying freight or merchandise or used in the promotion of any commercial enterprise that is less than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, less than 21 feet long and less than 8 feet high.

Department of Housing and Community Affairs first-time homebuyer programs

Update: The PHP Committee will receive an update on DHCA’s first-time homebuyer programs. These programs include the Montgomery Homeownership Program (MHP) and Montgomery Employee Down Payment Assistance Loan (MEDPAL) programs for certain County public employees. The Housing Opportunities Commission also administers the Montgomery County Homeownership Assistance Fund (MCHAF).

These programs provide eligible County residents and employees with down payment assistance and closing cost assistance, in the form of a zero-interest secondary loan, for first-time home purchases. Both programs are used in conjunction with primary loans offered through the Maryland Mortgage Program (MMP), which are subject to the applicable terms and conditions of that program. An MMP borrower cannot own any other real property at the time of closing. The MMP also offers additional types of loans, including primary loans with low or no interest rates.

Bethesda Overlay Zone Annual Monitoring Report

Briefing: The PHP Committee will receive a briefing from representatives of the Montgomery County Planning Department on the Bethesda Overlay Zone Annual Monitoring Report. The report provides a comprehensive update on the implementation of the May 2017 Approved and Adopted Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan. The Sector Plan contains numerous interrelated and interdependent recommendations that depend upon coordination among several agencies and private developers. To aid in this coordination, the sector plan recommends annual monitoring of development activity, school capacity, park funding and transportation adequacy. The 2023 report includes a new section on Greening the Downtown, providing an update on tree canopy and green cover in the plan area.

Bill 33-23, Police – Voluntary Registry for Emergency 911 Calls – Established

Review: The joint PS and HSS Committee will review Bill 33-23, which would establish a voluntary registry for emergency 911 calls to enable the public to provide personal and medical information to assist emergency responders and generally amend the law regarding public safety, emergency response and policing. The lead sponsor is Councilmember Dawn Luedtke. Councilmember Kate Stewart, Council President Evan Glass, Council Vice-President Andrew Friedson, and Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz, Sidney Katz and Natali Fani-González are cosponsors.

The Committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. View the current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review on the Council website.

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.