Last night (December 14th), the City of Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council held a joint work session with the Gaithersburg Planning commission to discuss findings from the Lakeforest Mall Master Plan engagement efforts.
On August 10th, the Mayor and City Council put into motion an amendment process for the Lakeforest Mall Master Plan, which would consider input from extensive public engagement to then produce a new design plan for the Lakeforest site that establishes an overall vision for the future development.
The public engagement strategy yielded 3,463 respondents to an online survey, with 739 paper surveys received. This put the response rate for City of Gaithersburg residents at 10.4%.
In a presentation given to the Mayor and council, Gaithersburg Long Range Planning Manager Rob Robinson stated that the findings of the public engagement efforts have shown that there is a majority consensus that the Lakeforest site’s redevelopment should be mixed use. The Planning Department estimates that there will be 20,000 new City of Gaithersburg residents by 2045, which each bring demand for increased housing, jobs, and mixed use needs.
Robinson additionally noted that the Lakeforest site should be a “destination” that would generate a special “sense of place” that appeals to a diverse set of people from a wide array of communities. Walkability and inclusion of green spaces also was important to the public, according to the Planning Department.
Ultimately, the Planning Department has recommended a master plan amendment that address three main facets: support area housing needs, create jobs across several career levels, and create economic activity. The Planning Department emphasized the need to go beyond standard mixed use playbooks for the Lakeforest site. Usually, people think of a combination of residential and retail sites when they hear the phrase “mixed-use”. Planning Dept. staff has suggested considering other mixed use options, including R&D, community & civic uses, light manufacturing, etc. It will be interesting to see how much of these types of spaces will be included in the eventual redevelopment of the site. Eventually, the Planning Department recommends the replacement of much of the surface parking lot space with more inventive uses.
In terms of next steps, the composition of the Master Plan will get going in earnest following this Joint Work Session, with a draft of the Master Plan set to be generated in spring of 2021, with eventual adoption and approval of the plan tentatively set for summer of 2021.
Applications are Now Open for the Second Phase of the COVID Rent Relief Program
Montgomery County is now accepting requests for the second phrase of the COVID Rent Relief Program. The program will continually review applications while funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Formal and informal rental agreements qualify for aid. Up to $4,000 can be distributed to households for rent arrears and future rental payments. Households with a formal lease agreement may have the aid issued directly to the landlord. For informal rental arrangements with no lease to the household’s name, aid may be given directly to the tenant.
Households in areas with the highest COVID impact will be prioritized.
Eligibility will be evaluated with each individual application by Housing Stabilization staff. Please check the link provided to review the household requirements for this program and for frequently asked questions.
More information can be seen here.
By Amy Lusignan
This map of residential sub-areas in the DC metro region was produced by the Federal Housing Administration in 1937. The map categorizes neighborhoods into grades that represent how worthy they were for investment and insured mortgage lending. The grading system was directly influenced by race and class.
Montgomery County is visible on this map. The higher graded regions (which are shaded darker) include Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and a portion of Silver Spring. Neighborhoods that had higher concentrations of African Americans were assigned the lowest grades (shaded lighter).
Other parts of the county are unmarked because they were rural with limited development at the time.
Source: Mapping Segregation in DC project/National Archives
By Nyrene Monforte
The Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commission has launched a new rental assistance program for people affected by Covid-19. The program plans to offer up to $500 a month per household to partially cover rent expenses. People who have lost their jobs, had an increase of expenses, or are otherwise experiencing financial hardship due to the current economic situation are encouraged to apply.
The window to apply starts June 1, 2020 at 10:00 AM and closes June 5, 2020 at 2:00 PM.
Those who receive funding through this program are not expected to pay it back, as it is considered a grant.
A complete overview of the program can be found here: https://www.hocmc.org/extra/878-covid-rental-assistance-program.html
Frequently asked questions can be found here: https://www.hocmc.org/images/files/covid19/COVID-19_Rental_Assistance_Program-FAQs%20_PRINT.pdf
