Staff briefed the text amendment: state law effective January 1, 2027 and sunset January 1, 2031, four eligibility requirements, simplified development standards. No vote.
Text amendments recommended 4-0: faith-based and nonprofit housing (Faith-Based and Nonprofit Housing Zoning), data center definition and standards (Data Center Zoning Standards) and marijuana business categories (Marijuana Business Zoning Categories).
Initiated 4-0 so it can be heard at the public hearing two weeks later. Draft text: the zoning administrator approves zoning certificates for developments on land owned by tax-exempt religious organizations or 501(c)(3) nonprofits, subject to state requirements on use, setback, parking, height, density and lot size. Form, open space, landscaping, floodplain and Chesapeake Bay preservation area standards still apply, and it does not apply to industrially zoned land. State law takes effect January 1.
Staff described the state-mandated by-right process (effective January 1, 2027, sunset January 1, 2031) and standards; state code fixes the 60% affordability minimum.