July 16, 2009
Letter to the City of Rockville Mayor and Council:
I am writing to you today in response to questions raised at the Mayor and Council meeting on July 13, 2009 and subsequent email communications.
At the citizen’s forum, I spoke regarding the negotiations between the West End Citizen’s Association (WECA) and Montgomery Housing Partnership (MHP) regarding the development at Beall’s Grant II. I also sent a letter to the Mayor and Council on July 13th supporting the comments I made at the citizen’s forum.
Since there seems to be some confusion regarding the status of our negotiations, I thought I would provide additional information for clarity.
1. MHP does not have an agreement with WECA. WECA drafted a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlined the details that both parties agreed to on building parameters, residency requirements and community impact of the project. MHP agreed to each point in the MOU. WECA has signed this agreement, MHP has not. To date, MHP has not provided an answer as to why they refuse to sign the MOU, despite repeated requests.
2. The MOU was presented to the WECA general membership and approved. The
WECA general membership voted 62-1-2 to approve the MOU which specifies the parameters for WECA support for the project. This MOU clearly indicates the conditions under which WECA will support MHP and the Beall’s Grant II project. However as mentioned above, MHP has declined to sign this agreement. Without MHP’s signature, we have no agreement. Without an agreement, there is no support. In addition, the original motion to approve the MOU was amended to include a motion that the Mayor and Council be made aware that MHP not only modified our original document with “poison pill” amendments, but also that they were misrepresenting the status of our negotiations – that we had an agreement when in fact there is no signed agreement.
3. There is great concern in the West End over concentration of affordable housing. The issue of increased density both at Beall’s Grant I and II, as well as the development of future sites in and near the West End, was raised repeatedly during our negotiations. MHP agreed to cap the number of units at the Beall’s Grant site and not acquire any future sites for development in a specific geographic area. (An exception was made for the acquisition of individual MPDUs). Language that spells out their commitment is included in section VI of the MOU.
4. The impact of additional development in the West End is also a concern. Beall Elementary especially is faced with significant enrollment over their capacity. Additional portable classrooms will be added this year. Traffic along residential streets continues to increase and the city has even resorted to speed cameras to provide additional pedestrian safety. As such, the limits MHP agreed to regarding future development are crucial to minimizing the impact on the community.
I have included the last two points as the conversation subsequent to the June 30th meeting has centered mainly on the fact that MHP and WECA “agree” on the size of the Beall’s Grant II building. And while we all know size does in fact matter, in the context of this development, it’s not the only thing.
For MHP to claim we have an agreement is disingenuous at best and untrue in fact. Yet this is precisely what they have done; to residents within the West End, and to the Mayor and Council and to the City Staff. And is exactly the tactic that the general membership voted to communicate to the Mayor and Council.
If in fact, we have an agreement, as MHP claims, then I ask – why not sign the agreement?
Mayor Hoffman, you so rightly asked this very question at the Mayor and Council meeting this past Monday.
WECA has committed to provide their support of this project only upon MHP signing the MOU; not for an “agreement-in-fact.”
MHP cannot be allowed to choose which sections of the MOU they wish to uphold. Each section is important to the City and to the West End citizens – not just the details on the size of the building.
Our agreement contains concessions on both sides. WECA compromised on the size of the building and number of units and MHP compromised on limiting future expansion and resident requirements. Allowing MHP to proceed with a building that only reflects the compromises WECA agreed to without holding them to the concessions on their side is not the right and honorable thing to do.
Sincerely,
Susan Prince
Susan Prince
President
West End Citizen’s Association
