Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Riemer, now in his\nthird council term, thinks that not enough residential units are being built in\nthe county and has been peppering his email list recipients with arguments\nabout how we need to build more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interestingly, Hans has reached these conclusions not long\nafter the previous council completely revised and simplified the zoning code in\na sharply pro-development direction that gives developers increased flexibility\nto pursue their plans. Master Plan revisions have also added millions of developable\nsquare feet in areas such as Bethesda and White Flint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even after all of these changes, Hans now has offered a zoning\ntext amendment (ZTA) that would increase development possibilities in\nsingle-family home neighborhoods around the county. He wants to make it easier to\nbuild separate apartments or buildings, known as accessory dwelling units\n(ADUs) on the same single-family home property. The core idea is that they are\nautonomous living units with their own entrances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hans sees this as a way of creating more affordable housing in Montgomery. New smaller units would be more affordable. Building a rental unit might allow people to buy into Montgomery and help make the mortgage payment. Under Riemer\u2019s proposal, the units could be up to 50% of the size of the main home and he would reduce or eliminate requirements for additional off-street parking. It would facilitate multigenerational living and aging in\nplace by allowing parents and adult children to live on separate residences on\nthe same property. (Alternatively, that possibility may discourage many parents\nand children.) Older residents could also supplement fixed incomes by renting\nout the unit or the original home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson and Planner Lisa Govoni attended\nand provided supportive information and commentary at a forum organized by Hans\nthat presented only positive information. Several attendees of the public also shared\nanecdotes about how the proposal might meaningfully help them. I should also\nmention that Hans was unfailingly polite to the few dissenting voices, though I\ndisagree with his belief that county residents widely hold negative views about\nrenters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Hans\u2019s proposal is not nearly ready for prime time. The\nproposal itself has serious problems in terms of its workability in terms of\nits own goals and lack of an iota of information on how it will impact the\ncounty budget or infrastructure. Tomorrow, I begin to explore why.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Riemer, now in his third council term, thinks that not enough residential units are being built in the county and has been peppering his email list recipients with arguments about how we need to build more. Interestingly, Hans has reached these conclusions not long after the previous council completely revised and … Continue reading Riemer’s Proposed Zoning Changes Will Have Major Impact & Need Serious Work (Part I)<\/span> Only two people<\/del> No more than two adults but an unlimited number of children could live in them.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSerious Problems<\/h4>\n\n\n\n