New Development Plan For Chestnut Lodge

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Michael Harris Homes (a.k.a. Streetscape) has submitted an application to be considered at the July 28, 2010 Planning Commission meeting. The plan is to build 22 reduced/modified homes with attached garages and optional breezeways on the site of the historic Chestnut Lodge which burned down in June of 2009. With the housing market for large-scale homes suffering, the houses will be smaller in scale than the detached homes originally approved for the site. The floor plans will be 1400-2100 square feet and the lots will include 2 off-street parking spaces. Sketches of the design can be found here. The site plan shows the lots on a circular street.

The original developer, Chestnut Lodge Properties still plans to build on nine lots as originally planned, including the Rose Hill Barn lot. However, if they aren’t able to build these homes, Michael Harris Homes would use all the property and build 30 homes.

During Citizen’s Forum at Monday’s Mayor and Council meeting, Morty Levine, President and CEO of Chestnut Lodge properties, said there is a “depression in our industry not a recession.” He has sold three houses at Chestnut Lodge. One model and one spec home have been built and are for sale.

In 2006 before the Chestnut Lodge was destroyed by fire, the development was approved for 36 new single family detached homes and 7 residential condominiums in the Lodge building. The Little Lodge and Frieda’s Cottage were to be rehabilitated for use as single family homes.

The Community Planning and Development Services Department recommends approval of the new proposal, which they see as comparable to the density in the surrounding neighborhoods. They also believe the change to attached garages will blend well with the surrounding properties and adjacent historic districts.

The Planning Commission meeting to determine approval will be held on July 28, 2010 at 7 PM in the Mayor and Council Chamber in Rockville City Hall.

Affordable Housing Wait List Now Open Through 6/24

Editor >Cindy Cotte Griffiths posted an article about this earlier in the month, but sometimes such things get lost in the shuffle. We wanted to remind you that:

Rockville Housing Enterprises (RHE), the City’s independent public housing agency, will accept applications for the Public Housing waitlist for affordable three-and-four-bedroom units from Tuesday, June 22, through Thursday, June 24, 2010.

The last time the Public Housing wait list opened was in July 2009. Whenever RHE doesn’t have enough applicants to fill anticipated public housing vacancies, RHE opens the wait list. Generally, this occurs every two to three years. There is also a separate Housing Choice Voucher wait list but it will not be open at this time. Housing Choice Vouchers can be used to rent units from private landlords while the Public Housing waitlist is for specific units.

For the full rundown, see the original article here.

Since there is just one more day, we’d appreciate it if you passed the word.

Town Center Parking Garage Fines Back Up To $40

Last night the Mayor and Council unanimously agreed to increase the fines for expired parking meters/stalls in City-owned parking garages in the Town Center. This ordinance will take effect on July 1, 2010.The City expects the new fee of $40.00 for to increase the estimated annual revenue by $110,000 in FY11. The fee >had been lowered to $12 but originally was $40.

Trapper Martin, president of the Town Center Action Team, expressed his opinion about the damage the higher tickets could have on Town Center businesses. As we know from the comments on this post, the fine was already $40 for expired parking meters on the streets of Rockville.

If you are enjoying yourself in Rockville Town Square and inadvertently forget your time has run out in the parking garage, you will pay a hefty punishment. Many people believe the risk of parking at Town Center is not worth the possibility of $40 tacked onto your receipt for whatever purchase you make in Town Center.

Other fines to be aware of:

$100.00 for violations of parking restriction signs designating handicapped parking only
$100.00 for violations of parking restriction signs and/or lane markings designating a fire lane.
$100.00 for violations of snow emergency parking restrictions.

Mayor and Council Meeting Recap June 21, 2010

Mayor and Council meetings are long and can last into the wee hours of the morning. We can’t cover every decision and discussion but we’d like to provide enough information so readers know what’s happening in our City. We could use your help.After each meeting we will report on appointments and the City Manager’s report. When we can, we’ll describe topics from Citizen’s Forum and report on any votes taken. However, we invite the community to let us know when we leave something out. We also invite anyone speaking during Citizens Forum to send their remarks to us for consideration as >Contributor Opinions. If we miss a vote or leave out a bit of information you think is important, we’d like to know in comments.

As a whole, residents don’t have a public way to respond to Mayor and Council meetings together, so we hope the Recap will give residents a place to express their views about the meetings, actions, and decisions of our Mayor and Council on a regular basis. We’ll see how it goes.

As always, we welcome your feedback.

Here’s a first try for the June 21, 2010 Meeting.

Appointments

Unanimously approved Bernie Lubran to Rockville Scholarship Foundation Board of Directors until June 1, 2013 and Bryan Maust to Rockville Recreation and Parks Foundation, Inc.until June 1, 2013.

City Manager’s Report

Two items from Scott Ullery:

The Metropolitan Council of Governments and Board of Trade are seeking ideas about Metro’s governance. They want to know what we would recommend, especially any innovative models from other systems. A Public Meeting will be held on July 1, 2010 from 9AM – 11AM at the Council of Governments (777 N. Capital Street). There will be opportunities for input online and at the forum. Councilmember John Britton is going to check if the Governance Review Task Force meetings would be open to the public. WMATA might not adopt these recommendations.

A Press Release from the Governor’s Office named Twinbrook Metro a Transit Oriented Development. 14 rail stations were honored including Shady Grove. City Staff don’t know what the honor entails as far as financing opportunities, prioritization of funding, feasibility analysis, and priority consideration for State offices and labs. Staff will learn more about the opportunities and look into the criteria since the Rockville station was not named.

Citizen’s Forum

Since the RedGate Business Plan Financial Update was on the Agenda, this was the main topic for Citizens Forum.

• Joe Jordan, chair of the Redgate Advisory, was the only person to sign up in advance. He admitted the financial picture at the golf course has not improved. The number of rounds used for calculations is grossly overestimated because it includes free and complimentary rounds. Revenue only includes carts and fees when other courses include shop sales and food in revenue. He requested the work session on the golf course to be moved from July to September or October so the new Point of Sale system can be rolled out. This would allow new marketing and sales to be included in the plan for Redgate.
• Martha Klasing spoke about the demand for golf being stable and that Redgate had “good bones on which to build” so it could be a successful operation with the correct business plan to improve performance.
• Art Stigile didn’t understand how spending for essential services must be contained and $600,000 in funding for the golf course only benefits the golfers. He added it would be a “shell game” to move Redgate from an Enterprise Fund to the General Fund because the courses cost would not be transparent.

Other topics:

• Bill Commoners (sp?) who represents the Tower Companies wanted to tell the Mayor and Council they were doing something good by approving the Zoning Text Amendment to extend the timeframe for development projects. Property owners who invested in these properties can remain “ready to go” and the change will save on costs, especially his legal fees, involved with getting extensions.
• A resident of Princeton Place spoke without identifying herself and requested that when the Memorandum of Understanding is negotiated for the opening of the fence between Princeton Place and Montgomery College for the fireworks, the Mayor and Council continue to work on a resolution to keep the fence open.

Agenda Items

RedGate Business Plan Financial Update was extensive. In the end the Mayor and Council decided to hear the report from the Redgate Advisory Committee on July 19, 2010 and hold a work session in September. The discussion as to when to have the work session revolved around whether preliminary results from the new point of sale system should be included in the discussion since it would take years to see any real change.

The Communications Task Force Report was handed to the Mayor and Council just before the meeting started. The three subcommittees made their presentations. The Report should be available to the public online today. The report contained about a page of recommendations from the Citizen Outreach Subcommittee and the Mechanisms Subcommitte, and five pages of recommendations from the Development Review Subcommitte including changes to the Zoning Ordanance.

Votes

Unanimously approved the increase in parking fines for expired parking meters/stalls located in City-owned parking garages in the Town Center from $12 per ticket to $40 per ticket.

Unanimously approved the Zoning Text Amendment (TXT2010-00227) to extend the implementation period for would extend the timeframe for certain approved development projects until June 30 , 2012 for site plans, use permits, project plans, detailed applications and special exceptions that have been approved as of June 30, 2010.

Planning Commission Change Regarding Citizen Commissioners

In hopes of improving the exchange of information between the >Planning Commission and other boards and commissions, the Planning Commission has changed its procedure for testimony.

Now official testimony from City bodies, including boards and commissions, will occur directly after staff report presentations near the beginning of proceedings. In a letter from David Hill, the chair of the Planning Commission to fellow commissioners, he explains:

The rationale is that when City bodies are presenting an officially adopted position (e.g. the recommendations of a board or commission,) this content is a supplement to official City presentation and as such, it should occur in that context in our meetings. Therefore, it makes sense to us for staff to present their general report on a matter and then hear other detailed official City recommendations before moving on to applicant and general public testimony.

The Planning Commission notes that testimony will be easier to give since it will be at a predictable time during the meetings and therefore they hope to have other boards and commissions provide more input. The letter explains:

We note with regret that our boards and commissions are compartmentalized too frequently, and we miss opportunities to obtain citizen commissioner expertise in matters where our purviews overlap.

This testimonial order if for officially adopted content only, commissioners giving individual testimony must do so during the general public portion of the meeting.

Any change which brings our volunteers together to serve the City better are most welcome. Our citizen commissioners have a wealth of expertise to share.

Let There Be Light

If you have ever attended a Thursday night concert or other event at the Rockville Town Square stage, you might have found the performers in the dark as sundown neared.

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Gizmo Guys in the dark

This past Tuesday the Gizmo Guys made a big deal about it. They commented about the City’s stage being very different from any other performance stage. It was very unique! For the first time ever, the audience was in more light than they were. Of course they were clowning around but it was difficult to see the ping pong balls and pencils by the end of the night.

Blaggards under the lights

So when I happened to run out to the pharmacy last night and decided to catch a couple of songs by the Blaggards, I couldn’t believe there were colored lights at the front and back of the stage. Although not very big, the different hues added a little bit of rock star quality. I wasn’t sure if the Blaggards had brought the lights or not, but upon inspection this morning, they were still in the pavilion.

If anyone can shed any additional light on the subject, then by all means do! In the meantime, Rockville Town Square is alive for the summer. Here’s our Ultimate Summer Guide for Rockville Town Center.

State of The City Address Full Of Facts

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I don’t usually mention the list of dignitaries at public gatherings. However, today’s State of the City address attracted a fairly large crowd in this election year. Since the address was given in the Glenview Mansion Dining Room, people were standing in the back entrances and sitting outside on the patio, which made an exact count difficult but obviously more than 80 had responded to the invitation. The introduced guests included Senator Jennie Forehand, Delegate Jim Gilchrist, Delegate Luis Simmons, Delegate Kumar Barve, Daniel Campos (Delegate Candidate), Montgomery County Councilmember Phil Andrews, Montgomery County Council President Nancy Floreen, Laura Berthiaume (School Board), John McCarthy (State’s Attorney), Loretta Knight (Clerk of Circuit Court), Darren Popkin (Deputy Sheriff), and Sally Sternbach (REDI), along with City Staff Scott Ullery, Susan Swift, Claire Funkhouser, Chief Terry Treschuk, and Craig Simoneau. Rockville Councilmembers Bridget Newton and Mark Pierzchala were seated next to the podium.

Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio began by clarifying these would be her own words and she was not speaking for the Council. Her intent was to reflect on the past six months and update residents on the current administration. She added she wanted to “tease you into some action”.

Providing a bit of background, the Mayor noted previous mayors had given State of the City Addresses with the Chamber of Commerce. Andrea Jolly, Executive Director, was on vacation and couldn’t attend but had initially worked on the event with the Mayor. Some Chamber members noted they were present.

Mayor Marcuccio’s address lasted about an hour and detailed Rockville’s demographic shifts using data from the Strategic Scan 2010 prepared by many of the departments in City Hall. Charts, graphs, and statistics displayed on a large screen. Rockville will become more ethnically diverse with an aging population and fewer school-aged residents. The City will go from the 24,327 present households to 62,476 in the year 2040. With so little buildable land, developers will build mixed-use communities for smaller families. Services will need to change to meet the needs of this dense population.

The Mayor’s overview showed Rockville is in pretty good shape compared to our neighbors and the rest of the Country. Rockville continues to be a sound employment center with unemployment rates below the County, State and Country. Single-family homes have held their value and rental vacancy rates are below County percentages. Rockville has progressed with its Green Initiatives Commitment to have LEEDS certified and energy sensitive developments. Even though the economy is still going down, the Real Taxable Assessed Value went up 1.4% this year but the Mayor noted it can’t be expected to continue. Ridership is up on the Red Line and it’s difficult to get a seat at the Rockville and Twinbrook stops in the morning. The City’s water lines are aging and fees were raised to insure the pipes don’t break.

The FY2011 Budget was recently balanced and passed based on the recommendations of staff. The Mayor noted this occurred even with reducing the property tax by one penny a year, rebuilding the retirement fund, and handling the loss of State funds for roads and police. She added the City “still managed to balance the budget without laying off any employees.” Water/sewer bills will continue to rise, 24% in 2011 and over 20% in the coming years to pay for infrastructure. The County will not be reimbursing for parking at the Rockville Memorial Library. “Next year will be much more challenging, I’m sure.” commented Mayor Marcuccio.

Highlights of Progress:

The Mayor said the City’s having “a great year in many ways” including:

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the City’s incorporation
Renaming the Rockville Library to the Rockville Memorial Library
The Opening of the Mansfield Kaseman Health Clinic
The Chamber of Commerce’s “Buy Rockville” campaign’s matching grant which “turned the whole notion of the Chamber upside down”.
Forming the Youth Commission
Including the Agendas and Actions in the Mayor and Council’s briefing book online

Works in Progress:

Grocery store in Town Center
Zoning revisions
APFO revisions
Traffic relief and pedestrian safety
Business friendly
Protecting neighborhoods from encroachment
Public safety

Near the end of her address, the Mayor spoke about the Redgate Golf Course which she described as 130 acres of the most beautiful land you would ever want to see and one of the most challenging places to play. She explained the course was created as a commitment to making sure a portion of the City stays green. She enthusiastically proclaimed “Save the green space”.

Noting the presence of the District 17 delegation, the Mayor explained the City needed to work closely with the State to clarify rules and regulations. Even in these tough times, State funds were allocated for the Senior Center. She also noted Senator Forehand’s bill requiring citizens who receive traffic tickets to request a trial upfront would cut down on the hours police officers spend in court and save Montgomery County as much as $1 million.

Speaking of police, Mayor Marcuccio recounted how she was sitting in Town Square with her sister waiting for the library to open on a Saturday morning when an officer showed up on a Segway and it was Chief Treschuk. She complimented our police department who she said were always on the scene, then proclaimed them “one of the best police forces anywhere.”

Mayor Marcuccio concluded her address by saying “Who knows what the next six months will bring?”

City Manager Scott Ullery's Contract Renewed Through 2013

At >last night’s meeting of the Rockville Mayor and Council, city leaders voted to renew City Manager Scott Ullery’s contract for another three years, through December 4, 2013. His current contract expires December 2 of this year.

(Photo from the City)

Ullery joined the City October 25, 2004 and has three-year contract was renewed in December 2007. Prior to joining the City, he was deputy county manager for Santa Barbara County in California and before that was assistant city manager for Tucson, Arizona. (The agenda item on this is here.)

The vote was 3-2 for the contract renewal: Councilmembers John Britton, Piotr Gajewski, and Mark Pierzchala were in favor, while Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio and Councilmember Bridget Newton were opposed.

The next and final step is for the contract to be “executed” (that is, actually signed), which should happen within days.

Mayor And Council Meeting to Include Flag Day Ceremony, Discussion with District 17 Legislators

Today is Flag Day and so it is fitting that, just before tonight’s meeting of the Mayor and Council, the City will hold a >Flag Day ceremony. It’s at 6:00 pm tonight at Mayor and Council chambers. It will include the “History of the Flag” presented by the Washington, D.C. Rockville Elks Lodge #15 and Boy Scout Troop 1450, a Proclamation from the Mayor and Council, and a flag disposal ceremony by American Legion Post 86.

The regular meeting will come right after that at 7:00 pm (here is the agenda). The meeting will include a presentation from District 17 state legislators as well as discussion of the City’s legislative priorities for 2011.

We Have A Deer Task At Hand

This week I happened to step into the Mayor and Council Chambers as the >White-Tailed Deer Management Task Force was preparing for their meeting. I would have attended if I wasn’t already going to a meeting because City staff were setting up what looked like an informative visual presentation. As we know, I’ve been concerned about the deer population for quite a while. As I see it, we can either work on a management policy or continue to chip away at the problem with our vehicles. Mostly, I’m concerned I’ll hit one on my motorcycle which would be a deadly situation.

The City of Rockville is seeking three residents to fill vacancies on the Task Force and update the current White-Tailed Deer Control Policy by making recommendations to the Mayor and Council on what to do about the deer problem. From their Press Release, here’s a description of the deer challenge we face:

A white-tailed deer management policy was adopted in Rockville in 1996 with an objective to manage the impact of deer on public and private property within the city limits. Since then, the number of deer in the state and in Rockville has continued to increase. In 1988, the state recorded 135,000 white-tailed deer, compared with 230,000 in 2007.

In some areas of Rockville, the deer population has reached up to 200 per square mile, with up to 40 per square mile considered manageable, according to Steve Mader, superintendent of Rockville parks and facilities.

Last month the Sentinel ran a piece analyzing deer population control methods. Deer Hunter gave an overview of the pros and cons of:
(1.) managed hunts using bows or guns by citizens or sharpshooters
(2.) the reintroduction of predators such as mountain lions or wolves
(3.) contraception or contragestation using drugs to prevent or terminate a fetus.

The article also includes a description of the Montgomery County Deer Management Workgroup’s plan:

The group annually reviews deer data and makes recommendations to agencies and private landowners. Currently, Montgomery Parks Departments uses both managed hunts and sharpshooters to control deer. Managed hunts were implemented in the county in the Fall of 1996 and have occurred annually ever since. …

Police-based sharpshooting was implemented in the county in the Spring of 1999 and has occurred annually ever since. …

Together these programs cover about 40% of the County’s parks. There are additional areas where management has been recommended, but funding is not available for expanding the program.

Information on Rockville’s White-Tailed Deer Management Task Force:

The task force, which consists of 11 community members, will work with the help of six support staff, and will study management plans from other jurisdictions, evaluate data on deer population, analyze impacts of deer and develop recommendations for a comprehensive management plan. The group is expected to return to the Mayor and Council with recommendations in October. Meetings are scheduled for 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month. The next meeting will be held Aug. 3 at City Hall.

The task force has held two meetings. Information discussed at those meetings will be distributed to new members.

If you are concerned about the deer population in Rockville, think about joining the Task Force.