County Council Passes Zoning Measure to Streamline Processes for Home-Based Businesses

Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 23-11, Regulatory Approvals – Conditional Use would take certain uses that are conditional and make them limited, as well as combine other uses to streamline applications that are reviewed by the Office of Zoning and Administrative Hearing (OZAH). ZTA 23-11 will streamline OZAH’s processes by allowing limited use approval in certain zones for businesses including home-based child care, home health practitioners, retail and service establishments, and rural country markets, among other measures.

The zoning measure will also provide the Hearing Examiner with more flexibility when reviewing applications. SRA 23-02, Preliminary Plan – Approval Procedures, will allow concurrent review of a preliminary plan and conditional use application.

These zoning changes will reduce unnecessary steps and better synchronize the Hearing Examiner and Planning Department processes.

Council President Friedson introduced ZTA 23-11 as part of a continued effort to cut bureaucratic red tape and reduce regulatory burdens. Previous streamlining efforts sponsored by Friedson and supported by the Council include ZTA 21-09, which reduced regulatory review processes by 75 percent for priority biohealth facilities, and ZTA 22-02, which streamlined processes to help biohealth facilities build and expand in urban areas including North Bethesda and Silver Spring. Friedson also spearheaded ZTA 23-02, along with Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles, last year to significantly reduce the time it takes to produce new mixed income housing communities.

The full staff report can be viewed here.