Scott C. Wallace

The Montgomery County Department of Finance published the required biennial update of its development impact taxes for transportation and public school improvements May 1. These taxes must be paid prior to the issuance of building permit(s) for a project. Absent County Council action to the contrary, effective July 1, all transportation impact tax rates will increase by 9.47%. This increase represents the change in the Engineering-News Record's Baltimore Construction Cost Index for calendar years 2021 and 2022. Meanwhile, most school impact

Montgomery County is in the process of updating several of its master plans, which make recommendations regarding land use, zoning, transportation and public facilities that shape the future development of specific properties. The master plan adoption process entails the development of a draft plan by Montgomery County Planning Staff (“Planning Staff”) and the Planning Board, approval by the County Council, and, finally, adoption by the full Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Below is a list of key master plans

The City of Rockville has launched the rewrite of its Zoning Ordinance to modernize it and implement the 2040 Comprehensive Plan of the City of Rockville (2040 Plan). Because the city anticipates the rewrite to be a lengthy process, the Mayor and Council have introduced an interim zoning text amendment (Interim ZTA) to allow development in accordance with the 2040 Plan in the near-term. The city’s Planning Commission is reviewing and developing its recommendations to the Mayor and Council on

Under recent amendments to Montgomery County’s Energy Benchmarking and Performance Standards Law, residential and non-residential buildings in the County - including buildings in Rockville and Gaithersburg - that are 25,000 gross square feet (GSF) and greater must now benchmark and report building profile and energy data to the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection. Effective Aug. 1, 2022, these building types must begin reporting to the County per the following schedule: Non-Residential Buildings 25,000 to 50,000 GSF and previously exempted buildings such

On July 26, 2022, the Montgomery County Council unanimously passed ZTA 22-02, which allows for additional height and development flexibility for research and development (“R&D”) and medical/scientific manufacturing facilities in the Commercial Residential, Life Science Center, Employment Office, and Moderate Industrial zones. For qualifying properties, subject to Planning Board approval, the ZTA allows for additional height and flexibility for R&D and medical/scientific manufacturing facilities as follows: On properties where the maximum zoned height is 100 feet or less, building height for

On June 14, 2022, the Montgomery County Council introduced ZTA 22-05, which proposes substantial revisions to Montgomery County’s Sign Ordinance. The intent of the ZTA is to remove inefficiencies from the sign review process and clarify the regulatory status of certain types of signs. Key changes proposed include: Allowing the Department of Permitting Services to approve changes to canopy signs without the need to amend the applicable Site Plan. Providing the Planning Board authority to approve residential entrance signs without further approvals

To assist our clients with properties in Montgomery and Frederick Counties, and the Cities of Gaithersburg, Rockville and Frederick, with understanding how the Covid-19 related closures may affect their pending and anticipated land use and regulatory entitlement reviews, we offer below a summary of how the various jurisdictions are approaching the situation. This information is current as of March 22, and is subject to change at any point. For further information, or to better understand how these closures may impact