Stonestreet Corridor Kickoff Meeting

Last Tuesday, I attended the first of many Stonestreet Corridor planning meetings. This corridor has seen numerous plans adopted or proposed for its redevelopment, and the City of Rockville is trying once again to create a comprehensive plan to guide development in the area based on the current feelings of community members, the 2004 East Rockville Neighborhood Plan and the 2007 Lincoln Park Neighborhood Plan, and the results of the 2006 Stonestreet Avenue Redevelopment Implementation Plan, which was not adopted. Although the meeting was on a Tuesday at 7:00 PM, a large crowd came out to offer their input, and the Lincoln Park Community Center's gym space was full of residents and businessowners who wanted their opinions heard.

The northern portion of the Stonestreet Avenue corridor. Image Credit: Rockville Nights

After a short presentation on the background of the corridor, each table worked with a map and sticky notes, as well as a city-designated moderator, to discuss what they wanted to see in the corridor and what they liked about the corridor today. At my table, people felt very differently about what they wanted from the corridor, but there was a general consensus on several things"

• The existing surface parking lot in front of Rockville Metrorail Station should be redeveloped into mixed-use apartment buildings of about 3-5 stories in height.
• Existing residential areas to the east of Stonestreet should not be redeveloped and should maintain their existing character. (Personally, I disagree, and feel that areas within a block or two of Stonestreet should be made into a transition zone where developers would be allowed to build duplexes or two/four flats along with new homes, though new development of any sort would have to meet strict standards, such as a minimum setback requirement and a visual impact requirement).
• Something should be changed in the industrial areas in the central part of the corridor. Some felt that this change should come in the form of complete redevlopment, replacing existing buildings with lower-density mixed-use buildings, while others felt this change should come in the form of rebuilding existing industrial areas to better front the street to improve the pedestrian environment, and historic buildings such as the Lincoln High School should be reopened as landmarks.
• Pedestrian and cyclist experiences along Stonestreet should be improved through the addition of more amenities for these groups.

Regardless of your opinion on what should happen to Stonestreet, getting this opinion heard is paramount. The City will conduct a few more input meetings to collect information to formulate a plan for the corridor, and your voice is needed to create a better Stonestreet! For information on meeting times and other developments in the corridor, visit this page to sign up for email updates, or contact Andrea Gilles at 240-314-8273 (agilles@rockvillemd.gov).