Gaithersburg

Per the City of Gaithersburg: An official proclamation designating June as Pride Month in the City of Gaithersburg will be presented at the Mayor and City Council meeting on Monday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend the meeting, watch it live on YouTube or watch it via Zoom by registering here.

Accepting the proclamation is Emily McDermott, a social studies teacher and sponsor of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) at Northwest High School. Emily encourages students to take what they learn in the classroom and use it to create a positive change in their community. Some examples of projects that students have initiated include starting a rainbow library, implementing gender neutral bathrooms, participation in Diversity Night, holding a Pronoun Day, and working with the MCPS Bridge to Wellness Program.

The MBW and Haris Design and Construction Co. Concept Site Plan application (SP-9149-2021) that was submitted on December 16, 2021, has been approved by the City of Gaithersburg’s Planning Commission. The plan is to demolish the buildings located at 9, 11, and 15 Park Avenue and 201 Brookes Avenue in anticipation of redevelopment into a pair of four-story multifamily buildings totaling 151 units with 182 parking spaces. A commercial service road will bisect the property. A preliminary/final site plan application has not been submitted for the project (map available below).

History: The Historic District Commission initially reviewed SP-9149-2021 at its June 22, 2022 meeting for potential historic or architectural significance. 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 provided a nonbinding courtesy review of the Concept Site Plan (SP-9149-2021) at its October 26 meeting.

As part of the Retool Gaithersburg effort, the City is hosting two virtual public forums on the Zoning Diagnostic Report, which analyzes the current zoning code and evaluates how it helps to achieve or impede the stated objectives and goals of the City and the community’s vision. This comprehensive analysis report was developed by the City’s consultant, ZoneCo. Read the draft report here.

The virtual public forums take place on June 1 from noon to 1 p.m. and 7 to 8 p.m. The meetings will include English and Spanish real-time closed captioning options. ZoneCo will discuss the contents of its comprehensive analysis report and, time permitting, will answer questions from attendees. Both meetings will include the same information. No registration is required. Join the meetings using the links below.

A Joint Public Hearing on the sketch plan application by Muddy Branch Investments, LLC, to redevelop the former Nike Missile Site, was held on Monday, March 20, 2023.  The Planning Commission record closed at 5:00 p.m. on April 21, 2023 and they recommended approval of the sketch plan to the Mayor and City Council at their May 3, 2023 meeting. The Mayor and City Council record will close at 5:00 p.m. on May 19, 2023 and they are tentatively scheduled to conduct their policy discussion at their June 20, 2023 meeting.  All meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 31 S Summit Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 (virtual participation will also be available).  Any questions or comments on the application should be directed to the Planning Department at  [email protected] or 301-258-6330.

According to the applicant, Muddy Branch Investments, LLC, the sketch plan’s main purpose is to redevelop the former Nike missile site into a multifamily residential development that will complement and be compatible with the surrounding Lakelands Ridge, Timberbrook, and Shady Grove Village communities, as well as the Muddy Branch Square Shopping Center. The Application proposes a maximum of 380 multifamily dwelling units, located within four separate development blocks. Individual blocks have been allocated a maximum number of dwelling units out of the overall 380 unit cap. Although the 380 units proposed across the entire 13.71-acre site is significantly less dense (27.7 units per acre) than other recently-approved stand-alone multifamily developments, such as the Fishman Site (109 units on 0.99 acres, or 110.0 units per acre), Kentlands Apartments (365 units on 3.1 acres, or 117.7 units per acre), and Camden at Washingtonian (365 units on 5.86 acres, or 62.3 units per acre), the proposed density is comparable to and compatible with the surrounding Timberbrook Condos (168 units on 9.74 acres, or 17.2 units per acre) and Lakelands Ridge Condos (159 units on 9.39 acres, or 16.9 units per acre).