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From the City’s website:

City Considers Fall Planning Charrette for Montgomery County Fairgrounds Property
Posted 3/28/2008

Members of the Montgomery County Agricultural Center Board of Directors have approached the City of Gaithersburg about possible rezoning considerations for their 62-acre property bordered by Chestnut Street, Perry Parkway and North Frederick Avenue. This property has been privately owned by the Agricultural Center since 1949, and the Board is considering their options as they explore the possibility of relocating the fair elsewhere in Montgomery County.

The prime location and historical significance of this property calls for a broad, community-wide discussion of its potential use. City officials are recommending that City staff coordinate a planning charrette, to be held some time in the Fall of 2008. Used successfully throughout the City for past development opportunities such as the Kentlands and Crown Farm, charrettes, or “planning exercises,” bring together City officials and staff, key stakeholders, the regional community and design teams in a transparent process of discovery and problem-solving. While the Fairgrounds planning consultant has developed a preliminary concept plan that envisions a town center, City officials stress that the charrette will be an open planning exercise with no preconceived notions about the appropriate future of the property. The outcome of the charrette will be a proposed vision for the study area, which can then be incorporated into the City’s Master Plan.

For more information please contact Greg Ossont, Director of Planning and Code Administration, at 301-258-6330.

Also, see my previous posts on this issue. In addtion, this Gazette article by Patricia M. Murret has some interesting background, including a hint about where the fairgrounds might move:

While nothing is final, a possible site for a new fairgrounds has been identified: the 84-acre Linthicum farm located on West Old Baltimore Road in Boyds, Svrcek said.

The grain and livestock farm, near the former Comsat site, is flanked by Interstate 270 and the proposed Corridor Cities Transitway.

Gene Walker, president of the fair board, named the Linthicum farm as a possible new location for the fair during the March 18 meeting. Charlie Linthicum was an original signer of the agricultural center’s articles of incorporation in 1949.

The property has access to water, natural gas, electricity and sewer and plenty of room for parking; still, fair officials insist nothing is a done deal.

BeyondDC has some interesting thoughts about the recent interest in redeveloping parts of Gaithersburg:

The next decade, however, could be another renaissance. One way or another the Corridor Cities Transitway will redefine transportation in Gaithersburg. Watkins Mill and Aventiene will (hopefully) finally be built, and residents of Kentlands, now more than 20 years old and undergoing its first round of redevelopment, are pushing for better transit access, drastically higher density, and buildings up to 20 stories in Midtown, Kentlands’ mixed-use center (renderings). But for all that, Gaithersburg’s true center has and will remain the edge city district surrounding the intersection of Frederick and Montgomery Village Avenues, near Lakeforest Mall. It’s that part of town that has long been considered hopeless, but it’s that part of town that may soon receive a major boost.

I left the following comment in response:

Thanks for this post; you’ve identified a number of real issues that Gaithersburg needs to grapple with over the coming years. But there is additional complexity here that your readers might find useful to understand.

If you look, for example, at this view, it is pretty clear that the existing “Olde Towne” area to the east is directly comparable in size to the fairgrounds property, to the west. Further, it seems clear that, should the fairgrounds be developed, some of the existing transportation links will be instrumental: East Diamond Avenue, for example, would be a prime candidate for extension up through the fairgrounds property to Perry Parkway, forming a direct, continuous link to Olde Towne that actually doesn’t exist for MD355 (Diamond ducks under MD355 at the CSX tracks crossing, and thus you have to either go up the highly-congested Summit Ave or cut through side streets to get into Olde Towne proper). Moreover, Perry connects both to MD355 and West Diamond, and at the West Diamond end it is just a short hop from an I-270 interchange.

Olde Towne (the official designation; don’t blame me for the silly spelling) has suffered a great deal during the greenfield development boom of the last two decades. Developers love blank slates, and Olde Towne was anything but that. Disinvestment in Olde Towne has been rampant over that same period, and only a few small projects have ever gotten off the ground — the redevelopment of the Lee Street Apartments (which had been a violent, drug-ridden slum), the demolition of the Southern States and the old Pop Shop to make way for the construction of the two Danac buildings, the Cedar Court Apartments and a City parking garage, the rehabilitation of the Granary by Douglas Development, and the little Bozzuto condo project on North Summit. That really isn’t much for decades of development.

At the moment, however, development in Olde Towne is starting to gather up steam, and there is a significant opportunity to finally lift the area out of the doldrums. The Archstone Project is of course the most visible and dramatic development. But Chris’ Steakhouse has also been torn down to make way for a four-story office/retail building, plans for the Wye Site are under discussion, and there is early talk of yet more redevelopment along Diamond, within the stretch extending at least from Summit west to where Diamond passes under MD355.

Douglas Development is, as I understand it, aggressively pursuing their proposed acquisition of the Fishman Property to build a 75,000 sq foot office/retail building that would integrate with the Granary project as well as a new pedestrian plaza at Diamond & Summit, and effectively redefine the frontage to the CSX tracks along that stretch as a pedestrian-friendly destination. It may not seem like much, and it may seem crazy to build something like that along a railroad track, but the reality is that train watching is one of the few activities that consistently draws people into Olde Towne. Search You Tube for “Gaithersburg” — about a quarter of all the hits are videos of trains passing through town.

Finally, I’ll mention that the County just voted to support Gaithersburg’s application for an Enterprise Zone designation for the CBD zone, which, if approved by the State, would be one more incentive driving this redevelopment, alongside the exemption to the City’s affordable housing ordinance.

So given all this — more redevelopment talk than has existed for decades — one thing that we would want to be careful of is allowing yet another greenfield development to choke off investment in Olde Towne just as it is getting started. And in this regard, the availability of fairgrounds for development presents both a challenge and an opportunity. It is a challenge because the proximity and comparable size to Olde Towne, but with the lack of any useful structures, could draw investment out of the older area. It is an opportunity because, if it is done right, it could complement rather than compete with Olde Towne — effectively making a single development zone that is twice the size of either. This, of course, is where the charette process comes into play.

One way or another, I think it is an exciting time for Gaithersburg.

Update: Patricia M. Murret writes in the Gazette, Sale of fairground contemplated:

The grounds and buildings at 16 Chestnut Street, assessed at nearly $17 million in July, ‘‘is not for sale,” said Marty Svercek, the agricultural center’s president. ‘‘Our top choice is to stay where we are.”

However, the cost of maintaining the facility is growing as the need to upgrade the aging center is becoming more pressing, he said.

As you read the following, you should note that the fairgrounds property is divided up into two lots, both around 30 acres. The southernmost half is zoned I-1, “Light Industrial”. The northern half is zoned R-A, “Low Density Residential”. By the Gaithersburg City Code, “The R-A Zone is intended to provide primarily for low density residential areas and nonresidential, institutional uses and public use areas.” Permitted uses include farms. Zone I-1 permits a wide variety of uses, including offices, medical clinics, car repair shops, trucking terminals, bakeries, factories, churches and strip clubs. Given the course of recent development in Gaithersburg, I’m going to guess here that none of the currently-permitted uses — which do not include for example high-density residential or high-intensity retail — are what the Ag Center might have in mind for this site. More than likely they will pursue a rezoning to MXD; this would be consistent with their mention of the Master Plan process in the below.

From the Montgomery County Agricultural Center’s website:

PRESS RELEASE

MONTGOMERY COUNTY AGRICULTURAL CENTER, INC.

The Montgomery County Agricultural Center Inc., a non-profit organization as owner of the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, will be working with the City of Gaithersburg Planning Department to adopt a new Master Plan for the area where the fairgrounds are located. This procedure will follow the normal process of all Master Plans conducted by the City of Gaithersburg, including Charettes and public hearings so that the community and property owner can play an instrumental part, along with the City Planners, in devising a land use plan for the 62 acre tract on the edge of Olde Towne Gaithersburg. The Montgomery County Agricultural Center Board of Directors anticipates the planning process will take several years and depending upon the results of the Master Plan process, they will evaluate any economic opportunities presented to them to potentially relocate the fairgrounds to another property in Montgomery County.

The Montgomery County Agricultural Center Inc, is not a part of the Montgomery County Government. The Montgomery County Agricultural Center Inc. has been the private owner of the fair grounds property since 1949. The property has been the site of the annual Montgomery County Fair since that year.

It is the mission of the Montgomery County Agricultural Center, Inc., to promote improved agriculture and farming, agricultural education and to support 4-H and FFA Clubs throughout the county. That mission will continue to be the main focus of the Montgomery County Agricultural Center now and in the future.

Any inquiries regarding the plans of the Montgomery County Agricultural Center Inc, should be addressed to Martin E. Svrcek, Executive Director, 16 Chestnut Street, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, or go to their website, www.mcagfair.com.

Wednesday night, the Planning Commission is going to review the final site plan for the Archstone project on East Diamond Ave. Included in the background documents are a ton of details, including a few more artist’s renderings, some of which I’ve pasted in below. If you’re excited about this development, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to go to the Planning Commission Meeting in City hall (Council Chambers, 7:30pm) to express your support.

Also, there’s great news regarding the proposed Enterprise Zone designation for the Olde Towne Central Business District. This effort has just made it through the latest and one of the biggest hurdles — support from the County Council. Word is that the Council voted 7-0 to support Gaithersburg’s application. This allows this application to be forwarded to the State, which will have the final say. This Enterprise Zone designation will make it easier for developers to proceed with redevelopment efforts like the one you see below; it provides for some amount of tax relief and impact fee waivers for businesses that improve their properties and/or bring in new jobs to the area. There can be at most one new Enterprise Zone in each County each year, and there was some concern that the County may want to support a renewal application for Wheaton rather than the new application for Gaithersburg. However, the Council’s unanimous support today puts that question to rest. Thank you, County Council members!

Elevation as seen from Diamond Ave; click for larger image

Building as seen from above

Center courtyard

Swimming pool in east courtyard

From the City’s website:

Agenda - Planning Commission Meeting, 3/19/2008
Posted 3/10/2008

City of Gaithersburg
31 South Summit Avenue
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877
Telephone: 301-258-6330

PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA*

Wednesday, March 19, 2008
7:30 P.M.
City Hall Council Chambers

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

March 5, 2008, Planning Commission Meeting

Background Material (pdf format)

RECORD PLATS

CONSENT

AFP-08-007 — Frick Residence - Lakelands

MXD Zone
840 Lake Varuna Mews
2nd-Floor Addition Above Garage
AMENDMENT TO FINAL PLAN REVIEW
Background Material (pdf format)

SITE PLAN

SP-08-0001 – Archstone at Olde Towne Gaithersburg
CBD Zone
320-408 East Diamond Avenue
Redevelopment of 7 Parcels and Public Alley

PRELIMINARY/FINAL PLAN REVIEW
Background Material I (pdf format 6.5M)
Background Material II (pdf format 9.5M)
Background Material - III Exhibit 20 (pdf format 6.6M)

FROM THE COMMISSION

FROM STAFF

ADJOURNMENT

Update 3: Kathleen Miller writes in The Examiner, Police seeking duo in robbery at Gaithersburg driving school:

They robbed an instructor and six students of cash and personal property before fleeing the school, said Paul Kaaawane, owner of the school. No one was hurt in the incident, and police would not disclose how much cash was taken.

Montgomery police spokeswoman Lucille Baur said police officers think this was intended to be a commercial robbery, with the target being the business itself rather than the students.

“We believe once they found out they couldn’t take money from the business, they robbed the students,” Baur said.

Update 2: The County Police have posted the following:

2/26/2008

Armed Robbery at a Driving School in Gaithersburg

Detectives from the Montgomery County Police Major Crimes Division – Robbery Section are investigating the armed robbery at the American Driving School which occurred yesterday evening in Gaithersburg.

Last night at approximately 8:14 p.m., 6th District officers responded to the American Driving School, located at 431 North Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg, for the report of an armed robbery that had just occurred.

Through the course of the investigation it was learned that two suspects posing as students entered the driving school. One suspect displayed a handgun and demanded cash. The suspects robbed the instructor and the adult students of personal property. The suspects then fled the school in an unknown direction.

The first suspect is described as a black male, 20 to 21 years of age, 5’6” to 6’0” tall, with a thin build, and his hair was worn in dreadlocks. He was wearing a black jacket. The second suspect is described as a black male, 20 to 21 years of age, 5’6” to 6’0” tall, with a thin build, and wearing a black jacket.

Anyone who has information about this robbery and/or the suspects is asked to call the Robbery Section at 240-773-5100. Callers may remain anonymous.

Update: The City Police have posted the following regarding this incident:

Monday, February 25, 2008

Armed Robbery

On 02/25/2008 at approximately 8:30pm., two suspects robbed the American Driving School at 431 N Frederick Ave. They first knocked on the locked classroom door. When the instructor opened the door, one suspect put a gun to the instructors face and demanded his money. They then took cash and a cell phone from the 6 students. The suspects then fled the business.

Suspects: Two black males in their late teens to early 20’s, 5′10″ to 6′00″ - Thin built. Both in Green pants and black tee-shirts, one suspect was armed with a semi-auto hand gun.

Channel 7 reports:

Montgomery County Police say two armed men robbed a driving school Monday night in Gaithersburg.

It happened around 8:15 p.m. at the American Driving School in the 400 block of N. Frederick Avenue. Police said the school was filled with students when the men, wearing masks, demanded money from the class. Police said the suspects them left the scene. No one was hurt.

Channel 5 reports:

One of the suspects was seen with a semi-automatic handgun running from the scene. American Driving School is located at 431 N. Frederick Avenue.

The suspects are black males described to be possibly teenagers or in their early 20s. They were both dressed in black and last seen running north on 355.

According to the County Council agenda for next Tuesday, January 22:

10:45 BRIEFING - County Property Use Initiative, a proposal to relocate services from Public Safety Training Academy (PSTA) and County Service Park to GE/Edison Tech Park in Gaithersburg

This meeting will be televised live on CCM Channels Comcast 6, RCN 6, and Verizon 30; repeated on 1/25/08 at 8 pm.

This page has information on additional ways to hear and see this session.

Gaithersblog readers may recall my earlier posts on this topic. Additionally, a Gaithersblog reader has pointed out to me that one of the primary uses the County has in mind for this property — County Liquor and School Cafeteria distribution warehouses — may in fact not be allowed under the current zoning (I-3) for this property. According to the City Code, Part II, Chapter 24, Article III, Division 15, I-3 Zone, Section 24-143 (emphasis mine):

(2)	Public buildings and uses subject to the following requirements:
	(a)	The minimum lot or parcel area shall be at least twenty (20) acres in size.
	(b)	No on-site parking or storage of trucks, either within a building or on the exterior, or motor vehicles other than automobiles for employees and customers of the facility are allowed.
	(c)	All parking areas shall be set back at least fifty (50) feet from any common property line or public right-of-way and shall be screened by fencing or planting at least four (4) feet in height.
	(d)	No distribution uses are allowed. For the purpose of this section “distribution uses” is defined as the primary use of the property for the collection and transfer or dispensing of personal property or equipment to public or private recipients.

Note this restriction on distribution uses only applies to public buildings and uses, and therefore the current Peapod grocery distribution warehouse is not excluded under this rule.

The County is currently asserting that they are not subject to City zoning — Ike Leggett said so in response to a question in his call-in show last month, and County Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Diane Schwartz Jones said as much in her presentation at the January 7 City Council Meeting. But for them to come in and blatantly violate not just the spirit but the letter of the City’s ordinances right from the get-go, is pretty offensive in my opinion.

In my mind, this raises the question of whether there will be any sort of controls whatsoever on that property once it is taken over by the County. If the County believes that the City’s zoning doesn’t apply, and the County doesn’t have any zoning for that property because it is outside the jurisdiction of M-NCPPC, would this not mean that the County can do just whatever it likes there? All the assurances that the County might be making about the compatibility of their activities on that property have to be taken with an enormous grain of salt.

Folks, I think that the City of Gaithersburg is about to get 100 acres smaller.

There is actually quite a bit of interesting stuff in the agenda for this Monday’s Mayor and Council meeting. The things that jump out at me include:

• A first look at specific proposals for the redevelopment of the Wye Site and the Fishman building in Olde Towne.
• Progress on restarting the Maryland Carpet & Tile project on North Summit.
• A site plan for redevelopment the old Giant Food shopping center on the hill overlooking the intersection of Girard St and North Summit Ave.
• A proposal to conduct a police training exercise at the soon-to-be-vacant Broadstone apartments.

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Olde Towne Projects

The Wye Site is called that because it was the historic location of a railroad turning wye, where, in the days when locomotives could only go in one direction, a train could be turned around to go back in the other direction. The Gaithersburg Wye was located just south of the tracks and just east of what is now MD 355. This land now belongs to the City, and much of it is currently covered over by asphalt; I think that there is still a buffer stop (or bumper) at what had been the cusp of the wye, near what is now the intersection of Fulks Corner Ave and MD 355.

The Fishman Building is located at 315 E. Diamond Ave, east of the train station parking lot and west of the Granary Row building, and immediately across the street from the proposed Archstone apartment building. This property also belongs to the City, which purchased it in 1998 — in part, as I understand the story, to relieve a a parking problem in Olde Towne. For this project, the City has put the Fishman property together with the bulk of the parking lot in front of the train station. Thus, the replacement building will be able to be significantly larger than the current structure.

Last year, the City hired the Staubach Company to help market these two properties. City staff has now reviewed the proposals that were obtained through that process, and has selected two (one for each site) that they believe would be the best to pursue. What is before the City Council on Monday is a request for authorization for staff to proceed with negotiations on deals to develop the two properties. If such deals could be reached, the projects would then need to go through the standard planning process. However, this request for authorization gives us the first public look at what the developers might have in mind for the two locations.

For the Fishman Building site, staff has selected a proposal from Douglas Development Corporation of Washington, DC. Douglas, it turns out, was also the developer of the Granary Row project right next door, and it seems pretty clear from the drawings they have submitted that they intend to integrate the two projects:

Looking at this drawing, I can’t help but be a bit excited. The proposed building has retail frontage not just along the Diamond Avenue side, but along the railroad track side as well:

It appears that the boardwalk that now extends from behind the Granary Row building up to the rolling stock display would be realigned and extend all the way to connect to the boardwalk in front of the train station, and a new pedestrian space would extend all the way from the lower-level restaurant in Granary Row, past the rolling stock and merging into the clock tower plaza that the City currently plans to build, and about which I expressed some concern a few weeks back. At the end of the building facing the new clock tower plaza, the developers propose that there would be a seating area for restaurant/cafe tenets:

There would be a total of about 25,000 sq ft of retail space on the ground floor, with largish spaces at either end that could be used for restaurants or possibly a bookstore, and smaller bays in the middle that could have such uses as a coffee shop, or financial services storefronts. There would likely be two upper stories that would have about 50,000 sq foot of office space. The facility would have an underground parking ramp. Together with a new apartment complex across the street, this seems as if it would make a very positive change in Olde Towne.

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As for the Wye Site, the proposal is potentially as exciting, although I don’t feel like it is as fully fleshed out in this document. The proposed developer is Arlington, VA-based Clark Realty Capital, LLC.

While this project would also have retail on the lower level, it would have residential units on the upper floors:

Proposes development of two four story, retail/residential buildings linked by a common Atrium lobby. Buildings would accommodate approximately 212 multifamily residential units and provide approximately 17,600 sq. ft. of first first-floor retail.

There would be a new parking ramp with 252 spaces, built as an extension of the existing City-owned garage, but for the exclusive use of the residents.

This use seems very much in keeping with the Magruder Company’s Cedar Court Apartments, which are next door, built between the City’s garage and Olde Towne Avenue. Cedar Court also has retail on the street level. One question mark has to do with a possible pedestrian bridge over the CSX railroad tracks. In the Olde Towne Charette, the planners made much of an idea for a plaza with what they called “spanish steps”, or a “grand staircase” on the south side of the tracks, leading up to a bridge connecting the pedestrian environments on the two sides. The proposal at hand, however, pretty much rejects this idea. While it does show the possibility of a pedestrian bridge (which isn’t included in the proposal, and likely couldn’t be as the property and/or easements necessary to do this don’t seem to be included in the offering from the City), any chance of having a continuous public space connecting the two sides would appear to be closed off by the construction of a private atrium at the south end of the bridge. Annotations on one of the drawings state that the Fire Museum would provide a “destination across [the] tracks”, as if they (a) do not expect their residents to have any other reason to cross the tracks, and (b) the retail on the ground floor of their own building would not be viewed as a destination for pedestrians coming from the north side of the tracks. None of this gives me any optimism that the bridge would ever be built, or that the pedestrian spaces on the two sides would ever be connected except at Summit. If this is the way it turns out, I think this would count as a missed opportunity.

The one other thing I note about this plan is that, while the Master Plan suggests the possibility of a 9-story “signature tower” at the far west end of this site, the drawings shown do not include such a feature. They do not, however, show the proposed structures extending into the land where this tower could be built. Perhaps this means that this option is being kept open for the future.

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Maryland Carpet and Tile

It has been three years now since the City issued a stop work order for the Maryland Carpet and Tile building at 305 N. Frederick Ave. If I’ve done this link correctly (and your browser supports the live.com “birds eye view”), you should see in the middle of the picture a gaping hole in the ground and a partially-completed foundation. What happened back in 2004 was that someone wasn’t paying attention, and that foundation you see was built ten feet too close to MD 355, in the public utility easement. It probably isn’t too surprising that it took several years to straighten out who was at fault (it appears to have been a result of conflicting boundary surveys) and what needed to be done to correct the problem. But apparently the lawsuit has now been settled, and the property owner has approached the City with a plan to chop off part of the foundation and save the rest, while redesigning the building to deal with some other siting issues. Hopefully the details can be worked out and that project can move forward again, and we can have a functioning building there instead of an apparently-abandoned construction site.

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North Summit & Girard

Speaking of eyesores, the old Giant Food shopping center at North Summit Ave and Girard Street has stood mostly vacant for several years, with just a couple of small stores hanging on. However, a developer has now brought forward a plan to develop a new residential project on that site.

Quoting the background materials:

Barbara Sears of Linowes and Blocher, LLP, representing the applicant, Hearthstone Communities, L.C., has submitted an application, Z-307, requesting a change from the C-2 (General Commercial) Zone to the Mixed Use Development (MXD) Zone. Although the original application and notices stated that sketch plan would have a range of 360 to 405 multiple-family dwelling units, up to 20,000 square feet of commercial/retail space and structured parking on approximately 6.58 acres of land, the sketch plan has been revised and now includes 349 multiple-family dwelling units (including 53 Moderately Priced Dwelling Units), up to 15,000 square feet of commercial/retail space and structured parking. The subject property is located north of Girard Street, east of Goshen Road, south of Odend’hal Avenue, and west of Cedar Spring Street, Hidden Creek (Land Bay III), Gaithersburg, Maryland. It is currently known as the Summit Shopping Center.

Background: The property was annexed in 1971 as part of the Casey-Goshen Tract (X-096) and zoned R-20 (Medium Density Residential.) In 1981, the property was rezoned to the C-2 (General Commercial) Zone. The shopping center was constructed in 1981-1982. In 1997, the property was designated as Commercial-Office-Residential Land Use in the Neighborhood One Master Plan. This land use was retained in the 2003 Master Plan. The property owner submitted a rezoning request (Z-296) to the MXD Zone in 2004 for 240 condo “active adult” multiple- family complex of 4-5 story buildings w/ structured parking. This application was withdrawn in December of 2005.

There is a fair amount of documentation on this project available on the City’s website, although at this point most of it is traffic and noise studies; the architectural information is just at the sketch plan stage.

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Police Training Opportunity

Chief John King of the Gaithersburg Police has been thinking about the fact that the Broadstone apartments are about to be torn down, and he thinks that the existing buildings, once fully vacated, would be a great place to conduct a training exercise:

There are times when the police are placed at a distinct disadvantage when facing certain life threatening situations. Situations, like hostage rescue, criminals barricading themselves in rooms, and hard targets that would require an unrealistic amount of time by police to enter by conventional means are very good examples of where explosive breaching is needed. When properly trained, specially trained police can utilize explosives to overcome or circumvent these barriers. Having the option of defeating the barricades placed on the entry points, or creating access to a room or structure where the criminal doesn’t expect it, such as through a wall, is the reason that law enforcement must train and be ready to utilize explosive breaching.

Cool. I say, go for it.

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From the City’s website:

Agenda - Mayor and City Council Meeting, 11/19/2007
Posted 11/16/2007

City of Gaithersburg
AGENDA FOR A REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2007, 7:30 P.M.

I. CALL TO ORDER

II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

III. INVOCATION

Nazaneen Dorost, Baha’i Faith

IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

• Minutes of a Regular Meeting of the Mayor and City Council Held October 1, 2007
  Background Material (pdf format)

• Minutes of a Special Meeting of the Mayor and City Council Held October 15, 2007
  Background Material (pdf format)

• Minutes of a Regular Meeting of the Mayor and City Council Held October 15, 2007
  Background Material (pdf format)

• Minutes of a Regular Meeting of the Mayor and City Council Held November 7, 2007
  TBA - Background Material

V. CONSENT ITEMS
(resolutions for approval by the City Council that do not need discussion)

1. Resolution of the Mayor and City Council Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a Contract to Purchase One (1) 2008 Bucket Truck ($68,430)
   Background Material (pdf format)

2. Resolution of the Mayor and City Council Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a Contract to Purchase a Portable Asphalt Grinding Machine ($97,142)
   Background Material (pdf format)

VI. ELECTION OF CITY COUNCIL VICE PRESIDENT

VII. APPOINTMENTS

Resolution of the City Council Confirming Appointments by the Mayor to the Historic District Commission
Background Material (pdf format)

VIII. PRESENTATIONS

1. Proclamation of the Mayor and City Council Designating November, 2007, as “National American Indian Heritage Month” in the City of Gaithersburg
2. Readings of the Winning Essays from the City’s National CHARACTER COUNTS! Week Adult Heroes in OUR Community Writing Contest

3. Gaithersburg Cable Television Upgrade
   Background Material (pdf format)
   
   
4. Status Report on the City Gateway Entry Signs Art in Public Places Project
   Background Material (pdf format)
   

IX. COURTESY REVIEW

SDP-07-003 - Proposal to Amend a Schematic Development Plan (SDP), Known as Maryland Carpet and Tile, Located at 305 South Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, Maryland. The Amendment Proposes Two Story Mixed Use Building Consisting of 5343 Square Feet. The Property is in the Corridor Development (CD) Zone
Background Material (pdf format)

X. PUBLIC APPEARANCES
(public is invited to speak on any subject that is not a public hearing topic on tonight’s agenda – each speaker three minutes)

XI. FROM THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL/ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Board/Commission/Committee Vacancy Update
• Upcoming City Events

XII. FROM THE CITY MANAGER

XIII. PUBLIC HEARING

JOINT - Z-307 - Application Requests Rezoning of a 6.58-Acre Parcel, Known as the Summit Shopping Center (Parcel N182), Located in the Northeast Quadrant of Goshen Road and Girard Street at 559 Girard Street, in Gaithersburg, Maryland, From the Existing C-2 (General Commercial) Zone to the MXD (Mixed Use Development) Zone, in Accordance with § 24-196 of the City Code (Map Amendments). The Property is Adjacent to the Hidden Creek Land Bay III. The Sketch Plan Proposes Seven 4- to 5-Story Residential Structures Containing a Range of 360 to 405 Multiple-Family Dwelling Units, up to 20,000 Square Feet of Commercial/Retail Space and Structured Parking
Background Material I (pdf format)
Background Material II

XIV. RECESS MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEETING

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HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION

1. Call to Order

2. Approval of Minutes

Minutes of a Historic District Commission Meeting Held October 15, 2007
Background Material (pdf format)

3. Certificate of Approval

HAWP-29F - Applicant: Beverly Stalker. 11 Brookes Avenue, Tree Removal Request
Background Material (pdf format)

4. Adjournment

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XV. RECONVENE MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEETING

XVI. ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS, AND REGULATIONS
(ordinances, resolutions, and regulations to be introduced or adopted following appropriate procedures required by the City Code, or resolutions that may require discussion by the Mayor and Council prior to approval)

1. Resolution of the Mayor and City Council Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a Contract for The Wells/Robertson House Roof Replacement Project ($110,730)
   Background Material (pdf format)

2. Resolution of Mayor and City Council Authorizing the City Manager to Negotiate and Execute Agreements Relating to the Development of Two City-Owned Parcels of Land in Olde Towne Gaithersburg
   Background Material (pdf format)

3. Resolution of the Mayor and City Council Authorizing the City Manager to Negotiate and Execute a Contract With Rifkin, Livingston, Levitan & Silver, LLC for Legal Services Associated With the City’s 2008 State Legislative Agenda ($32,500)
   Background Material (pdf format)

XVII. FROM THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGERS, CITY ATTORNEY AND OTHER STAFF

Guidance on a Memorandum Dated November 15, 2007 Concerning a Police Training Opportunity at Broadstone Apartments
Background Material (pdf format)

XVIII. ADJOURNMENT

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MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
ARE TELEVISED LIVE ON
CABLE CHANNEL 13 AND ON THE
INTERNET AT www.gaithersburgmd.gov/tv

Replays are televised at Noon on Tuesdays
following meetings and are repeated at
7 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily

THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING OF THE
MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL WILL BE HELD
DECEMBER 3, 2007, 7:30 P.M.
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 31 SOUTH SUMMIT AVENUE

TO CONFIRM ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS,
PLEASE CONTACT DORIS STOKES AT
CITY HALL, 31-258-6310