City of Rockville - File #: 24-1123

• File #: 24-1123
• Type: Worksession
• Status: Agenda Ready
• File created: 3/20/2024
• In control: Mayor and Council
• On agenda: 12/9/2024
• Title: Work Session on the Town Center Master Plan, Including Rockville Metro Station Final Report Presentation

Subject

title

Work Session on the Town Center Master Plan, Including Rockville Metro Station Final Report Presentation

end

Department

CPDS - Comprehensive Planning

Recommendation

Staff recommend that the Mayor and Council hold a work session to review, discuss, and provide direction on the draft Town Center Master Plan.  

Change in Law or Policy

The adoption of the updated Town Center Master Plan will serve as an amendment to the Rockville 2040 Comprehensive Plan, replacing the existing Planning Area 1 chapter in its entirety.  

Discussion

Background 

The 2024 Town Center Master Plan (“Plan”) is an update of a document by the same name that was adopted by the Mayor and Council in 2001. The Plan builds on the visions, goals, and policies noted in the Planning Area 1 Chapter of the Rockville 2040 Comprehensive Plan (“Comprehensive Plan”), recent studies and reports compiled on Town Center, and an extensive community outreach effort to create an updated vision for Town Center that meets the needs of Rockville’s residents, business community and the market. This Plan is an amendment to the Rockville 2040 Comprehensive Plan and supersedes the recommendations outlined within Planning Area 1 of the original Comprehensive Plan document, as published in August 2021.  

  

The first draft of the Plan was released on April 26, 2024. As required by state law, any amendments to the Comprehensive Plan must be reviewed by the Planning Commission before any final adoption is made by the Mayor and Council. State law also requires a public hearing to be held on the Plan before both the Planning Commission and the Mayor and Council.  The Planning Commission held its public hearing on July 10, 2024, and passed a resolution to approve the plan and transmit it to the Mayor and Council on September 25, 2024. The Planning Commission approved the draft Plan which is included in this packet as Attachment 1 and was published online for public review and comment on September 27.  

The Mayor and Council hosted a public hearing on the Plan on October 28. At the public hearing, some concerns were expressed about the transparency of the review process and changes that have been made to the Plan between the April and September drafts. In response to this, staff published three additional documents to aid in reviewing the Plan: a summary of the outreach and engagement efforts throughout the project (Attachment 4); a summary of all of the major changes, defined as changes to recommended actions, to the Plan (Attachment 5); and a redlined copy of the Plan that shows all changes that have been made (Attachment 6). These documents were published on the Engage Rockville page for the project on November 14.

This staff report will focus in on nine different topics. These topics have either been brought up by Mayor and Council or identified by staff as worthy of discussion. During the December 9 work session, staff will present and facilitate a conversation on these topics and, where appropriate, will request direction from the body to make edits to the Plan.

Area Visions and Focus Areas 

The Plan divides Town Center into different geographic areas based on the existing and anticipated character of the built environment. More specifically, the Plan divides Town Center into seven different subareas, each with unique development potential: Western Edge; Northeast Town Center; North of Town Square; Central Town Center; Metro Station; Southeast Corner; and Institutional Zone. The Plan details the development potential and intended vision for each of these areas. 

Furthermore, the Plan identifies specific high-impact parcels as having the ability for transformational redevelopment and catalyzing Town Center as a whole. These six focus areas include: 1 Choice Hotels Circle and 220 E. Middle Lane; 41 Maryland Avenue; 51 Monroe Street and 255 Rockville Pike; 380 Hungerford Drive; 414-416 Hungerford Drive; and 400 and 500 N. Washington Street. 400 N. Washington Street was added by Planning Commission based on potential development opportunities on the surface parking lot and the desire to see North Street Park expanded. The intent is for the city to work with property owners and developers to provide flexibility in the regulatory environment to achieve these shared visions.

Housing Goals

The Plan establishes a goal of 2,000 new residential units by 2040 through policy changes and regulatory processes outlined in the Plan. Specifically, the Plan recommends increasing the permitted heights throughout Town Center, with the greatest heights being in the central core and tapering off in areas abutted by adjacent neighborhoods. Increased height allowances will encourage higher density residential development in Town Center and diversify residential unit types to accommodate the greatest variety of households. The Plan also calls for the creation of a bonus height program to allow more residential growth in this area (Action 1.1.2). The Plan calls for regulatory changes to streamline development and make the process more predictable, reliable, and affordable. Actions tied to this include eliminating the Town Center Performance District (Action 1.1.3), modifying minimum parking requirements (Action 2.1.1), and allowing flexibility for adaptive reuse projects (Action 12.1.1). 

The Plan also aims to increase the number of affordable homes within Town Center, which can be accomplished by modifying regulations and processes to incentivize the development of affordable housing. More specific actions include streamlining the development approval process for residential projects with more than 25% below market-rate income-restricted housing units located in Town Center (Action 8.1.1) and exploring actions such as  property tax abatements (Action 8.1.2), elimination of impact taxes for projects with 18% or more MPDUs (Action 8.1.3), and working with public, private and philanthropic institutions to develop more affordable housing in Town Center (Action 8.1.5). 

Character Areas & Building Height 

As discussed at the October 28 meeting, the Planning Commission approved draft includes the creation of a new character area, currently titled the “transition” character area. This character area is made up of approximately 4 blocks along the western side of N. Washington Street between E. Jefferson Street and Beall Avenue. The April draft of the Plan included only two character areas: the “core” and the “edge.” The “core” character area has not changed between these drafts. The area that is now known as the “transition” was classified in the “edge” character area in the April draft.

Map 1: Character Areas as Proposed by September Draft

Action 1.1.1 (page 41) of the Plan establishes that heights allowed throughout Town Center should be tied to the character area the property is located in. The table below shows the proposed heights throughout Town Center, both in the April and September drafts. Though a new character area has been added, the base heights have not changed between the April and September drafts of the Plan. 

Table 1: Base Heights by Character Area

	April 2024 Draft	September 2024 Draft
Core Character Area	200 feet	200 feet
Edge Character Area	75 feet	75 feet
Transition Character Area	-	75 feet

One concern expressed by some in the community has been the impact of taller buildings on surrounding neighborhoods, particularly to the west. Action 3.1.1 (page 44) calls for the creation of building design standards that will not only provide guidance and requirements on building materials, building envelopes, fenestration, and placement of entries, but also call for the development of upper story facade setbacks and other design elements to provide appropriate transitions to adjacent properties.

Bonus Height Program 

Action 1.1.2 (page 43) creates a bonus height program. The concept behind this program is that in exchange for providing desired amenities in a development, the developer may be rewarded with additional height beyond the base building heights established in each character area (see previous section). The table below compares the maximum bonus heights proposed in each character area from the April and September drafts. As noted previously, the area now referred to as the “transition” character area was originally in the “edge” character area, so this is the area that has seen the greatest increase in bonus height between drafts.

Table 2: Maximum Bonus Heights by Character Area

	April 2024 Draft	September 2024 Draft
Core Character Area	50 feet	50 feet
Edge Character Area	20 feet	25 feet
Transition Character Area	-	50 feet

There have also been changes to what qualifies a project to be eligible for bonus height. In the April draft, staff proposed that there would only be one qualifying improvement, the addition of 5% or more moderate priced dwelling units (MPDUs) on top of what would be required by current Rockville standards. Staff’s proposal to make additional affordable housing units the only qualifier for bonus height was intentional. The production of more housing units, and a focus on affordable housing units, is a cornerstone of this Plan. Furthermore, in the midst the housing shortage crisis facing Rockville, Maryland, the region, and the country, incentivizing the production of even more housing units will further our progress to achieve the Comprehensive Plan’s goal of 8,600 new residential units in Rockville by 2040. Staff strategically proposed housing as being the only qualifier to drive home how important these goals are to Rockville. 

The Planning Commission approved draft expands the bonus height program and creates a menu of options for a project to qualify for bonus height. In addition to the production of 5% or more MPDUs, the Planning Commission also introduced another eligible improvement, “5% more open or public use space than required by the Zoning Ordinance improved with climate resiliency features to “green” the area and address climate change impacts.” The Planning Commission wanted to see this amenity added in to provide more space for the community and Town Center residents to gather and recreate. Furthermore, the addition of climate resiliency features into the additional public use/open space was added to be in alignment with the Climate Action Plan and to address the urban heat island effect experienced in densely developed urban communities like Town Center. The September draft creates a formula to allocate the maximum allowed bonus height based on if a project provides any one or combination of additional MPDUs or additional green space. The bonus height allowances for each of the eligible improvements are listed below. 

Table 3: Bonus Height Calculations by Character Area

	5% Additional MPDUs	5% Additional Green Space	Total Bonus Height Allowed
Core Character Area	35 feet	15 feet	50 feet
Edge Character Area	15 feet	10 feet	25 feet
Transition Character Area	35 feet	15 feet	50 feet

Staff are seeking direction from the Mayor and Council on two parameters of the bonus height program: the permitted heights and the qualifying enhancements. 

Metro Station Concept 

After several years of studies and deliberation, in May 2024 the Mayor and Council voted to endorse “Concept 1” for the development of the Rockville Metro Station. The September draft of the Plan incorporates and reiterates this concept as the vision for the Metro station within the “Area Visions” section of the Zoning & Land Use Chapter (page 32).

This concept envisions the Metro Station as an iconic gateway and multi-modal hub that enhances the experience of downtown Rockville and maximizes safety for users. Unlike other concepts previously considered by the Mayor and Council, this concept focuses redevelopment exclusively on property owned by WMATA, largely the surface parking lots on the east and west sides of the railroad tracks. Early analysis of the concept anticipates the potential to develop 1,850 sf of retail frontage, up to 1,200 residential units and 10,000 sf of open space in addition to a train hall and transit plaza that would serve as gateways between the various transit services provided on site. To ensure successful implementation of development at this location, the proposed uses as recommended are flexible and can be adapted based on prevailing market conditions at the time of development.  The concept introduces new development opportunities, including housing at a desirable transit-oriented location, improves vitality in the Town Center, adds public amenities, accommodates Montgomery County’s planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and creates an iconic gateway into the city.  

Concept 1, as endorsed by the Mayor and Council is consistent and in accordance with the Vision and Design Principles for the Station, that were developed with community input received during the initial station workshops, and are as follows: 

Vision

Rockville Station will become an iconic gateway and multi-modal hub that connects the greater area, enhances the experience of downtown Rockville as a destination, and maximizes safety for commuters and residents.

Design Principles

1.                     Provide convenient connections to transit and safe access for pedestrian and bicycle users.

2.                     Create an attractive station environment that encourages ridership.

3.                     Improve wayfinding and integration of the site with surrounding areas.

4.                     Accommodate a mix of uses and amenities. 

5.                     Support economic development.

Rockville Metro Station Concept

 

Pedestrian Bridge Design Options

 The Mayor and Council at their May 2024 meeting also voted to endorse an extension of the pedestrian bridge over the station platform as an add-on option. This option was endorsed as a separate project for the city from that of the potential development on WMATA property, to allow both projects to move forward independently and avoid delays due to available funding sources, design development, etc. The add-on option was in response to the community’s desire to improve pedestrian circulation and reduce the need for vertical travel between Promenade Park on the west side of MD-355 (and points west of the pedestrian plaza) and the Rockville Metro Station stair house (which leads to the various transit modes at the station and the neighborhoods and businesses to the east). The study concluded that the vision of eliminating the pedestrian vertical movements is very hard to achieve without a pedestrian bridge over the station platform. Extension of the pedestrian bridge over the station platform to support the vision would incur an additional cost (of at least $25 million in today’s dollar value) that would require local, state, and/or federal funding. WMATA’s would not be funding the add-on option since its policy limits capital funding to replacement in-kind and restricts the provision of capital funds for any costs that do not constitute a justifiable benefit to WMATA operations. Therefore, the city will be responsible for securing funding for the design and construction of the add-on option for the pedestrian bridge and the future train hall. The Mayor and Council asked staff to investigate various funding sources for the construction of the additional options Funding sources for the project are not yet identified, and other projects, such as the city’s investment in the train hall and other improvements would most likely be a priority.  Concept 1 treats the extension of the existing pedestrian bridge over the station platform (eliminating the up and down movements that currently exist) as an add-on option.  

Illustrative Concept Design of Pedestrian Bridge Options

Options A and B portray different versions of the replacement of the pedestrian bridge starting at Promenade Park. Option A depicts how a pedestrian bridge could be redesigned to access the station from above the Metrorail platform and, potentially, the west/left side of the MARC/Amtrak platform, with the light blue arrows indicating its potential travel paths.

Option B depicts how a pedestrian bridge could be redesigned to access both the Metrorail platform and the far (east/right) side of the MARC/Amtrak platform with the dark blue arrows indicating its potential travel path. Option B is situated at a height that would accommodate what is understood as the minimum required clearance for freight trains traveling along the CSX/MARC/Amtrak railroad. Both Options A and B could be accessible to a redesigned stair house on the west/left side of the Metrorail station.

The Mayor and Council also expressed a desire for the place near and surrounding the pedestrian bridge be redeveloped like a park, like the High Line in New York City, providing space for artwork and other programs to make it more attractive to both commuters and visitors to the area.  

Community Feedback

At their May 2024 meeting, the Mayor and Council directed staff to conduct two public meetings to share the concept design with the Rockville community. Staff conducted two public meetings on June 18, 2024 (virtually) and June 24, 2024 (in person) to inform the community about Concept 1 plan. The meetings were held in coordination with the Town Center Master Plan public engagement meetings.  In addition to the two public meetings, staff presented Concept 1 plan to the East Rockville Citizens Association (ERCA) on June 11, 2024. The concept was presented to the Transportation and Mobility Commission at their meeting on June 25, 2024. The Planning Commission discussed Concept 1 plan on June 26, 2024 and August 14, 2024 as a part of the Town Center Master Plan discussion.  A “Feedback Form” was created on the Town Center Master Plan <https://engagerockville.com/towncenter/> Engage Rockville website and the Rockville Metro Station Study <https://rockvillemd.gov/2356/Rockville-Metro-Station-Study> web page to enable community members to provide feedback on the plan. As of the date of this staff report, the Engage Rockville feedback form has received 6 responses (Attachment 7).  The Transportation and Mobility Commission’s letter to the Mayor and Council on the Metro station is provided as Attachment 8.

The feedback from the community was generally positive and supportive of the concept design.  Major takeaways from the respondents include:

1.                     Would like to see some development at this location sooner than later.

2.                     Allow more residential density than what is currently allowed by zoning.

3.                     Eliminate height restrictions and other barriers to construction of housing by the Metro.

4.                     Improve pedestrian bridge with signage and additional lighting.

5.                     Support the add-on option for the pedestrian bridge.

6.                     Improve pedestrian safety at Rockville Pike.

7.                     Provide new, comprehensive, and improved wayfinding at and near the station.

8.                     Support the idea of developing the pedestrian bridge as a park and public space.

Much of the feedback noted above is broader in scope than the concept study itself, but the Plan addresses increased heights (Action 1.1.1), increased residential density (Goal 1), improvements to the pathway leading to the pedestrian bridge as a gathering space (Action 9.1.1), a wayfinding scheme (Action 6.1.1) and improved pedestrian safety (Policy 4.2).

WMATA Processes and Coordination

To ensure the successful implementation of the concept design, the city is incorporating the Concept 1 vision into the Town Center Master Plan, through the Area Visions section (page 32-33).  WMATA staff notes that the inclusion of the concept plan into the City’s policy document provides a greater level of clarity to WMATA with the city’s intent and vision and may incentivize WMATA to look for ways to promote development at this location in coordination within its strategic plan.  

As a part of its strategic planning processes, WMATA undertakes Joint Development planning studies to evaluate the feasibility of Joint Development at a station location and prepare to bring the site to market through a bid for solicitation. This typically includes due diligence of the site, establishment of transit requirements, preliminary concept design, cost estimates, market and financial analysis and preparing for WMATA’s Compact Public Hearing. To include the Rockville Metro station in its strategic plan for development, WMATA will conduct its technical process by studying the site in greater detail and primarily look for ways to relocate transit facilities, to enable joint development opportunities. 

Should the studies and analysis confirm the feasibility of the project, WMATA staff will seek authorization from the WMATA Board of Directors to hold a Compact Public Hearing, reconfigure transit facilities, and issue a Joint Development Solicitation.  Once a developer is selected, a Joint Development Agreement is negotiated that outlines the terms and conditions of the future sale or ground lease of the project. The Joint Development Agreement must be approved by the Board and Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Throughout the planning process, WMATA will coordinate closely with the city. 

Following is the general timeline for joint development planning per WMATA’s strategic Plan for Calendar Year (CY) 2025-2026:

•                     CY 2025 - Joint Development Study, Board authorizes CPH/ Solicitation. 

•                     CY2026 - If project is feasible, hold Compact Public Hearing, issue development solicitation (for all or a portion of the site - TBD). 

•                     CY2027 - Negotiate Joint Development Agreement, Board and FTA approvals.

To bring the project to fruition, the city will need to actively partner with WMATA to identify funding sources at local, state and even federal levels. At the December 16^th meeting, staff will be bringing a resolution to approve and adopt a concept plan from WMATA for the Rockville Metro Station.  To complete and formalize the findings of the Rockville Metro Station study, staff recommends approval of the resolution.

Parking Requirements 

Goal 2 and Policy 2.1 call for making modifications to the parking requirements within Town Center to be reflective of the neighborhood’s proximity to mass public transportation and to better align with requirements of Montgomery County and other peer jurisdictions in the region. 

Action 2.1.1 (page 44) proposes to modify minimum parking requirements within Town Center. The April draft of the Plan proposed modifying minimum parking requirements within Town Center to mirror updated Montgomery County regulations. This would mean eliminating parking minimums within ½ mile of the Metro station and within ¼ mile of a bus rapid transit station. The map below shows the properties (in blue) that would have been impacted by this modification.

Map 2: Areas Proposed for Eliminated Parking in April Draft

Stemming from their discussion, the Planning Commission modified this action to eliminate parking minimums throughout the entirety of the planning area.  Functionally, this change impacts and extends the area without minimum parking restrictions to approximately three additional blocks. The new areas that would be added into this change in requirements in the September 2024 draft are highlighted in red in the map below. Please note that in both the April and September drafts, this modification to parking requirements is only proposed within the Town Center Planning Area. Properties outside of Planning Area 1 but that are within the ¼ or ½ mile radius are not proposed to have parking requirements amended through this Plan.

Map 3: Areas Proposed for Eliminated Parking in September Draft

The elimination of parking requirements does not mean that no parking will be built. Instead, the market will determine the number of parking spaces to be built based on demand and local trends. In more suburban communities such as Rockville, projects are unlikely to be proposed without any parking at all. A key element to the development of new projects is securing financing and banks are often very conservative with the level of risk they are willing to take on. It is unlikely any project proposed without parking in Rockville would be able to be financed. That said, Rockville’s current parking requirements are somewhat arbitrary. As commuting patterns change and different transportation systems and technologies grow, eliminating these minimum requirements provides the greatest amount of flexibility for all well into the future and keeps Rockville competitive with Montgomery County. 

The rationale for eliminating parking requirements is rooted in the high cost of developing structured parking. A 2022 analysis completed by WGI Engineering estimates that the average construction cost per parking space nationwide is nearly $28,000. For a project with 200 parking spaces, $5.6 million is spent to construct a structured parking facility. This number does not include land values, administrative time, engineering dollars, etc. which further raise the cost of parking.

Parking continues to be a burdensome cost to developing new buildings, particularly housing units. The main reason for this is that the cost of developing parking gets passed onto building users in the form of increased rents/sales prices. When parking is “right-sized” to include only what is truly needed and in demand, especially near transit station, the reduction of parking spaces directly results in lower costs to the end user. The elimination of unnecessary development expenses, such as excessive parking, is key to affordability. In cities across the country, residential density is more attainable when parking requirements are reduced or eliminated. Increasing residential density and number of housing units, including affordable housing, is a key goal of the Town Center Master Plan and the elimination of parking requirements will help to achieve this goal.

Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities

Goal 9 focuses on making recommendations to improve the parks and recreational facilities and programs in Town Center. There are eight existing parks operated by the City in Town Center, as shown on Map 28, with seven of those being less than one acre in size.

One of the most transformational recommendations within the Parks chapter is to redesign Promenade Park into a pleasant and inspiring space for gathering and as a pathway to the Metro (Action 9.1.1, page 69). This action will require cooperation with a large group of stakeholders, including the owners of 51 Monroe Street and 255 Rockville Pike, along with WMATA and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation. 

In addition to the existing eight parks, there are recommendations to provide additional park and amenity space in Town Center. Specifically, the Plan calls for the following new parks/program opportunities:

•                     A plaza art the western entrance to the Unity Bridge (Action 9.2.1).

•                     A public park bounded by Monroe Street, E. Jefferson Street, Park Avenue and Fleet Street (Action 9.2.2). 

•                     A new park at 301 Hungerford Drive, currently a surface parking lot for WMATA (Action 9.2.4).

•                     A new park at 260 N. Washington Street, currently a Shell gas station (Action 9.2.5).

•                     Acquisition of MCPS owned property along existing Mt. Vernon Trail to Fleet Street (Action 9.2.3). 

•                     Explore potential for a dog park in Town Center (Action 9.3.1).

•                     Consider a community center in Town Center (Action 9.3.2). 

•                     Explore potential to add turf fields on top of parking garages (Action 9.3.3). 

As noted in the “Staff Proposed Changes” section below, staff recommend adding a new recommendation in this chapter to call for a new public park along the proposed extension of Maryland Avenue, north of Beall Avenue. The Planning Area 1 chapter of the Rockville 2040 Comprehensive Plan calls for a park in this general area, bounded by Dawson and Beall Avenues, N. Washington Street, and MD-355. This park proposal was not included in the initial draft of the Plan because, at the time of drafting, it was thought that the park construction would already be underway. However, given these plans have not come to fruition at this time, staff recommend an additional action be included in the Plan calling for a park along the Maryland Avenue extension, to ensure that this amenity is eventually realized for Town Center’s current and future residents.

Staff Proposed Changes  

There are several changes that staff recommend making to the Plan. The modifications proposed by staff, along with the rationale for said modifications, are provided below. At the December 9 meeting, staff are seeking direction from Mayor and Council on incorporating these edits. 

•                     Page 34: The narrative for Central Town Center mentions that 255 Rockville Pike will have ~350 units. The owner of this property testified at the public hearing that their first phase is 300 units, and second phase is 250 units. Staff recommend updating the unit counts referenced in the narrative accordingly.

•                     Page 64: Staff are requesting modifications to Action 8.1.3 to clarify the intent of this action. Currently MPDUs do not pay impact fees, but all other units within the project do pay impact fees. Montgomery County has an existing program where if 25% or more of a project is MPDUs, none of the units in the project, including market rate units, pay any impact fees. The intent of Action 8.1.3 is to lower the threshold for the amount of MPDUs required to waive impact fees on the entire project from 25% to 18% in Town Center. Staff recommend modifying the language in this action to clarify this.

•                     Page 66: The narrative lists that there are seven publicly operated parks in the planning area, but there are eight shown on Map 28. Staff recommend updating the narrative language to say that the city operates eight parks and that seven of them are less than one acre in size. 

•                     Page 71: Staff recommend striking the last line in Action 9.2.4 that references the Farmers Market. In recent conversations with Recreation & Parks staff, it has been noted that the size and geometry of this parcel would not make it a feasible location for the Farmers Market. As such, staff recommend removing this reference in the Plan. 

•                     New Parks & Community Facilities Action: As noted in the Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities section of this staff report, staff recommend adding a new action within Goal 9 and Policy 9.1 calling for the creation of a new public park along the extension of Maryland Avenue.  between Beall Avenue and Dawson Avenue, and between MD-355 and N. Washington Street. Given that these plans for this park have not yet realized, staff recommend adding a new action to the Plan that carries forward this park concept as described in the Comprehensive Plan.

Mayor and Council History

The Mayor and Council approved a project charter for an update to the Town Center Master Plan in January 2023. Since the project was initiated, staff have provided periodic updates on the project via email. The Mayor and Council hosted the first public hearing on the Plan on October 28, 2024, and a second public hearing is being held on December 9. This is the first work session scheduled before the Mayor and Council to discuss elements of the Plan. 

Public Notification and Engagement

Extensive public outreach efforts have been underway for the Plan since April 2023. The project’s “outreach and engagement” phase took place between April and September 2023. During this period, staff estimates that approximately 1,000 individuals provided feedback of some kind. A full analysis of feedback received during the outreach and engagement period, as well as descriptions of each engagement methodology, can be found in the Community Engagement Report, available on the Engage Rockville website.   

 

Since the draft Plan was released in April, staff have been utilizing Rockville Reports, City social media channels, email blasts, and newsletters to inform the community about the opportunity to review and provide comments on the draft Plan. The City continues to collect feedback on the Plan through the project page at www.engagerockville.com/towncenter <http://www.engagerockville.com/towncenter>.  

 

Staff hosted two public meetings focused exclusively on Town Center that took place on June 18 and June 24.  All of these meetings were added to the City calendar, publicized using the city’s typical communication avenues, and open to the public.  

Throughout the Planning Commission process, 31 individuals or organizations provided written comment to the Commission with their thoughts on the draft Plan. On October 28, the Mayor and Council hosted a public hearing on the Plan. 10 individuals testified at that meeting, and 7 pieces of written testimony were submitted. A second public hearing, also scheduled for December 9, has been advertised and noticed in accordance with Rockville standards. 

Boards and Commissions Review

The draft Plan has been reviewed by many different boards and commissions since it was released at the end of April 2024. Between May and September, the Plan was presented to the Rockville Pedestrian Advocacy Committee, Transportation & Mobility Commission, Rockville Bicycle Advisory Committee, Environmental Commission, and Planning Commission.  

 

The Transportation and Mobility Commission and Environmental Committee provided feedback on the draft Plan in the form of written letters, which are provided within the digest of public testimony, found in Attachment 2.  

 

The draft Plan has been through a thorough review process before the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission reviewed and discussed the Plan on the following dates: June 26, July 10, August 14, September 11, and September 25. The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the draft Plan on July 10, 2024. At this meeting, four individuals provided oral testimony on the plan. The Planning Commission elected to keep the public record open until September 11, 2024. A full list of feedback from the community on the draft plan, up through approval on September 25, is provided as Attachment 2. Ultimately, on September 25 the Planning Commission passed a resolution to approve the draft Plan and transmit it to the Mayor and Council, initiating the Mayor and Council’s formal review process.  

Next Steps

The Mayor and Council are tentatively scheduled to review and adopt the Plan on January 13, 2025.