Montgomery County, Maryland wants to put its zoning where its transit is—it's just the latest in a string of transit-oriented land use reforms for the famously suburban county.

"Two new [Montgomery County] bills would allow multifamily housing near Metro stations and protect renters in transit areas from price gouging," reports Briana Adhikusuma.
Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando is expected to propose zoning change to "allow multifamily housing on R-60-zoned residential property within a mile of a Metrorail station," according to Adhikusuma.
"The structures would have to be within the building height, lot coverage, setbacks, minimum lot size and minimum parking requirements allowed in an R-60 zone."
Moreover, additional flexibility will be offered within a half-mile of transit stations, including Missing Middle Housing options, according to the article. Jawando is calling the effort the "More Housing for More People" initiative. The Silver Spring Downtown Plan, as discussed in public hearings in the county during June of this year, also calls for Missing Middle Housing.
More Housing for More People would realign Montgomery County relative to the transit-oriented development incentives found in the counties around Washington, D.C. The effort is just the latest attempt at land use reform in the county. In October, the county council approved a tax incentive for high-rise developments on Metro station properties. In August of this year, the county ended a development moratorium, and in .
In addition to the zoning changes, Jawando is offering additional legislation "to protect renters against rent gouging in transit areas," reports Adhikusuma. More details on that legislation can be found in the source article.
Planetizen shared news this week of Montgomery County's work on a new general plan, called Thrive Montgomery 2050, which, still in early planning stages, calls for more priority on housing supply and Missing Middle Housing as affordability tools in addition to a new approach to the integration of land use and transportation planning.
FULL STORY: Multifamily zoning proposed near Metro stations

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Massachusetts Budget Helps Close MBTA Budget Gap
The budget signed by Gov. Maura Healey includes $470 million in MBTA funding for the next fiscal year.

Milwaukee Launches Vision Zero Plan
Seven years after the city signed its Complete Streets Policy, the city is doubling down on its efforts to eliminate traffic deaths.

Portland Raises Parking Fees to Pay for Street Maintenance
The city is struggling to bridge a massive budget gap at the Bureau of Transportation, which largely depleted its reserves during the Civd-19 pandemic.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont