East Rockville Civic Association Meeting Tomorrow

The May East Rockville Civic Association meeting will take place at the Croydon Park Pump House tomorrow night, starting at 7:30 PM, with plant swapping beginning at 7:15 PM. This month's topic will be on the East Rockville neighborhood plan and the citywide Rockville 2040 plan with Andrea Gilles as the guest speaker. Because Andrea is also a major figure in the Stonestreet Corridor Study, if you did not get a chance to come out to last Tuesday's meeting on this study, tonight would probably be a good time to ask any questions you have. I encourage all of you who live in East Rockville to come out to the meeting tonight, and, if you are a voting member of the association or would like to become one, don't forget to pay your 2017 dues!

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).

East Rockville Surveys

Suzan Pitman, President of ERCA, has created two surveys to gauge citizen opinion about the future of housing and transportation in East Rockville, and I encourage those who live and work in the neighborhood to take them! Additionally, tonight's meeting is cancelled on account of the snow. The housing survey can be found here, and the transportation one here.

East Rockville Housing Meeting

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting to discuss the future of housing in East Rockville, and the possible directions that the neighborhood could take to either add people or remain in its current state. Overall, most present seemed very much willing to grow as a neighborhood, although there were several opinions on the manner in which this could be done. Hosted by David Levy and Ann Wallas, different types of housing discussed for addition to the neighborhood included Accessory Dwelling Units (ACDs), duplexes, fourplexes, townhouses, courtyard housing, small multiplexes, and live/work units.

An example of an ACD, with the unit on the right and the main residence on the left. These saw most support at the meeting, however under current codes are difficult to do. Image Credit: accessorydwellings.org

Although ACDs did see widespread support, thanks to existing city codes they are hard to create, and, because they would have to be created by residents on their own initiative, may not be built and would therefore not actually have much support. Most people felt that these would work well in Burgundy Knolls, England's Second Addition, Harriet Park, and Rockville Park. Additionally, there was limit support for duplexes and fourplexes, especially in the Croydon Park and England's Second Addition areas, with concern about historic preservation being present in the Rockville Park. Additionally, live/work units saw support for the Stonestreet corridor, as did small multiplexes. Courtyard housing saw niche support as well, which, if the city takes these findings into consideration, would mean that East Rockville would, though in a limited manner, add some density to its borders and allow for housing to stay affordable and the neighborhood to grow.

Meet Rockville's New City Manager

On Tuesday, February 14th, a "meet and greet" with the city's new manager, Rob DiSpirito, at the Croydon Park Pump House at 401 South Horners Lane from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. If you have any questions about the city's current plans, or about his work experience and what he plans for the city, drop by!

East Rockville Civic Association Meeting November 15th

Continuing on the October meeting's theme of looking at the neighborhood plan's flaws and advantages, this month's meeting will look at what residents have found in the plan that they feel needs changing, or that they feel works well. If you want to help decide what needs to be added to the existing plan, come to the Croydon Park Pump House at 7:30 PM on Wednesday, November 15th.

ERCA Meeting Wednesday, October 12th

The East Rockville Civic Association will host a meeting this Wednesday, October 12th at 7:30 in the Croydon Park Pump House at 401 South Horners Lane. Guest speakers for the night will include staff from the city planning office to discuss updates to the neighborhood plan. Please come to the meeting to make sure your voice is heard as the neighborhood plan is updated!