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Montgomery Council Committee to Discuss ZTA on Special Exception for Gas Stations on Monday, July 9 |
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| ROCKVILLE, Md., July 6, 2012—The Montgomery County Council’s Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee at 2 p.m. on Monday, July 9, will have a worksession on proposed Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 12-07 that would add standards for the Board of Appeal’s approval of new gas stations. The ZTA would address filling stations designed to dispense large amounts of fuel annually (3.6 million gallons or more), requiring those stations to be located at least 1,000 feet from any public or private school, park, playground, hospital or public use categorized as cultural, entertainment or recreational. The PHED Committee, which is chaired by Nancy Floreen and includes Councilmembers Marc Elrich and George Leventhal, will meet in Seventh Floor Council Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The meeting will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon). The broadcast also will be available via streaming through the County Web site at www.montgomerycountymd.gov. ZTA 12-07 is sponsored by Councilmember Marc Elrich, Valerie Ervin, Nancy Navarro, Craig Rice and Hans Riemer. A public hearing was held on the ZTA on June 19. Proponents of the legislation generally spoke about the need for legislation that would protect neighborhoods from air pollution, exhaust from cars idling and excessive truck deliveries. Opponents generally said that ZTA 12-07 is unfair to the pending special exception application for a large gas station in Wheaton that has been submitted by Costco. Opponents also said that the legislation could send a negative message to potential new businesses and that claims of excessive pollution from auto emissions is unsupported by scientific research. Since 1953, all automobile filling stations (gas stations) in the County require the approval of a special exception. In addition to other findings, the general conditions for any special exception require the Board of Appeals to find that the proposed use will not be detrimental to the use, peaceful enjoyment, economic value or development of surrounding properties; will cause not objectionable noise, fumes, odors or glare at the site; and will not adversely affect the health, safety, security or general welfare of residents, visitors or workers in the area. A filling station designed to dispense less than 3.6 million gallons of fuel per year would not have a minimum distance requirement from other land uses. Another aspect of ZTA 12-07 would limit the amount of light an automobile filling station could project on an adjacent residentially zoned property. At 2 p.m. in the Third Floor Conference Room, the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee, which is chaired by Nancy Navarro and includes Councilmembers Valerie Ervin and Hans Riemer, will review the structures and functions of the County’s Interagency Technology Policy and Coordination Committee (ITPCC). The worksession will look at the new elements in the 2012-13 workplan for the ITPCC, including an Interagency Open Data initiative. That project would identify how data from across agencies can be shared efficiently to make better use of the information and improve access to it. # # # # |
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