County Council: What's on the Agenda

(Updated 7:45 p.m.) The Montgomery County Council is expected to hear proposals that would tighten rules for establishing big box stores.

Smaller “combination stores”— those that are 50,000 square feet or more and have a pharmacy and a full-line grocery store — would be subjected to the same special exception approval process as combination stores that are 120,000 square feet or more, according to a draft of the amendment sponsored by Councilwoman Valerie Ervin, Council Vice-President Nancy Navarro and Councilman Marc Elrich.

In a similar move, an amendment sponsored by Council President Roger Berliner and Councilwoman Ervin would limit the ground-level footprint of commercial developments located within a half-mile of Metro stations.

The zoning amendments will be introduced during the council’s regular meeting Tuesday. Public hearings are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 13.

In other council news:

• Councilman Hans Riemer is the chief sponsor of Bill 4-12, which would require large retailers that received more than $100,000 from the Economic Development Fund to comply with the county’s living wage law and offer workers competitive health insurance options. Under the current living wage law, businesses that provide services (but not goods) to the county are required to pay employees at least $13.20 per hour, according to council records. Councilwoman Ervin, Councilman Elrich and Councilman Craig Rice are co-sponsors of the bill.
• Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett has requested $250,000 for seed funding for BioHealth Innovation, a nonprofit public-private partnership between the county, and academic institutions and private sector businesses. The founding partners, which includes Qaigen, have agreed to contribute to a $1.5 million operating budget over the next three years, according to the county’s records.
• The council will hold the first of a series of briefings about the county’s demographic changes, and how those changes have impacted educational needs. Joshua P. Starr, superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools, and DeRionne Pollard, president of Montgomery College, are expected to participate.

Council agendas are available at Montgomery County Council’s website.

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This story was updated since it was published Monday, Jan. 30, to include information on Bill 4-12, which will also be heard by the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday, Jan. 31.