Why doesn't Montgomery County rezone Commercial Property to Housing?

[Anonymous]

^^^If you're not interested in living in a duplex, you don't have to. If you're not interested in building a duplex/having a duplex built, you also don't have to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^If you're not interested in living in a duplex, you don't have to. If you're not interested in building a duplex/having a duplex built, you also don't have to.

I am interested in living in a neighborhood with SFHs, which is why I bought where I bought. I do not want duplexes in my immediate neighborhood. And neither do my neighbors.

[Anonymous]

Check out the MoCo Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities plan, where they are expanding what is considered part of the plan/area boundary into established surrounding neighborhoods for the express purpose of density increases in those neighborhoods vs. utilizing existing zoning in the downtown area, proper.

https://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/communities/downcounty/silver-spring/silver-spring-downtown-plan/

I recognize the poster in this thread promoting changes to single family neighborhoods in favor of "missing middle" duplexes, triplexes and quadriplexes. A political science-educated "Yes In My Back Yard" proponent and blogger with a small posse who knows that being vocal and tuned in (connected) allows for grossly outsized influence in planning matters (as would be the case for most, if not all, political action).

The fact that the plan boundary was decided during a time when the pandemic had everything closed down and the upcoming election had everyone's attention is no coincidence. It permitted those connected to the county council to run roughshod, as there was little notice to the neighborhoods considering the impacts and thus little, if any, participation from them. Most are still unaware, and the opportunity to have their voices heard is vanishing quickly as the plan moves into the next phase.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check out the MoCo Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities plan, where they are expanding what is considered part of the plan/area boundary into established surrounding neighborhoods for the express purpose of density increases in those neighborhoods vs. utilizing existing zoning in the downtown area, proper.

https://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/communities/downcounty/silver-spring/silver-spring-downtown-plan/

I recognize the poster in this thread promoting changes to single family neighborhoods in favor of "missing middle" duplexes, triplexes and quadriplexes. A political science-educated "Yes In My Back Yard" proponent and blogger with a small posse who knows that being vocal and tuned in (connected) allows for grossly outsized influence in planning matters (as would be the case for most, if not all, political action).

The fact that the plan boundary was decided during a time when the pandemic had everything closed down and the upcoming election had everyone's attention is no coincidence. It permitted those connected to the county council to run roughshod, as there was little notice to the neighborhoods considering the impacts and thus little, if any, participation from them. Most are still unaware, and the opportunity to have their voices heard is vanishing quickly as the plan moves into the next phase.

Mike English?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because officials planning these things have a strong preference for commercial property? Commercial property - assuming it's utilized - generates tax revenue without requiring much city or county services. Residential property - especially townhouses - generate an initial sugar high of additional revenue, but tend to be filled with kids who require a lot of spending.

The idea that all of the former retail space in MoCo will be used in nonsense. Quote suggests the writer is also against the middle income housing proposals as well as upzoning proposals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check out the MoCo Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities plan, where they are expanding what is considered part of the plan/area boundary into established surrounding neighborhoods for the express purpose of density increases in those neighborhoods vs. utilizing existing zoning in the downtown area, proper.

https://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/communities/downcounty/silver-spring/silver-spring-downtown-plan/

I recognize the poster in this thread promoting changes to single family neighborhoods in favor of "missing middle" duplexes, triplexes and quadriplexes. A political science-educated "Yes In My Back Yard" proponent and blogger with a small posse who knows that being vocal and tuned in (connected) allows for grossly outsized influence in planning matters (as would be the case for most, if not all, political action).

The fact that the plan boundary was decided during a time when the pandemic had everything closed down and the upcoming election had everyone's attention is no coincidence. It permitted those connected to the county council to run roughshod, as there was little notice to the neighborhoods considering the impacts and thus little, if any, participation from them. Most are still unaware, and the opportunity to have their voices heard is vanishing quickly as the plan moves into the next phase.

Mike English?

Typical that someone using logical fallacies in pursuit of political aims instead of honest discourse in pursuit of understanding and the common good would out themselves on an anonymous board to garner sympathy for their position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check out the MoCo Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities plan, where they are expanding what is considered part of the plan/area boundary into established surrounding neighborhoods for the express purpose of density increases in those neighborhoods vs. utilizing existing zoning in the downtown area, proper.

https://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/communities/downcounty/silver-spring/silver-spring-downtown-plan/

I recognize the poster in this thread promoting changes to single family neighborhoods in favor of "missing middle" duplexes, triplexes and quadriplexes. A political science-educated "Yes In My Back Yard" proponent and blogger with a small posse who knows that being vocal and tuned in (connected) allows for grossly outsized influence in planning matters (as would be the case for most, if not all, political action).

The fact that the plan boundary was decided during a time when the pandemic had everything closed down and the upcoming election had everyone's attention is no coincidence. It permitted those connected to the county council to run roughshod, as there was little notice to the neighborhoods considering the impacts and thus little, if any, participation from them. Most are still unaware, and the opportunity to have their voices heard is vanishing quickly as the plan moves into the next phase.

Mike English?

Typical that someone using logical fallacies in pursuit of political aims instead of honest discourse in pursuit of understanding and the common good would out themselves on an anonymous board to garner sympathy for their position.

What are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

Let me introduce you to the upcoming "Twinbrook Quarter". https://tortigallas.com/portfolio/twinbrook-quarter

It's literally what you wanted OP. This is thanks to the Rockville City Council and not the county council though because it's located within the city limits of Rockville. During the city council meeting where the final vote took place, a large number of people that live in the Walter Johnson school district but NOT IN THE CITY came and said they didn't want it to be built. Everyone that lived in the city said that it should be built. The dichotomy was pretty striking. City of Rockville residents want the city to improve while the selfish county residents only cared about their school capacity even if it means wasting space right next to the Metro stop that is perfectly suited for residential and mixed use development. They didn't care that those seas of parking lots are ugly eyesores in the city of Rockville, all they care about is themselves.

[Anonymous]

Or...they care about both, but are highly attuned to the fact that MoCo has been underfunding MCPS facilities for more than 2 decades and they know that they should fight against zoning changes that encourage development without associated infrastructure guarantees. REAL guarantees, and at levels that actually fund the need -- not the artificially low impact taxes that are routinely offset with incentives that come from the general tax burden.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or...they care about both, but are highly attuned to the fact that MoCo has been underfunding MCPS facilities for more than 2 decades and they know that they should fight against zoning changes that encourage development without associated infrastructure guarantees. REAL guarantees, and at levels that actually fund the need -- not the artificially low impact taxes that are routinely offset with incentives that come from the general tax burden.

Everything doesn’t revolve around school capacity. You build houses and when more schools are needed, MCPS must build them. By not allowing new housing, you are moving new residents further North which means we need road expansion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or...they care about both, but are highly attuned to the fact that MoCo has been underfunding MCPS facilities for more than 2 decades and they know that they should fight against zoning changes that encourage development without associated infrastructure guarantees. REAL guarantees, and at levels that actually fund the need -- not the artificially low impact taxes that are routinely offset with incentives that come from the general tax burden.

Everything doesn’t revolve around school capacity. You build houses and when more schools are needed, MCPS must build them. By not allowing new housing, you are moving new residents further North which means we need road expansion.

NP and I disagree. This kind of "catch up" planning has caused enormous problems throughout the County in terms of access to public transportation, school overcrowding, etc., These problems directly contribute to socioeconomic inequity.

It would be much better to get the infrastructure needed to support a new residential area in place before building the residences.

[Anonymous]

Are there areas actually where housing is not allowed in favor of commercial? It seems to me that usually wherever commercial is allowed housing is also allowed.

Certainly every new building in downtown Bethesda seems to be a mix of commercial and housing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or...they care about both, but are highly attuned to the fact that MoCo has been underfunding MCPS facilities for more than 2 decades and they know that they should fight against zoning changes that encourage development without associated infrastructure guarantees. REAL guarantees, and at levels that actually fund the need -- not the artificially low impact taxes that are routinely offset with incentives that come from the general tax burden.

Everything doesn’t revolve around school capacity. You build houses and when more schools are needed, MCPS must build them. By not allowing new housing, you are moving new residents further North which means we need road expansion.

NP and I disagree. This kind of "catch up" planning has caused enormous problems throughout the County in terms of access to public transportation, school overcrowding, etc., These problems directly contribute to socioeconomic inequity.

It would be much better to get the infrastructure needed to support a new residential area in place before building the residences.

When has school capacity ever been built out before residents came to fill it? There are literally plots of land in King Farm and Fallsgrove for schools that MCPS isn’t building ahead of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
When has school capacity ever been built out before residents came to fill it? There are literally plots of land in King Farm and Fallsgrove for schools that MCPS isn’t building ahead of time.

Different when there's a large greenfield plot that gets planned out, with spaces reserved for later school building and infill or upzoning in an already developed communities where there aren't any large open plots to use other than parks, which are too few anyway. Any place inside the beltway or along 355 or the like typically has more students than capacity already. MCPS and planning don't operate arm in arm and that's part of the reason why. Overcrowded schools and other infrastructure shortfalls don't make for a great community, so residents are forced to advocate when developers, politicians and their operatives plan to shoehorn something in.

Development isn't the problem. Poorly planned development is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
When has school capacity ever been built out before residents came to fill it? There are literally plots of land in King Farm and Fallsgrove for schools that MCPS isn’t building ahead of time.

Different when there's a large greenfield plot that gets planned out, with spaces reserved for later school building and infill or upzoning in an already developed communities where there aren't any large open plots to use other than parks, which are too few anyway. Any place inside the beltway or along 355 or the like typically has more students than capacity already. MCPS and planning don't operate arm in arm and that's part of the reason why. Overcrowded schools and other infrastructure shortfalls don't make for a great community, so residents are forced to advocate when developers, politicians and their operatives plan to shoehorn something in.

Development isn't the problem. Poorly planned development is.

The only place on the planet I’ve heard of building infrastructure ahead of demand is China and they have empty cities.