Council approves measures to regulate short-term rentals

Graphic from Wikimedia Commons. Short-term rentals including bed and breakfast uses will be licensed and regulated under the terms of two unanimous actions taken by the County Council this week. Zoning Text Amendment 17-03, Accessory Residential Uses–Short-term Rentals, will permit short-term rentals in most residential and mixed-use zones under services such as Airbnb, Home Away and others. under these conditions: … Read More

Commission to hold hearing on possible charter revisions

Montgomery County photo The county will hold a public hearing on possible revisions to the county’s charter at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18 in the Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville. The charter is the legal basis for county government. Current law calls for an 11-member Charter Review Commission to be appointed every four years to consider possible amendments … Read More

Pilot program in Silver Spring to offer dockless bike sharing

Pilot program in Silver Spring to offer dockless bikeshare

Montgomery County will be the first suburban jurisdiction in the country to offer residents dockless bike sharing under a new agreement with Mobike, the largest such company in the world. County Executive Ike Leggett (D) said the agreement would be a pilot project that would bring 400-500 bikes to Silver Spring for riders to test the concept. The trial is … Read More

Council to hold hearing on funding to address gang suppression

Image from Wikimedia Commons The County Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday, Oct. 3 to consider supplemental funding for gang suppression activity. The supplemental appropriation to the FY 2018 budget would grant $596,920 to the Montgomery County Police Department and $246,773 to the States Attorney’s office. In a July briefing before the council’s Public Safety Committee, the council staff … Read More

Public Comments Due Soon on Proposed Regulation of Vacant Properties

Public comments due soon on proposed regulation of vacant properties

Proposed regulations would help deal with properties like this one, long abandoned on Silver Spring Avenue before demolition. Photo by Mike Mowery.  Public comments are due in three days for the Department of Housing and Community Affairs draft regulations to better address unmaintained vacant properties in the county. The proposed regulations follow the passage of a bill enacted in May … Read More

Council to hold hearing tonight on raising minimum wage

Council to hold hearing tonight on raising minimum wage

There is a national effort to raise federal, state and local minimum wages. Photo from Wikimedia Commons. The County Council will hold a public hearing tonight on a bill that would raise the local minimum wage to $15 per hour for private-sector employers “over a period of years,” according to a press release. Current law, passed in 2013, sets the … Read More

WSSC water main excavation on Colesville to begin Monday

WSSC water main excavation on Colesville to begin Monday

WSSC water main project map WSSC has finished marking underground utilities and will begin excavating Colesville Road to replace water mains on Monday, Sept. 18, weather permitting. The project will start near the intersection with Georgia Avenue and move north toward the Beltway as work progresses, the utility said in a press release. Drivers can expect to find one- and … Read More

Council to hold hearing tonight on short-term rentals

Graphic from Wikimedia Commons. The County Council will hold a public hearing tonight on changes to the zoning code affecting short-term rentals under services such as Airbnb, Home Away and others. The hearing on Zoning Text Amendment 17-03, Accessory Residential Uses–Short-term Rentals, will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Seventh Floor Council Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at … Read More