University Boulevard Rezoning: What It Means and Why You Should Pay Attention
The University Boulevard Corridor Plan has already been approved. Now comes the next step: Sectional Map Amendment H-161, also called SMA H-161. That may sound technical, but it matters. The SMA is the process used to put the plan’s zoning recommendations onto the official County zoning map. If SMA H-161 is approved, the zoning map for affected properties will change.
The County Council will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. The deadline to sign up to speak is Monday, July 13, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. Residents may testify in person, remotely, by phone, or submit written, audio, or video testimony. Click to sign-up https://www.trumba.com/eareg.aspx?ea=Rsvp&invite=0zygbex334459jzvyhuxwcgfzay3t05v5x66z4vhkys0kfjhfb5j
Before this moves forward, residents should check the map, understand what is being changed, and tell the Council what questions still have not been answered. https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:90d1121a-b442-4d5d-b455-d06dbf3dfa92
What is being changed?
Some single-family properties abutting University Boulevard and Colesville Road, currently zoned R-60 & R90 may be changed to a Commercial Residential Neighborhood, or CRN, zone. The plan also includes rezoning for some institutional properties, such as religious properties, and some commercial shopping centers. Montgomery Planning says the plan is intended to create more housing options, improve transportation safety, support future transit, and make the corridor more walkable.
But residents need to understand what these zoning changes may allow.
Under the new zoning, future redevelopment could include duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, small apartment-style buildings, or mixed-use development. In some cases, development could move forward with fewer parking requirements, smaller setbacks, more lot coverage, and taller buildings than what is currently allowed.
Why does this matter? Because zoning controls what can be built.
Even if you do not plan to sell or redevelop your property, nearby properties could be redeveloped under the new rules. That could affect:
- traffic on your street
- cut-through traffic
- parking
- tree canopy
- stormwater runoff
- heat and flooding
- school capacity
- neighborhood character
- property values
- pressure on longtime homeowners to sell
What does “by right” mean? This is one of the most important parts.
“By right” means that if a project follows the zoning rules, it may not need the same level of public review or site plan review that larger projects often require.
In plain language: neighbors may have fewer chances to raise concerns about traffic, parking, stormwater, building size, or how the project fits into the neighborhood.
This is why residents are asking the County Council to slow down, provide clear maps, explain what is changing, and give affected property owners enough time to understand the impact.
Is this really affordable housing? This is another major concern.
County officials and supporters often say the plan will create “more affordable” housing. But residents need to ask: affordable for whom?
During a Council worksession, Planning staff gave an example comparing a new $1million detached home to a new $900,000 duplex. The duplex may cost less than the detached home, but that does not mean it is affordable to most working families.
Councilmember Sidney Katz raised this concern directly, questioning whether homes in the $900,000 range should be described as affordable when many residents think of affordable housing as something far below that price.
The concern is simple: less expensive than $1 million is not the same thing as affordable.
Could this increase displacement? Yes, that is one of the biggest concerns.
The Office of Legislative Oversight warned that the rezoning could disproportionately affect Black and Latino homeowners. A cited analysis found that the proposed rezoning could encourage market-rate redevelopment that may primarily benefit higher-income buyers, while putting additional pressure on existing Black and Latino homeowners to sell.
Planning Director Jason Sartori has also acknowledged that the residents most likely to be displaced are seniors and homeowners with adjustable-rate mortgages, people who may already be struggling to keep up with rising housing costs, taxes, insurance, and other expenses.
This is especially serious because smaller redevelopment projects, such as duplexes, triplexes, and stacked townhouses, may not be required to provide Moderately Priced Dwelling Units, also known as MPDUs. That means new housing could be built, but it may still be too expensive for many current residents. In other words, the County could get more housing without creating housing that the people already living in the community can actually afford.
What about traffic and transit?
The plan relies heavily on the idea of future Bus Rapid Transit, or BRT, on University Boulevard.
But County transportation officials have raised concerns. MCDOT noted that University Boulevard BRT has not entered facility planning and does not have committed funding in the Capital Improvement Program. MCDOT also warned that zoning changes could allow more density before the corridor has the infrastructure needed to support it.
In plain language: the County may allow more development before the promised transit improvements are funded or built.
That matters because residents are already concerned about congestion, cut-through traffic, pedestrian safety, and dangerous road conditions.
What about trees, stormwater, and heat? Environmental concerns are also important.
The Department of Environmental Protection has noted the importance of protecting existing trees, especially mature tree canopy, because older trees provide environmental benefits that are difficult to replace. DEP also said more green space and tree planting would be needed to help reduce the impacts of denser development.
Residents are concerned that more lot coverage, more pavement, and fewer trees could worsen flooding, heat-island effects, and stormwater problems.
Why should you care if you do not live on University Boulevard?
Because University Boulevard is not the only corridor in Montgomery County.
This plan is part of a larger County approach called corridor-focused growth. Montgomery Planning describes the University Boulevard plan as part of a broader vision for compact growth along major corridors, supported by transit, walking, biking, and rolling networks.
That means similar changes could come to other corridors, including:
- Veirs Mill Road
- Georgia Avenue
- Connecticut Avenue
- Colesville Road
- New Hampshire Avenue
- Randolph Road
- Rockville Pike
- Upcounty Pay Attention
So even if you do not live on University Boulevard today, this may be a preview of what could happen near your neighborhood later.
Who supports the plan?
The University Boulevard Corridor Plan was approved by the County Council by a 7–3 vote. Councilmembers Marilyn Balcombe, Natali Fani-González, Andrew Friedson, Evan Glass, Dawn Luedtke, Laurie-Anne Sayles, and Kate Stewart voted for the plan. Councilmembers Will Jawando, Sidney Katz, and Kristin Mink voted against it.
Supporters, including Montgomery Planning, say the plan will create safer streets, more housing choices, better walking and biking connections, and future transit-oriented growth.
EPIC of MoCo, the Montgomery County Civic Federation, the Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce, and many residents have raised serious concerns about displacement, affordability, traffic, infrastructure, environmental impacts, public notice, and whether the County is moving too quickly before residents fully understand what the rezoning means.
What can you do?
The County Council needs to hear from residents before it votes on SMA H-161.
You can: https://www.trumba.com/eareg.aspx?ea=Rsvp&invite=0zygbex334459jzvyhuxwcgfzay3t05v5x66z4vhkys0kfjhfb5j
- Send written testimony.
A short message is enough.
- Sign up to testify at the public hearing.
Public hearing: Tuesday, July 14, 2026, 1:30 p.m.
Sign-up deadline: Monday, July 13, 2026, 2:00 p.m.
Phone: 240-777-7803
- Tell your neighbors.
Many people may not know their property or nearby properties could be affected.