Proposed Annapolis zoning changes draw pushback from Historic District residents

The City of Annapolis is considering changes to its zoning map as part of a multi-year initiative aimed at simplifying the city's zoning system, but some residents in the Historic District are pushing back.

The initiative, called "Zoning Unlocked," is intended to simplify the city's zoning code and better align its zoning map with the Annapolis Ahead 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

Annapolis currently has 32 different zoning districts. Through Zoning Unlocked, the city is looking to consolidate some of those districts.

The proposed changes were discussed during Monday night's Annapolis City Council meeting, where residents and city leaders weighed in during public comment.

"We welcome changes to the code that make it more simple and make it easier to implement," Annapolis Planning Commission Chair Alex Pline said during the meeting.

The proposed changes

The latest phase of Zoning Unlocked looks at zoning districts across the city, including several in Ward One, which encompasses much of downtown Annapolis and the Historic District.

Several Ward One residents spoke during public comment Monday, including Ward One Residents Association President Tom Kreik.

"Changing zoning classifications isn't minor. Increasing potential density — that's not minor," Kreik said.

One of the proposed changes would rezone part of upper Duke of Gloucester Street from C2P to C2.

Ward One Residents Association member John Richards raised concerns about what that could mean for the area, saying the change "would allow all the commercial activities on Main Street to be introduced into the historic district."

The residents association is asking the city to take a closer look at the potential effects of the proposals, including their impacts on parking and traffic. The group has said it does not support the Phase 2 proposals affecting Ward One as they are currently presented.

Impact on future housing needs

The recommendations also come as Annapolis considers how to accommodate its future housing needs.

"We need to have more kinds of housing in the city," Pline said during Monday's public comment.

For Kreik, the question is how the city balances planning for the future with protecting existing neighborhoods.

"Planning for tomorrow should not be overlooking the people and the neighborhoods that are responsible for what happened today," Kreik said.

The Phase 2 proposals are still recommendations and have not been adopted as changes to the city's zoning code. Any zoning changes would ultimately require legislation from the Annapolis City Council.

City staff is scheduled to present the Phase 2 recommendations to the Annapolis Planning Commission Thursday night.