At the July 22nd Montgomery County Council meeting, many of the attendees expressed their frustration with the Council’s decision to move forward with “More Housing N.O.W.” legislation, specifically Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 25-02. “More Housing N.O.W.” was proposed by Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Natali Fani-Gonzalez. At the meeting, Fani-Gonzalez stated, (2:26:25) “This zoning text amendment was crafted to input that we received from the community.” Many members of the audience expressed their dissatisfaction with her statement. Why were they upset?
EPIC of MoCo explains why many residents oppose the amendment. “While supporters argue that this plan provides much-needed housing, concerns remain about the potential displacement of existing residents, lack of protections for naturally occurring affordable housing, and increased strain on infrastructure. With Montgomery County facing rising housing costs and an affordability crisis, the debate over who benefits and who is at risk is intensifying.”
From EPIC of MoCo: “Supporters of the zoning change claim it’s necessary to ‘unlock’ housing options. But in reality, it’s not about what can be built—it's about removing public oversight and fast-tracking development without safeguards for affordability, infrastructure, or displacement.
The current process already allows:
- Single-family homes of any size (including luxury McMansions)
- Duplexes and triplexes
- Townhouses and small apartment buildings
- High-density apartment complexes in commercial or transit-oriented areas
ZTA 25-02 isn't something new—it just cuts corners:
- Bypass site plan review for some projects
- Override local area master plans in targeted corridors
- Remove resident input from the review process”
To make matters worse, EPIC of MoCo reported that a “Special Townhall with Councilmember Natali Fani-Gonzalez” which had been scheduled for July 10th did not take place. “Apparently, it took two full days for someone to realize the WUDAC meeting with Councilmember Fani-González had already happened. That’s not just sloppy—it’s a stunning failure of basic public notice and transparency. The Open Meetings Act exists for a reason: so the public has a fair shot at being present, not gaslit into thinking a meeting is still coming when it’s already over.”
Councilmember Sidney Katz, who voted against the amendment, commented (2:22:35) “I’d like to point out, where I live, my own personal home, there are duplexes, but it was built under the City of Gaithersburg’s legislation, and in fact I was on the Planning Commission many years ago, in Gaithersburg when it was built.” “Across the street, around the corner are duplexes, and it works. But it was built as one unit. It was built as a planned development. And when you bought there, you knew what you were buying, and you could see it. “ “ I believe by doing this in a piecemeal way, it does not get us where we’d like to be.” The Westmoreland Citizens’ Association is one of many groups that agrees with Councilmember Katz.
Even Councilmember Gabe Albornoz admitted before he voted for the amendment, (2:30:24) “It’s understandable that people have raw emotions when it comes to discussing something as important as your own home.’” Interestingly enough, Councilmember Fani-Gonzalez’s home will not be impacted by the zoning text amendment. Neither will Councilmember Friedson’s home. Which Councilmembers’ homes will be affected by the Housing N.O.W. legislation? Not one. It appears that the old saying, “rank has its privileges” is still true in Montgomery County.
Will your home be affected by “More Housing N.O.W.” legislation? Click to view interactive map: https://mcplanning.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/lookup/index.html?appid=35c44dee1734457185b0604f3ce67e5e
If your neighborhood is not affected now, there is still a chance that it will be affected eventually. N.O.W. legislation can lead to overcrowded neighborhoods like this one in New Jersey.
Instagram | TheGardenState | June 30, 2025
There will be another public hearing on Sept. 16, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. The deadline to sign up to speak is Sept. 15 at 2 p.m. N.O.W. legislation is scheduled to go into effect in November.
Please share these resources with your family, friends, and neighbors.
- Instagram page for Speak Up MoCo:
https://www.instagram.com/speakupmoco?igsh=bjN0Y2N2NzF2eXNp
- Website for the Montgomery County Civic Federation (MCCF): https://www.montgomerycivic.org
- Resources from EPIC of MoCo: https://linktr.ee/EPICofMoco?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=0ff9153c-0cc3-406e-938e-6255d905400b
- Facebook page for the Montgomery County Communities Coalition (MCCC): https://www.facebook.com/share/g/15jYLYFrDy/?mibextid=wwXIfr
______________
Lori Jaffe is the Party Secretary for the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee, Member of the Executive Board and publisher of the MCGOP Digest. She can be reached at [email protected]