Courtesy Review of Plan That Would Bring 180 New Units to City by Gaithersburg’s Historic District Commission Takes Place October 26

The City of Gaithersburg’s Historic District Commission (HDC) is scheduled to provide a non-binding courtesy review of the Park and Brookes Avenues Concept Site Plan (CSP-9149-2021) at its October 26 meeting. The Planning Commission is expected to review the Concept Site Plan after the HDC courtesy review. MBW and Haris Design and Construction Co. submitted Concept Site Plan application (SP-9149-2021) on December 16, 2021, to demolish the buildings located at 9, 11, and 15 Park Avenue and 201 Brookes Avenue in anticipation of redevelopment into a pair of multifamily buildings totaling 180 units with 2,217 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. The building at the intersection of Park and Brookes Avenues will stand four (4) stories tall, and the building to the south along Park Avenue will stand five (5) stories tall. A City-owned alley extends between the two (2) buildings.

Status: Before any demolition permit is issued, the HDC reviews each structure or building fifty (50) years old or older to consider a building’s potential historic or architectural significance for historic designation either individually or as part of an historic district, under the criteria specified in Sec. 24-226 of the City Code. The HDC initially reviewed SP-9149-2021 at its June 22, 2022, meeting. The application was deferred to its next meeting so the HDC could receive more historical information on the properties. At its July 27 meeting, the HDC determined there was reasonable probability 9, 11, 13, and 15 Park Avenue and 201 Brookes Avenue could be locally designated as an historic district, or, in the alternative, 9 and 15 Park Avenue and 201 Brookes Avenue could be locally designated as individual sites. The HDC directed Staff to prepare a petition resolution to the Mayor and City Council, and the HDC approved the resolution at its August 24 meeting. At its October 3 meeting, the City Council voted not to accept the HDC’s petition to designate the properties as historic. The HDC is scheduled to provide a non-binding courtesy review of the Park and Brookes Avenues Concept Site Plan (CSP-9149-2021) at its October 26 meetingAs currently designed, the project also will require a height waiver from the City Council.