Active Land Use, Zoning, and Planning Policy Updates in the City of Rockville and Gaithersburg

The municipalities of Rockville and Gaithersburg are in the midst of updating important land use, planning, and zoning policies that are intended to spur meaningful reinvestment in each jurisdiction

The City of Rockville adopted an update to its Comprehensive Plan (“Rockville 2040”) in August 2021 and is currently in the process of adopting a comprehensive rewrite of its Zoning Ordinance (“Zoning Rewrite”) and an accompanying Zoning Map Amendment (“ZMA”) which will implement various zoning changes consistent with Rockville 2040. The City of Gaithersburg adopted a comprehensive rewrite of its Zoning Ordinance (“Retool Gaithersburg”) in July 2024 and is now in the process of updating its comprehensive plan (“Build Gaithersburg 2040”). While each municipality pursued these changes in a different order, Gaithersburg and Rockville are both undertaking these policy and regulatory updates to attract investments in their communities in the form of additional housing and jobs, among other important objectives. Another important policy objective that these neighboring jurisdictions share is the rejection of rent control, which has effectively precluded the construction of multi-family rental housing in the unincorporated portions of Montgomery County in most instances.

This article provides an overview of the status of Rockville’s Zoning Rewrite and ZMA, and Gaithersburg’s Build Gaithersburg 2040, while identifying opportunities for property owners and other interested stakeholders to participate in these processes.

Read the full article on Washington Business Journal.