The proposed redevelopment of Rio-Washingtonian Center will undergo additional revisions and a new round of public review after the Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council voted Monday to reopen the record indefinitely.
During its July 20 policy discussion, the Mayor and Council voted to give the applicant, Washingtonian Associates LLC, additional time to refine the proposal in response to comments from the public, the Council during the Joint Public Hearing, and the Planning Commission’s recommendation.
According to the City of Gaithersburg, once the revised plans are submitted, the schematic development plan review process will effectively restart. That means the project will go through a new Joint Public Hearing with all required public notifications, receive a new recommendation from the Planning Commission, and return to the Mayor and Council for final action.
The redevelopment proposal calls for 463 rental apartments, more than 41,000 square feet of retail space, and a variety of new public amenities throughout Rio. The plan includes replacing the existing Kohl’s with a mixed-use building, constructing additional residential buildings around the property, and adding features such as a relocated playground, dog park, outdoor fitness area, lakeside pocket parks, public art, and an expanded boardwalk.
The proposal has generated significant public interest. During earlier public hearings, residents raised concerns about traffic, the loss of green space, filling in a portion of the lake, the project’s architecture, and the decision to build rental apartments rather than homes for sale.
Planning staff previously recommended approval of the project, concluding it is consistent with the City’s long-term vision for Rio while acknowledging that traffic remains the most significant unresolved issue and that additional engineering work is still needed before the project could move forward.
The City is continuing to accept public comments on the application. Comments may be mailed to 31 South Summit Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, or emailed to [email protected].
