Montgomery News

City of Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council met July 9.

Here is the minutes provided by the Council:

1. CALL TO ORDER

The Work Session of the Mayor and City Council was called to order at 7:30 PM with Mayor Jud Ashman presiding.

Attendee Name Title Status Arrived

Jud Ashman Mayor Present

Ryan Spiegel Council Vice President Present

Neil Harris Council Member Present

Laurie-Anne Sayles Council Member Present

Michael Sesma Council Member Present

Robert Wu Council Member Present

Staff Present: City Manager Tomasello, City Attorney Board, Long Range Planning Manager Robinson and Planner I Howell. Planning Commissioners present for joint work session: Bauer, Hopkins, Kaufman and Wessell.

2. PUBLIC HEARING (MCC ONLY)

A. FCC Required Public Hearing on Comcast Franchise Renewal Pursuant to Chapter 6 of the City Code, Entitled "Cable Services," Section 6-4, Entitled "Award of Franchise"

City Manager Tomasello introduced Comcast representative Josh Bokee (Director of Government Affairs) who was accompanied by Robert Guatizo (Comcast Customer Care Center Representative). As part of the public hearing on the Comcast franchise renewal, an update was provided on Comcast’s efforts in regard to products, services, customer service experiences, and positive investments in Gaithersburg. Additionally, Mr. Bokee responded to questions from the City Council concerning the Internet Essentials program, customer privacy, internet speeds, service center locations, and Comcast’s view on net neutrality.

There were no speakers from the public.

Regarding the franchise renewal process, staff will draft an agreement providing the Mayor and City Council with a summary of changes from the existing agreement and points of negotiation. As the Franchise Agreement is handled through the adoption of an ordinance, a second public hearing will be scheduled.

3. JOINT WORK SESSION (PLANNING COMMISSION)

A. CD Zone Outreach Report and Direction

Long Range Planning Manager Robinson and Planner Howell presented the results of an online survey on the CD (Corridor Development) Zone. Staff gave a summary of the history of the CD Zone, stating that was developed to implement the 2001 Frederick Avenue Corridor Land Use Plan and that in 2013 the Frederick Avenue Corridor and Vicinity Development Capacity Study, determined the need to amend the current CD Zone. At a joint work session on the CD Zone in 2015, the City Council directed staff to engage with the public on ways in which to amend the CD Zone. This outreach initiative was included as an action item in the City’s Annual Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2017 and 2018.

Staff presented details on the outreach effort, which included a project page, an interactive 12 question online survey open from May 1 - 30, 2018, social media outreach, postcard mailings, and email notifications. The survey received 317 responses over 30 days.

Staff then presented the results of the survey as well as recommendations based on the results and asked for guidance on how to proceed with amending the CD Zone. Results were presented on the following topics: demographics of respondents, zoning goals, purposes of the CD Zone, allowable and special exception uses, height and setbacks, floor area ratio, height and setback waivers and density bonuses.

City Council members and Commissioners stated that overall, they agreed with staff’s recommendations. They expressed the desire to see more from the data; in particular to be able to see the responses to different questions filtered by stakeholder group. Staff stated that this information could be provided to them. They also expressed their support for using floor area ratio (FAR) and would like to have all four findings. Staff presented for density bonuses used. Setbacks were discussed, both from 355 and abutting residential properties. It was stated that setbacks from the sidewalk along 355 should be minimal to promote an active street life but should take into account required right of way for future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). It was also stated that requiring too large of a setback from residential properties may result in smaller parcels becoming undevelopable. The Council and Commissioners discussed height and questioned how to determine an appropriate height cap to avoid skyscrapers but also prevent sprawl. The MXD zone and its viability as the primary zone in the corridor was discussed. Staff expressed concerns with using MXD in the corridor as it is less cost effective for smaller properties and more appropriate for large greenfield development, not redevelopment. The benefits of using more Euclidean zoning were also discussed.

There were no speakers from the public.

The Mayor and City Council supported staff’s recommendations as presented and in the memorandum. The City Council further directed that the following be used as findings for any density bonuses:

• Increased amenities

• Dedication of land for civic uses

• More affordable housing

• Necessary to implement the City's Annual Strategic Plan

The City Council directed staff to proceed with refining the recommendations with the Planning Commission and amend the CD Zone.

4. CORRESPONDENCE

A. Staff B. Outside

5. ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business, the session was adjourned at 8:59 PM

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