Zoning Ordinance Rewrite & Comprehensive Map Amendment

The Zoning Ordinance Rewrite and Comprehensive Map Amendment project has entered its next phase and final phase – the adoption process. This news feed post provides some key updates and details how to be involved through this adoption process.

Authorization to File Granted

On December 1, the Rockville Mayor and Council voted to authorize staff to file Staff’s recommended draft of the zoning text amendment to revise and replace the city’s Zoning Ordinance (also known as Chapter 25 of City Code); and to file Staff’s recommended draft of the comprehensive map amendment to revise and replace the city’s zoning map. A recording of the meeting is available on the city’s website.

Commonly called “authorization to file”, this action is not the final step in this process – in fact, it is just the start of the next phase. Now the real work begins! Through a series of public hearings and work sessions, the Staff Draft of these items will be reviewed and revised first by the city’s Planning Commission, and then by the Mayor and Council. At each step along the way, community members will have opportunities to provide input to help improve the draft (more details below). This “adoption process” is anticipated to last approximately 6 months.

Draft Zoning Ordinance and Draft Zoning Map Ready for Review

The Staff Draft Zoning Ordinance is now available for the public to review. You can find the Staff Draft in its entirety here. We understand that this is a large, technical document. To assist with that, we’ve developed a document called Highlights: City of Rockville Staff Draft Zoning Ordinance that provides a high-level overview of the Staff Draft of the Zoning Ordinance and outlines key changes between the current Zoning Ordinance and the Staff Draft. With this user-friendly guide, you can focus your efforts on reviewing the sections of the code you are most interested in. You can find the Highlights document here.

Additionally, we’ve made a Staff Draft zoning map available for public review and comment as well. This map shows which properties Staff propose to be rezoned, as well as the specific zone recommendation for each parcel. We suggest viewing the Staff Draft zoning map through our interactive webmap, here. On this page you can pan across the city, zoom in and out, or even search for a specific property address. You can also move the “slider bar” in the center of the page to see both the existing and proposed zones. When you click on a parcel, a pop up window will appear that provides information about the current and proposed zones for that piece of land. If you’d prefer to look at static versions of the Staff Draft maps without the interactive features, they can be seen here.

ZOR/CMA Orientation Sessions – December 4 and January 7

CPDS staff will be hosting two orientation sessions to help the public understand how and where to review the Staff Draft Zoning Ordinance and Staff Draft zoning map, as well as how to submit feedback on these drafts. At these meetings staff will provide a brief project overview, then dive into a dynamic session outlining all of the resources tied to this project that are available to the public. These meetings will not cover all of the proposed changes to the Zoning Ordinance or zoning map, but instead will focus on available resources and feedback tools.

Both meetings are virtual and will begin at 7 p.m. These meetings will be identical to one another, so interested parties should attend the meeting that best fits their schedule. Our last newsletter advertised the December 4 meeting, and we’ve now finalized the date for our January meeting as well. Advanced registration is required to receive a Webex meeting link. Please register at the links below:

Planning Commission Work Session – December 10

The Planning Commission will be briefed on the draft Staff Draft Zoning Ordinance and Staff Draft zoning map on December 10. During this meeting, it is also anticipated that the Planning Commission will identify topics they would like to schedule for discussion at future work sessions in early 2026.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and is held in the Mayor and Council Chambers of Rockville City Hall. The meeting is also broadcast live on Channel 11. The brief book for the meeting, which includes the staff report and other briefing materials, will be available approximately one week before the meeting in the Agenda Center of the city's website.

Submit Your Feedback!

Once you’ve had an opportunity to review the Staff Draft Zoning Ordinance and Staff Draft zoning map, we’d love to hear your feedback. The best way to share your thoughts with us is by completing the feedback forms on Engage Rockville. These forms ask a series of questions and also provide an open space for anyone to leave additional comments. Feedback form submissions will be shared with the Planning Commission and Mayor and Council during their respective work sessions on the project.

There are separate feedback forms for the different components of the project. The Staff Draft Zoning Ordinance feedback form can be found here. The Staff Draft Zoning Map feedback form is here. We encourage you to complete one or both forms, depending on the comments you have to share.

The Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) and Comprehensive Map Amendment (CMA) project is gearing up to enter the adoption phase!

We want to take the opportunity to notify you of upcoming meetings on December 1 and December 4, but please keep an eye out for another News Feed post and updates to the Engage Rockville project page next week.

Authorization to File – December 1

On December 1, the Rockville Mayor and Council will vote to authorize staff to file the zoning text amendment to revise and replace the city’s Zoning Ordinance (also known as Chapter 25 of City Code); and to file the comprehensive map amendment to revise and replace the city’s zoning map.

The meeting begins at 6:30 pm and will take place in the Council Chamber at Rockville City Hall and will also be live broadcast on Rockville 11 and online. The staff report and meeting agenda are available in the Agenda Center of the city’s website. Members of the public may sign up to speak during the public forum section of the meeting; see the meeting agenda for instructions to sign up.

Commonly called “authorization to file”, this action is not the final step in this process – in fact, it is just the start of the next phase. This step is largely administrative, as it is required prior to any changes to Rockville’s Zoning Ordinance. Once authorization to file is granted, the real work begins – an approximately 6-month process of detailed review and discussion by the community, Planning Commission and, ultimately, a decision by the Mayor and Council.

Over the coming weeks and months, expect more information regarding public hearings and work sessions with the Planning Commission and Mayor and Council, prior to anticipated adoption in late spring 2026.

ZOR/CMA Orientation Session – December 4

CPDS staff will be hosting an orientation session to help the public understand how and where to review the draft Zoning Ordinance and draft zoning map, as well as how to submit feedback on these drafts. At this meeting staff will provide a brief project overview, then dive into a dynamic session outlining all of the resources tied to this project that are available to the public. This meeting will not cover all of the proposed changes to the Zoning Ordinance or zoning map but instead will focus on available resources and feedback tools.

The meeting is virtual and will begin at 7 p.m. Advanced registration is required to receive a Webex meeting link. Please register at the link below:

Can’t make the December 4 meeting? A duplicate meeting will be scheduled in early January prior to the first Planning Commission work session. Registration for that meeting will be made available in the coming weeks.

More Information to Come

Following the December 1 Mayor and Council meeting, this page will be updated with additional information, as noted at the top. More to come on that soon!

The Mayor and Council were scheduled to host their fifth work session on the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite and Comprehensive Map Amendment at their meeting on Monday, September 29. This session was to focus on a variety of miscellaneous topics including historic preservation, amenity space, subdivision, and nonconformities.

Due to the unexpected length of agenda items earlier in the council meeting, and the anticipated length and depth of the work session, the Mayor and Council voted during the meeting to postpone this work session.

As a result, the work session has been rescheduled to next Monday, October 6. The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm and will take place in the Council Chamber at Rockville City Hall and will also be live broadcast on Rockville 11 and online. The agenda packet for the meeting has already been published (available in the Agenda Center of the city’s website), but will be updated to reflect the addition of the ZOR/CMA work session onto the agenda. The staff report, presentation deck and discussion items will remain unchanged. Members of the public may sign up to speak during the public forum section of the meeting; see the meeting agenda for instructions to sign up.

Outreach and engagement for the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite and Comprehensive Map Amendment continues. Below is a summary of the upcoming public meetings for the project over the course of the next month or so. Please note that some of these dates have shifted since our previous update in July.

Community Meeting on Outstanding Topics – September 25

City staff will be hosting a community meeting focused on a variety of miscellaneous topics including historic preservation, subdivision, nonconformities, and signs on September 25. This meeting will discuss the same themes and topics that will be discussed by the Mayor and Council on September 29 and the Planning Commission on October 8. This meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and take place virtually. Advanced registration is required to receive a Webex meeting link. Please register the following link – registration link.

Mayor and Council Work Session – September 29

The Mayor and Council will be hosting their fifth work session on the ZOR/CMA project on September 29. This meeting will focus on a variety of miscellaneous topics that have yet to be discussed by the Mayor and Council, including historic preservation, subdivision, nonconformities, and signs.

This meeting begins at 6:30 pm and will take place in the Council Chamber at Rockville City Hall and will also be live broadcast on Rockville 11 and online. The staff report and meeting agenda will be available in the Agenda Center of the city’s website approximately 10 days before the meeting. Members of the public may sign up to speak during the public forum section of the meeting; see the meeting agenda for instructions to sign up.

Planning Commission Meeting – October 8

Following the Mayor and Council’s fifth work session, the Planning Commission meeting will focus on a variety of miscellaneous topics that have yet to be discussed by the Planning Commission, including historic preservation, subdivision, nonconformities, and signs, at their meeting on October 8.

Planning Commission meetings typically start at 7 p.m. and will be both in-person and virtual. The staff report and meeting agenda will be available in the Agenda Center of the city’s website approximately one week before each meeting.

Earlier this summer, we shared news of nearly a dozen upcoming public meetings where the Rockville community can learn more about the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) and Comprehensive Map Amendment (CMA) process. There have been a few changes to meeting dates, as well as some new meetings scheduled, which are shared in this post. The “Key Dates” tab on the right side of this page has been updated with this latest information.

Previously Announced Meetings

Community Meeting on Parking and Land Uses – July 31

City staff will be hosting a community meeting focused on parking and land useson July 31. The proposed date for this meeting has not changed since it was initially announced in May. This meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and take place virtually. Advanced registration is required to receive a Webex meeting link. Please register the following link – registration link.

Mayor and Council Work Session – August 4 (previously July 21)

The fourth ZOR work session before the Mayor and Council will be hosted on August 4. This meeting was previously anticipated to take place on July 21. This meeting will build off the past work sessions held in January, March and May and will focus on parking and land uses.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be virtual only. The staff report and meeting agenda will be available in the Agenda Center of the city’s website approximately 10 days before the meeting. Members of the public may sign up to speak during the public forum section of the meeting; see the meeting agenda for instructions to sign up.

Planning Commission Meeting – August 13 (previously July 23)

The Planning Commission is anticipated to discuss parking and land uses contemplated in the ZOR during their August 13 meeting. This meeting was previously anticipated to take place on July 23. Since the Mayor and Council work session on the same topic was postponed (see above), this meeting has also shifted to ensure it takes place after the Mayor and Council work session. Planning Commission meetings typically start at 7 p.m. and will be both in-person and virtual. The staff report and meeting agenda will be available in the Agenda Center of the city’s website approximately one week before each meeting.

Newly Scheduled Meetings

Mayor and Council Work Session – September 15

The fifth ZOR work session before the Mayor and Council will take place on September 15. This meeting will focus on a variety of miscellaneous topics that have yet to be discussed by the Mayor and Council, including historic preservation, subdivision, nonconformities, and signs.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be both in-person and virtual. The staff report and meeting agenda will be available in the Agenda Center of the city’s website approximately 10 days before the meeting. Members of the public may sign up to speak during the public forum section of the meeting; see the meeting agenda for instructions to sign up.

Planning Commission Meeting – September 24

Following the Mayor and Council’s fifth work session, the Planning Commission meeting will focus on a variety of miscellaneous topics that have yet to be discussed by the Planning Commission, including historic preservation, subdivision, nonconformities, and signs at their meeting on September 24.

Planning Commission meetings typically start at 7 p.m. and will be both in-person and virtual. The staff report and meeting agenda will be available in the Agenda Center of the city’s website approximately one week before each meeting.

Community Meeting on Outstanding Topics – September 25

City staff will be hosting a community meeting focused on a variety of miscellaneous topics including historic preservation, subdivision, nonconformities, and signs on September 25. This meeting will discuss the same themes and topics as discussed by the Mayor and Council on September 15 and the Planning Commission on September 24. This meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and take place virtually. Advanced registration is required to receive a Webex meeting link. Please register the following link – registration link.

As previously discussed on this page, in recent years, the city has adopted several policies to guide land use and development within Rockville. These include specific rezoning recommendations of the Rockville 2040 Comprehensive Plan and Town Center Master Plan, as well as with general policy direction to steer the densest development to transit-oriented areas. A key component of the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite and Comprehensive Map Amendment project is to rezone properties in the city to help align the city’s land use zoning to the city’s adopted goals and policies. This process is referred to as the Comprehensive Map Amendment (CMA).

In early June, a hard copy mailing was sent to a) all properties and property owners recommended to be rezoned through the CMA and b) all owners of property within 500 feet of property proposed to be rezoned through the CMA. The mailing informed property owners and residents of the recommendations and invited them to attend upcoming meetings specifically tailored to the Comprehensive Map Amendment. Registration information for these virtual meetings can be found below:

A copy of the letter sent to the properties proposed for rezoning can be found here. A copy of the letter sent to properties within 500 feet of those recommended to be rezoned can be found here. Frequently Asked Questions and a Zoning District Quick Reference Guide were also included in these mailing.

You may view an interactive map showing all zoning changes recommended in the Comprehensive Map Amendment. Additionally, you may read the Rockville 2040 Comprehensive Plan to see references to any property proposed for rezoning.

For any of these proposed rezonings to occur, the Mayor and Council will have to adopt the Comprehensive Map Amendment. This will take place through a public process projected to begin in December 2025.

We hope to see you at a meeting this summer. For any questions or comments, contact zoning@rockvillemd.gov.

The Mayor and Council will hold a work session March 3 on the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite, focusing on process improvements under the city’s Faster, Accountable, Smarter, and Transparent (FAST) 2 initiative. The Mayor and Council previously provided overall direction to proceed with FAST 2 at a work session held on September 30, 2024.

Improving the development process directly relates to three of the Mayor and Council's primary guiding principles:

Since that work session, city staff have explored ways to achieve the Mayor and Council’s objectives. The March 3 work session will focus on specific development processes, including project and site plans. Staff will present recommended changes and seek the Mayor and Council’s guidance. Since these processes are regulated through the city’s zoning ordinance, the proposed changes would be implemented by amending the text of the zoning ordinance through the ongoing Zoning Ordinance Rewrite project.

The March 3 meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. and will be both in-person and virtual. See the staff report with the meeting agenda here. Members of the public may sign up to speak during the public forum section of the meeting. See the meeting agenda for instructions.

Contact zoning@rockvillemd.gov with questions or comments.