Master Plan Review

Approved and Adopted

April 1990
BETHESDA -CHEVY CHASE
Bethesda / Chevy Chase Page 1 of 13 Updated July 2014 based on Adopted DMA


Public Listening Session 9/2009
ONING CODE REWRITE
In 2007, the Montgomery County Council directed the Planning Department to undertake a
comprehensive zoning ordinance rewrite. Last rewritten in 1977, the current 1,200
+
page code is
viewed as antiquated and hard to use with standards that have failed to keep pace with modern
development practices.
With only about four percent of land in the County available for greenfield development, the new
zoning code can play a crucial role in guiding redevelopment to areas like surface parking lots and
strip shopping centers. An updated zoning code is important for achieving the kind of growth
Montgomery County policymakers and residents want.
Initial sections of the new code were drafted by Code
Studio, a zoning consultant. These drafts were
subsequently analyzed and edited by planners based
on feedback from the Zoning Advisory Panel (a citizen
panel appointed by the Planning Board to weigh in on
the projects direction), county agency representatives,
residents and other stakeholders. In September 2012,
planning staff began the release of a draft code in
sections accompanied by a report highlighting changes
from the current code. The staff drafts were reviewed
at length by the Planning Board.
The Planning Board held worksessions and public hearings between September of 2012 and May of
2013. On May 2, they transmitted their draft to the County Council. The Council adopted the text of
the new code in March and adopted the new zoning map in July 2014.
The new code and map will go into effect on October 30, 2014.
ZONE IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS
An important aspect of the Zoning Rewrite process is the potential simplification of 123 existing
zones into about 30 proposed zones. While some of the proposed zones are a direct one-to-one
translation of existing zones, others are the result of combining existing zones with similar
standards. Additionally, existing zones that are not currently mapped or are no longer used in the
County have been eliminated from the proposed code. Through the implementation process,
Montgomery County aims to simplify the number of zones, eliminate redundancy, and clarify
development standards. A full translation table for all zones can be found in the documents section
of our website: www.zoningmontgomery.org.
BACKGROUND
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Agricultural, Residential, and Industrial Zone Implementation:
For agricultural and rural zones, the existing zones will be translated to proposed zones on a one-to-
one basis, with the exception of the Low Density Rural Cluster zone which is not currently used in
the County and will be eliminated.
Many of the existing residential zones will remain the same. Other residential zones will be
combined with existing zones that have similar development standards. The R-4Plex zone, which is
not currently mapped anywhere in the county, will be removed from the proposed code.
Implementation of Industrial zones will combine similar zones (Rural Service, I-1, and R+D) into the
proposed Industrial Moderate (IM) zone. The existing heavy industrial zone (I-2) will be renamed as
the Industrial Heavy (IH) zone.


Examples:
Agricultural
and Rural
Rural Density
Transfer (RDT)
Agricultural
Reserve (AR)
R-60
(detached residential)
R-60
(detached residential)
R-60/TDR
(detached residential)


Residential
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Commercial and Mixed-Use Zone Implementation:
Parcels located in the existing Commercial, Mixed-use, Central Business District (CBD), and Transit
Station zones will be translated into one of the proposed Commercial/Residential (CR) or
Employment (E) Zones using a two-tiered process.
First, decisions about specific parcels in these zones were based on recommendations within the
Master Plan. Planning staff reviewed each Master Plan in the County. When the Master Plan
provided specific recommendations about allowed density, height, or mix of uses for individual
commercial or mixed-use parcels, those recommendations were used to build the formula of the
proposed zone. This ensures consistency with currently allowed density and height, and helps
codify Master Plan recommendations in a parcel-specific manner.
Second, if the Master Plan did not make specific recommendations, the current zone changed to a
proposed zone on a one-to-one basis or the proposed zone was determined using a specific
standardized decision tree (see example below). The standardized decision tree translates existing
zones by considering each specific parcels proximity to single-family neighborhoods or other
factors. The goal of the implementation decision tree is to retain currently allowed heights and
densities and maintain context sensitivity.

Example: C-1 Convenience Commercial









Confronts or abuts
R-150 or less intense
or site is bigger than 5 acres
NR-0.75
H-45
then
Within a Historic
District
NR-0.75
H-45
then
Confronts or abuts
R-90, R-60, R-40, or R-MH
CRT-0.75
C-0.75 R-0.25 H-35
then
Confronts or abuts RT
or more intense
CRT-0.75
C-0.75 R-0.25 H-45
then
C-1

if
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PLAN VISION
The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Master Plan was approved and adopted in April 1990. The Bethesda-Chevy
Chase Plan is designed to achieve seven goals: Perpetuate and enhance the Planning Areas high quality
life, achieve a balanced level of future employment development, provide for a balanced housing
supply, protect the high quality residential communities, achieve a significant shift of new travel from
auto to transit and other mobility alternatives, protect the Planning Areas natural resources and
environmental qualities, and contribute to a strong sense of community.

PLAN HIGHLIGHTS
Development Levels
Maintain the relative level of households
compared to jobs to reduce the pressures of
commuting into the area.
Share new employment development between
Sector Plans and the Federal Employment
centers.
Locate new employment and residential
development in existing centers near Metro
stations.
Continue to recognize the importance of
biomedical and medically-oriented development in the area, but place less emphasis on large-scale
office projects.
Support existing businesses, including those that meet community retail and service needs.
Support increased housing density and housing types in Sector Plan areas and where compatible
with nearby properties.
Land Use and Zoning
Reconfirm the existing single-family land use and zoning as appropriate. Recommend single-family
attached use on some larger sites.

BETHESDA-CHEVY CHASE
National Institute of Health
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The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Planning Area currently has 12 zones: 9 Residential, and 3 Commercial.
Existing Residential:
R-200: Detached Unit, Single-Family
R-200/TDR: Detached Unit, Single-
Family
R-60: Detached Unit, Single-Family
R-60/TDR: Detached Unit, Single-Family
R-90: Detached Unit, Single-Family
R-90/TDR: Detached Unit, Single-Family
RT-12.5: Townhouse, Single-Family
R-30: Multi-Family, High-Rise
R-H: Multi-Family, High-Rise Planned

Existing Commercial:
C-1: Convenience Commercial
C-T: Commercial, Transitional
H-M: Hotel-Motel






The existing R-200 and R-200/TDR will combine to form the proposed R-200 zone, the R-60 and R-
60/TDR will both combine into the R-60 zone, and the R-90 and R-90/TDR will combine into the R-90
zone. The existing townhouse zone, RT-12.5 will remain RT-12.5 (Townhouse). The existing multi-family
R-30 and R-H zones will remain.
The existing C-T zone will translate to the proposed CRN zone. The existing C-1 zone will translate to the
proposed NR zone (Neighborhood Retail) and CRT (Commercial Residential Town) based on the location
and context for each of the parcels. Each parcels proximity to detached residential neighborhoods was
considered in the translation decision, with the overall goal to retain currently allowed heights and
densities and maintain context sensitivity.
The existing H-M zone will translate to the proposed CR (Commercial Residential) zone to accommodate
the allowed height.

ZONE IMPLEMENTATION
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In some cases, properties were not converted using the standard conversions as outlined earlier in the
packet.

Generally, this is because the relevant Master or Sector Plan made recommendations regarding the
appropriate density, height, or mix of uses on a given site.

In other cases, the text of the zoning ordinance or an overlay zone can affect the development potential
of a site, and therefore affect the conversion given as part of the draft proposed DMA.

Additionally, the PHED Committee instructed that, when requested by a property owner, existing site
approvals be reflected in the draft proposed DMA. Non-standard conversions sometimes reflect these
project approvals.

The following pages will give detail on all of the non-standard conversions in this plan area.

NON-STANDARD CONVERSIONS
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MP Number: BTHCC-01
Master Plan: Bethesda / Chevy Chase
Location: Pooks Hill
Existing Zone: H-M
Standard Conv: CR-1.0 C-1.0 R-0.5 H-160
Proposed Conv: CR-1.0 C-1.0 R-0.75 H-160
M
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t
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s

Zone Group: Standard
Overall FAR: Standard
Comml FAR: Standard
Residl FAR: Increased to 0.75
Height: Standard
Reason for non-standard conversion:
The land owner and neighboring communities worked out an
agreement about what was acceptable on this site, and the
District Council approved this conversion in concordance with
that agreement, making it a non-standard conversion.

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Bethesda - Chevy Chase
Existing Proposed
Zone Acres Percent Zone Acres Percent
R-200 1,681.44 17.79
R-200 1,684.45 16.98
R-200/TDR 3.02 0.03
R-60 4,939.38 51.99
R-60 4,969.63 52.31
R-60/TDR 30.26 0.32
R-90 2,664.58 28.05
R-90 2,680.08 28.21
R-90/TDR 15.5 0.16
RT-12.5 18.72 0.2 RT-12.5 18.72 0.2
R-30 65.71 0.69 R-30 65.71 0.66
R-H 42.14 0.44 R-H 42.14 0.44
C-1 21.23 0.22
CRT-0.75 C-0.75 R-0.25 H-35 8.82 0.09
NR-0.75 H-45
12.40 0.13
C-T 0.35 0 CRN-0.5 C-0.5 R-0.25 H-35 0.35 0
H-M 17.79 0.19 CR-1.0 C-1.0 R-0.75 H-160 17.79 0.18
Grand Total 9,500.10 Grand Total 9,500.10


ZONE IMPLEMENTATION
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Bethesda/Chevy Chase: Existing Zoning
Residental Low Density
Residential Medium Density
Townhouse
Multi-Family
Commercial
Bethesda/Chevy Chase: Proposed Zoning
Residental Low Density
Residential Medium Density
Townhouse
Multi-Family
Comm/Res - Neighborhood
Comm/Res - Town
Commercial/Residential
Neighborhood Retail
ZONE IMPLEMENTATION
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R-200
R-200/TDR
R-60
R-60/TDR
R-90
R-90/TDR
Townhouse
RT-12.5
Multi-Family
R-30
R-H
Commercial
C-T
C-1
H-M
Residential
Medium Density
Existing Zones
Residential
Low Density

EXISTING ZONING MAP
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R-200
R-60
R-90
Townhouse
RT-12.5
Multi-Family
R-30
R-H
CRN
CRT
CR
NR
Neighborhood
Retail
Commercial/
Residential
Residential
Medium Density
Comm/Res-
Neighborhood
Comm/Res-
Town
Proposed Zones
Residential
Low Density



PROPOSED ZONING MAP
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PLANNING AREA CONTEXT
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