Rockville City Council Agenda: Heritage Area Plan Vote and Town Center Redevelopment Discussion

Votes on a plan to include historical and cultural sites in Rockville in the county’s “heritage area” master plan and a discussion of how plans for Town Center redevelopment are approved are on the Rockville City Council’s agenda for Monday.

The council also will hear a quarterly update from Rockville Economic Development Inc., the economic development arm of the city.

The council meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting will be broadcast live on Rockville 11.

Council members will meet with Regal Row merchants before the scheduled council meeting, at 6 p.m. in the Black-Eyed Susan Room, to discuss parking concerns associated with the ongoing construction of the Cambria Suites mixed-used project. Construction of the mixed-use project has reduced parking in the lot in front of the row of shops and restaurants anchored by the Regal Cinemas to 150 spaces.

The city and REDI have posted ads and a launched a website—rockvilleparking.com—in an attempt to educate visitors about parking options in and around Rockville Town Center.

Heritage area plan

The council is scheduled to vote on an amendment to the city’s master plan and Rockville’s portion of the Montgomery County Heritage Area Management Plan.

The county heritage plan helps preserve and promote historical, cultural and natural resources for heritage tourism.

The amendment could make the city eligible for state and county heritage area grants.

The Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, which is considering whether to add portions of Rockville to the Montgomery County Heritage Area, is scheduled to tour Rockville’s heritage tourism sites and facilities on Feb. 7, followed by a public hearing at a time and place to be determined.

If the council approves the amendment as expected, the MHAA board would vote, at its April 18 meeting, on Rockville’s request to be included in the county’s heritage area.

Town Center site plans

The council is scheduled to discuss how the city considers site development plans for the second phase of Town Center redevelopment.

The discussion includes a proposal to require that all site development plans for consideration in the Town Center Performance District be “Level 2” plans, which require Planning Commission approval, or a project plan, which requires City Council approval.

The proposal would, for the purpose of Town Center redevelopment, eliminate “Level 1” plans that are smaller in scope and only need approval by the city’s planning chief without review by the city’s.

The Planning Commission voted unanimously Dec. 12 in favor of the proposed changes.

Commissioners questioned why the increased scrutiny of development plans would be reserved only for Town Center, The Gazette reported.

Click here to read a report on the meeting from The Gazette.

A council decision on the zoning text amendment is expected in February.

Consent agenda

The consent agenda includes votes on:

• A nearly $434,000 contract for sewer rehabilitation to Mr. Rehab, Inc. of Mechanicsburg, PA.
• A $411,000 contract to purchase a jet/vacuum sewer cleaner vehicle from Atlantic Machinery, Inc. of Silver Spring, with a rider contract through the National Joint Power Alliance.
• A $197,200 contract for renovation of the social hall at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, at Rockville Civic Center Park, to North Point Builders, Inc. of Baltimore.
• An amendment to make the city’s pension plan year consistent with the city’s fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30. The change is required to bring the city in compliance with a new federal law that “provides additional tax and pension benefits to individuals who are absent from work due to duty in the uniformed military service,” according to a city staff report.
• Issuance of up to $20 million in general obligation bonds for financing water, sewer, and stormwater system improvements as called for in the city's fiscal 2013 Capital Improvement Program.
• The sale of up to $7 million in general obligation bonds issued in 2003 for the purpose of refinancing. “The interest rates obtainable today are lower than when the bonds were issued in 2003; consequently, the City can reduce its debt service payments by refinancing,” city staff wrote in a report.
• A $180,000 contract to Commercial Carpets of America of Alexandria, VA, for flooring, including the replacement of the gymnasium floor at Lincoln Park Community Center and the replacement of flooring at the Rockville Senior Center at a combined cost of $82,925. The contract runs through July and is through a rider to a Fairfax County contract.