Regarding the article on Beall’s Grant II in last week’s Gazette

Letter to the Editor
Rockville Gazette
04.10.09
Re: AGREEMENT REACHED OVER BEALL’S GRANT II (04.08.09)


Regarding the article on Beall’s Grant II in last week’s Gazette, (Agreement Reached Over Beall’s Grant II) we are concerned that there are several frank errors:

1. The description that the building is a “football-sized building” rather than the reality which is a huge building footprint the size of a FOOTBALL FIELD – ie over 300 feet long.
2. “Residents agreed to accept Montgomery Housing Partnership (MHP) to build 70-75 rental units”. (sic) In fact, the committee stated that we would consider a maximum of 70 – 74 units per the model that MHP presented on 03.19.09.
3. “The new tentative design… brings the building height down from 4 stories to 2 stories with a 3rd story on the North side of the building closest to Dawson Avenue.” In fact, the building proposed is a 3 story structure with 2 story face on Beall Avenue and N. Adams Street.
4. “MHP will draft a written agreement with the West End Committee….” In fact, what the committee has asked MHP to do is to provide a written description of the building with specific details as it relates to size, setbacks, number of units, shape and design features. The Committee will then consider this information prior to a vote of approval for the project.
5. “….in the last of a series of meetings….” Though we are hopeful that we are close to an agreement with MHP, we will continue to meet until we have reached agreement on a design.

By far the biggest error in the article is the statement that an agreement has been reached between the West End and MHP. NO AGREEMENT HAS BEEN REACHED. NEITHER THE CITIZEN’S COMMITTEE NOR THE WEST END COMMUNITIY HAS SEEN A FINAL DESIGN LET ALONE VOTED APPROVAL OF SAID FINAL DESIGN. MHP had agreed to provide specifics of the design this week and to date, nothing has yet been received.

Additionally, the Committee, according to it’s charge by the WECA, has stated since it’s first meeting in December that though the GOAL of the Committee would be to work with MHP to come up with a recommendation of a design that is an asset to both the West End and MHP, the final decision rests with the West End Citizens Association. There has been no meeting yet of the community and no vote has been taken.

Dennis Cain, Chair
Bridget Newton, Vice-Chair
WECA Committee on Beall’s Grant II

Is WECA Going Solar?

The Rose Hill Falls community is exploring the installation of solar panels. Nadia Azumi, Vice-president of the Rose HIll Falls Board, invited Tim Grahl of Chesapeake Solar to the April WECA meeting and she wanted to share this information with residents of the WE. Tim provided some background on the company, distributed Power Point notes detailing installation and cost savings, discussed financial incentives available from the Federal, State, and County governments, and offered to do solar evaluations on homes to determine what system would work best for individuals’ homes. For more information, check out their website: www.chesapeakesolar.net.

April 28, 7pm - Senior Adult Housing on Fleet Street Property

Many WECA residents received a letter informing them that Victory Housing is proposing to build a 90-unit affordable housing community for independent elderly residents (to be known as “Victory Court”). The development approval process has begun and per the new city zoning ordinance, the developer is holding an Area Meeting with the neighborhood on Tuesday April 28th, 7 pm, in the Auditorium of the Council Office Building (COB) at 100 Maryland Ave. The developer is seeking approval of a Special Exception for Housing for Senior Adults. More information, site plans, etc. can be found on the Victory Housing page of the Courthouse Walk HOA web site.

Town Center - Present and Future

The Town Center Action Team is planning a very special event on April 21; a Town Center Summit, from 7 to 9 PM in the VisArts second floor exhibit hall.

Join us for a discussion of the successes, challenges, and prospects of Rockville Town Square and nearby Town Center development, and how we can facilitate and encourage improvements in the short and long term. The meeting will include representatives from all of the interests that will influence the future of our Town Center - residents, merchants, property owners, and managers who live and work in Town Square, and also interested Rockville citizens.

The first part of the summit will be on the just completed Town Square including how to make the best of the current economic environment. The second part of the meeting will look forward to Town Center north of Beall Avenue (across the street from Town Square), to understand what it would take to develop it and how it can best complement and enhance Town Square.

The Town Center Action Team hopes to see you there!

Also, check out our new website at: http://rockvilletcat.blogspot.com/

Slate for Officers 2009-2010

At the March 19, 2009 WECA Executive Board meeting, the Nominating Committee, chaired by Robin Nelson, announced the following slate for officers for 2009-2010:

President - Susan Prince
Vice-president - Jim Vitol
Corresponding Secretary - Jacques Gelin
Recording Secretary - Jan Balkam
Treasurer - Noreen Bryan

Hotel Proposed for Town Center

Duball Rockville, LLC, the owner of the lot in front of the Regal Theaters, announce that Starwood Hotels & Resorts International, the world's third largest hotel company, is interested in Duball Rockville's project as one of the first national locations of their newest hotel brand, the "aloft" Hotel. The aloft Hotel is in the select "W Hotel" family but is a more contemporary, hip hotel at mid-range rates.

Duball Rockville recognized that a hotel in the downtown has long been on the City's wish list since the Visioning Rockville 2000 project and is highlighted as very desirable in the Town Center Master Plan. The Mayor and Council included in the PDP Approvals for the Duball site specifically that a hotel was a permitted use that could be included in addition to the other approvals on the site.

Therefore, although Duball Rockville has City approvals in hand for their two residential buildings in front of the Regal Theatre, they believed the aloft Hotel was an important and unique opportunity for Rockville and worked hard to incorporate the hotel with their existing approvals.

The hotel has been incorporated into the west building between Maryland Avenue and Renaissance Street. No changes were made to the height, massing, setback, streetscape, and landscaping of the approved building. The size of the residential dwelling units was modified to accommodate the space for the hotel. Here is the view of the hotel from Renaissance Street.

The hotel guest rooms are located in the base of the building and one of the original residential lobbies that fronted on Renaissance Street was converted to the hotel lobby. Since the aloft Hotel is a limited service hotel it provides a great accessible hotel lounge at street level on Renaissance Street, a fitness center, business center, and two board rooms (800 sf total) for business guests. An additional parking level has been designed below the west building to provide the parking for the hotel.

Affordable housing proposed for Beall and North Washington

Update: At the October 16, 2008 WECA General Meeting, the general membership passed a motion to rescind WECA's letter of support for Beall's Grant II. A second motion to form a working group to work with Montgomery Housing Partnership was also passed. The WECA board will review this motion and determine how to best form a committee which with consult with MHP regarding Beall's Grant II.

Update: Information on resident income levels has been updated.

Update: At a Planning Commission hearing in July, 2008, the Montgomery Housing Partnership received approval to move forward on this project.

Update: At the February 21, 2008, WECA board meeting, MHP presented revisions to their plan and indicated that the project is moving forward and has gone before the Development Review Committee.

At the September 21, 2006 WECA board meeting, the Montgomery Housing Partnership presented plans for their proposal to build affordable housing units at the northwest corner of the intersection of Beall Avenue and North Washington Street. The Montgomery Housing Partnership is a private, non-profit organization that builds, rehabilitates and manages affordable housing in multiple locations throughout Montgomery County. In addition to providing traditional management services, this organization provides training opportunities for adults, as well as clubs for children.

The site for this proposed building is situated just south of the Beall's Grant apartment building. Currently, this complex is composed of the sixty unit Beall's Grant, an unoccupied fourteen unit building, a large concrete pad where the Trading Post once stood and a small park. The Montgomery Housing Partnership proposes to tear down the fourteen unit apartment building and construct a 109 unit four and a half story building. There would be parking underneath the building. The playground would be relocated to the front of Beall's grant and the intersection in front of Beall's Grant would be improved and converted into a right angle intersection.

About 20-30% of the units will be market rate with no income restrictions. About 60-70% of the residents will be working families and individuals earning $35,000 to $60,000. About 10% will be restricted to those earning below $35,000.

Images of partial concept are courtesy of Douglas Campbell, The Preston Partnership, LLC - A Multidisciplinary Design Firm

KSI Plans for Redeveloping the Bank of America Building

At the May WECA board meeting, KSI presented their plans for redeveloping the Bank of America Building at the northeast corner of Beall and North Washington. The preliminary development plan (PDP) was approved in 2004. The PDP included 325 dwelling units and 5,000+ square feet of commercial space.

KSI has now provided further details. The current plan is a U-shaped building with the following heights:

• 25 feet high along North Washington.
  • Units along North Washington will be two stories tall and 15-20 feet deep. There will be eight 1,200 square foot, two-story "live/work" units.
• 75 feet high behind this.
• 85 feet to 100 feet high on the side towards Maryland Avenue.

91 feet is approximately ten stories.

By comparison, Town Center heights will be in the range of 65 to 85 feet and the current Bank of America Building is approximately 60 feet in height.

The number of dwelling units has been reduced to 290 units.

Parking for the entire building will be underground, with two entrances. The main entrance will be from a new road to be built to the north of the building. A second entrance for visitors and retail shoppers will be off of Beall.

KSI has agreed to provide $73,000 to the City for traffic calming and studies in the West End neighborhood, plus an additional five projects or $110,000 to discourage cut-through traffic.

The proposed traffic calming currently under consideration are:

• Entrance /gateway to Beall
• Improved crosswalks at Mannakee Circle
• Sidewalks on Beall from North Adams to North Van Buren, if there is any money left over.

The Planning Commission has approved the KSI use permit.

Forty-four New Homes Proposed for Fleet Street

Update: The Rockville Mayor and Council has designated the homes on Fleet Street as historic and the County is developing new plans for developing the rest of the site.

Update: Due to the adoption of the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance and due to concerns by the Mayor and Council over the proposed density, Montgomery County is reconsidering its options for this site.

Montgomery County has proposed a housing development of forty-four townhouse units for the county-owned property on Fleet Street, between Maryland Avenue and Monroe Street. Click here for more information on the Fleet Street Redevelopment Plan.

Six Homes Proposed for the Corner of Great Falls and Monument

Note: This plan has been put on hold due to both a new law prohibiting pipe-stem development and the adoption of the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance.

Update: More recently, a church has expressed interest in purchasing the property to develop a large church on this site.

On May 17, 2007, the Historic District Commission held a hearing to determine whether to recommmend historic designation for 406 Great Falls Road. Staff Kebba presented a summary of the staff report, noting that the applicant is considering Substantial Alteration of such a scale, that it actually constitutes Demolition of the existing house. Staff is recommending against historic designation on the basis of loss of integrity and lack of significance to the City. While associated with the well-known local families, Trail and Nicholson, this property is associated with later generations, two brothers specifically, who built the homes in the 1940s and are not noted specifically for their public contributions. The HDC not to recommend historic designation.

A developer has submitted plans for a proposed six home development to replace the two existing homes at 406 Great Falls Road and 408 Great Falls Road. These houses, on the southeast corner of the intersection of Great Falls Road and Monument Street, were built around the 1930's and occupy two large lots, typical of the Rockville Heights neighborhood, By city law, all demolition permits for buildings over fifty years old require an evaluation by the Rockville Historic District Commission (HDC) to determine whether the building(s) are historically significant. HDC staff has recommended that these homes be preserved, but the developer has requested an extension in order to refile the application. This matter will come before the HDC shortly and WECA and the HDC would like your input on this important issue.

For further information, you can check the HDC website for the site histories of 406 Great Falls Road and 408 Great Falls Road . In addition, you can view the staff report on these two sites can be viewed at this link.