COLLEGE GARDENS CIVIC ASSOCIATION FALL MEETING MINUTES November 13, 2024
This was a hybrid meeting with 17 people attending in-person and seven participating via phone or video link.
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by the President of the College Gardens Civic Association (CGCA) Jennifer Weiland (JW). Other CGCA Executive Committee Officers in attendance, Vice-President Gamal (Jimmy) El-Masry (GE) and Secretary John Mosely Hayes (JMH). The CGCA Treasurer position was vacant at the meeting’s start.
Introduction and Proposed Meeting Agenda (JW): JW introduced the proposed agenda: Treasurer Report – CGCA Treasurer Vacant Police Report – Rockville Police Lieutenant Bill Nieberding City Updates – Barry Jackson, Rockville City Council Member and introduction of Jeff Mihelich, Rockville City Manager Printed Directory Update – Karen Carp Electronic College Gardens Directory Update and Bi-annual CGCA Membership Dues – JW Street Light Discussion – Andrew Luetkemeier, Principal Transportation Engineer, City of Rockville College Gardens Garden Club update 270 update – Janet Gallant Rockville Connects – Diane Fuchs Gude Entrance to Rockville Senior Center – Leland Deck, Rockville Citizens Advisory Group CGCA Treasurer – vacancy New Business
Treasurer Report, JW: The most recent bank account statement balance is $5,778.64.
Police Report, LT. Bill Nieberding (City of Rockville Police): LT. Nieberding explained that crime statistics are very low in the CG neighborhood. One issue in general for Rockville, is that there were occasional car thefts that occurred in Rockville. One to three officers are constantly patrolling the Rockville neighborhoods. Car thefts have been down for the past six months. A meeting attendee identified that drivers were running the stop signs along College Parkway, especially the Nelson St and College Parkway intersection. LT. Nieberding thanked them for the information and said that informing the police of especially bad traffic violation spots was very helpful and helped lead to special police focus being placed at such intersections. A meeting attendee asked if the new noise ordinances would bring a reduction in the high noise volume from reengineered car and motorcycle exhaust noise. LT. Nieberding said that the new ordinances allowed the police to issue tickets for work orders to repair faulty/loud exhaust systems and this should have a positive impact. A meeting attendee brought up the shooting that occurred in Welsh Park. LT. Nieberding said that the Rockville and Montgomery County Police had responded quite well and had apprehended the shooter within 48 hours and that the offender was in custody awaiting trial. LT. Nieberding explained that the police were working with the Scarborough Square management closely to help address concerns as they arise. A meeting attendee asked if a better communication system to inform impacted neighborhoods when an emergency situation was occurring could be established similar to Montgomery College’s emergency notification system? The LT. responded that he appreciated the input. A meeting attendee asked if the police could increase fining of persons who leave their cars unattended while idling. LT. Nieberding said that the technology that allows persons to start their cars remotely to “heat them up” has made the problem harder to solve. An attendee asked what to do about the occasional sound of gunshots in the woods? LT. Nieberding said the most important thing to do was to call the police department at 240-314-8900, and that the more calls the better for helping the police triangulate to the location where the shooting may have occurred to search for evidence. He also explained that the Rockville Police receive more than 17,000 calls per year and that the top reason for calls was Suspicious Situation.
City of Rockville Update, Councilmember Barry Jackson (BJ) with Mayor Monique Ashton (MA) and introduction of the new City Manager Jeff Mihelich: Widening I-270 and toll lanes: This remains a possibility despite the unanimous opposition by the City Council. To this end, the Mayor had sent a letter expressing strong opposition to this project to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (CoG). The exact position of Governor Wes Moore’s Administration is not clear since CoG formally approved the plan to go ahead with the widening/toll project, but also said it would not implement the plan for now. This project appears to have been pushed from 2040 to 2045, but it could be reactivated earlier if the political majorities change. We all need to be vigilant. Unlike the Rockville City Council, city governments north of Rockville are not opposed to the project. Woodley Gardens Shopping Center Vape Shop update: The City Council approved new zoning ordinances that require minimum distances of vape shops from places where young children gather and play (parks, schools, playgrounds, etc.). The new ordinance prohibits a vape shop from opening in the Woodley Gardens Shopping Center. Access to the Senior Center from Gude Drive: Plans by City Planners are going ahead to allow access to the Senior Center’s north parking lot from Gude Drive, while barring through-traffic into the Woodley Gardens neighborhood. (See Gude Entrance to Rockville Senior Center – Leland Deck, Rockville Citizens Advisory Group below for more information.) Zoning: The City Council might approve changes to the zoning ordinance that would allow homeowners to add small separate construction units on their land, such as for use by elderly parents, guest quarters, etc. However such exceptions would only be allowed on large properties and with sufficient distance from neighbors; conditions that most, if not all properties in the College Gardens neighborhood do not meet, such as the lot size requirement. Where is Rockville on its zoning ordinance revision following the adoption of the City’s Master Plan a few years ago? (Provided by BJ for the minutes) The Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) & Comprehensive Map Amendment (CMA) is currently ongoing. The city contracted with ZoneCo, a firm specializing in zoning, in 2023, and the project kicked off internally that fall. The project is divided into four phases (Diagnose – opportunity identification; Calibrate – solution identification; Codify – drafting the new ordinance; and Adoption – public process before Planning Commission and Mayor & Council). The first phase, Diagnose, concluded in January 2024. The resultant Zoning Diagnostic Report is available at EngageRockville.com/ZoningRewrite. The project is currently in the Calibrate phase, during which city staff and consultants are proposing updates to the zones and zone standards and community engagement is occurring. Public workshops were held on October 17 and 22, 2024, and focus groups are planned for November 2024 through January 2025. Before the new Zoning Ordinance and zoning map are adopted, city staff will host workshops for the public and present recommendations to the Planning Commission and Mayor and Council. There will be a public hearing with associated comment period that will provide a platform for community members to voice their opinions and ask questions. The public hearing will occur during the “Adoption” portion of the process, which is planned to occur beginning in 2025. Additional details can be found at EngageRockville.com/ZoningRewrite. What will be the neighborhoods’ opportunities to comment on any zoning ordinance proposals? The Rockville 2040 Comprehensive Plan included extensive public engagement, and one of the primary goals of the ZOR is to implement the land use and zoning goals and recommendations of the Rockville 2040 Plan. Because of this, city staff are focusing on targeted engagement to build off the input received during that planning effort. Neighborhoods and individuals can engage through the public meetings and public process outlined above, including commenting on the public hearing draft of the new Zoning Ordinance. Additionally, a key component of the ZOR & CMA is to comprehensively amend the zoning map to be in alignment with the recommendations of the Rockville 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Staff has reached out to neighborhood associations where the Comprehensive Plan recommends changes in zoning and has sent letters to all owners of property recommended for rezoning, along with those within 100 feet. Some of these properties recommended for rezoning are zoned single family and proposed for “missing middle” housing (generally, duplex through six plex and townhouse development). These selected properties are located near transit stations and along proposed Bus Rapid Transit Lines (Viers Mills). Workshops tailored to those property owners will be held on November 12, 13, and 14. City staff is also happy to present on the ZOR & CMA to any neighborhood association within the city. Sign up for email updates, residents can visit engagerockville.com/ZoningRewrite and click the ‘Subscribe’ button near the upper right corner. Do you think Rockville will do away with its single-family zoning? What are the chances of this? The adopted Comprehensive Plan does not propose to eliminate single-family zoning city-wide. As mentioned above, some areas of single-family zoning are proposed for different housing types near transit and the proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines. Would such a change impact neighborhoods with Homeowner Associations? Staff has or is meeting with the impacted neighborhood associations to inform them of the rezoning process and the properties involved. How would this impact neighborhoods with design guidelines? East Rockville has these, and Lincoln Park and the West End are working towards these. Staff does not believe existing or proposed design guidelines will be impacted. What is Rockville doing in general to promote housing, the large number of units needed, and pace needed to create enough housing supply for future needs? Rockville’s share of the region’s housing production goal requires 8,600 new housing units by 2040. To address this need, the city is working to reduce regulatory barriers and increase density in key areas of the city. The city’s ongoing FAST initiative aims to make the development review and permitting process Faster, Accountable, Smarter, and Transparent. Through this initiative, several changes are proposed to make the development review process more efficient, more predictable, and lower risk for housing developers. These changes are intended to be implemented through the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite. The ZOR will also implement Comprehensive Plan recommendations that will allow for more missing middle housing (generally, duplex through six plex and townhouse development) in key areas of the city by rezoning those properties. Finally, the Town Center Master Plan recommends increased height limits in Town Center, in proximity to the Rockville Metro station which will also potentially increase the number of housing units allowed. What is the status of Rockville’s Town Center Master Plan? The schedule shows a hearing on October 28, a work session in December, and adoption in January 2025. Have the Mayor and Council already made decisions with respect to zoning in Town Center? The first draft of the master plan was published on EngageRockville.com/towncenter in April. Over the summer, the Planning Commission dedicated five meetings to reviewing the draft and making modifications. The Planning Commission’s approved copy of the master plan was published on EngageRockville in September. The Town Center Master Plan is currently being reviewed by the Mayor and Council, and no decisions have been finalized now. A public hearing held on October 28 allowed members of the community to provide feedback on the Planning Commission’s draft. The Mayor and Council have held the record open, so additional feedback on the plan will be accepted via email or orally through comment during the “public forum” of all Mayor and Council meetings until the plan is adopted. The tentative schedule is to hold a work session on December 9 and adopt the plan early 2025. Any modifications to this schedule will be published on EngageRockville. Mayor Ashton reported: A Trader Joe’s grocery store will open where the Town Center’s previous Dawson’s store was. Dawson’s will shift to providing catering services at the Universities at Shady Grove campus. It was important for those who have received the mailed city survey to complete and return the survey as well as to give feedback on various city initiatives at the EngageRockville.com site. Rockville was recently identified as the Top Small City in MD. More than 12,000 people attended the Bubble Tea Festival. Hometown Holidays will move back to taking place in the Town Center instead of Red Gate Park. The current Rockville Police Chief is leaving on Nov 21. Montgomery County planning department policies do not override Rockville planning policies. The Scotts Fitzgerald Theater is undergoing renovation from December 2024 through April 2025. The Montgomery County Historic Association is turning the historic Farmers Banking and Trust Building at 4 Courthouse Square into a museum.
City Manager Jeff Mihelich explained: City planning department is analyzing if it is feasible to regrade the bike path from West Gude to Yale Place. The Mayor and City Council will prioritize which projects will be done first, should it be determined that the bike path can be regraded and upgraded so it is a safer turn. JMH asked all City Officials in attendance if they would go on the record as promising that they would be vigilant to not let a West Gude to Yale Place road connection ever be put in place. The general response from the City officials was that they would do this. Deer Management in the Upper Watts Branch Nature Preserve – An attendee asked and commented to the the city officials that the forest was on its way to dying if sustained action was not taken to: Stop the invasive plants – it was commented that the Weed Warrior Group of Montgomery County, which JW was a member of, had and would continue to work to reduce the invasive species in the forest. Manage the deer so they do not continue to eat the forest new sapling growth – MA commented that the archery pilot project that had been done previously at Hayes Forest Preserve had been unsuccessful; that alternate methods (such as pregnancy prevention or sterilization, etc.) were being considered; and that possibly sapling protectors could be used to better protect the forest saplings instead of culling which wasn’t feasible because the houses were too close to the forest to allow archery or hunting.
Update on College Gardens Park Mural, City of Rockville Update, Councilmember Barry Jackson (BJ) with Mayor Monique Ashton (MA) (continued) : Anne O’Dell was hired as the new City Arts and Culture Program Manager two weeks ago. Anne O’Dell will meet with the community in February to finalize the community-based participatory process of artist Andy Dahl’s mural plan that was previously approved by the City’s Cultural Arts Commission. In April 2025 the City Mayor and Council are expected to give the project final approval.
CGCA Printed Directory Update, Karen Carp (KC), (CGCA Printed Directory Project Lead): KC had been working with Scott Butterworth, to put the electronic directory into a format that can easily be printed in the form of a booklet. Scott is no longer assisting Karen on the project, but she is pushing forward on her own, and showed the current design of the booklet to the meeting participants. KC is deciding whether or not to wait for another major electronic directory update; the version of the electronic directory that she has been using is that of May 2024. GE pointed out that it might be a long time before the CGCA block captains and officers have completed collecting the household information. KC and CGCA Executive Committee officers agreed that when the block captains, officers and other volunteers collect the e-directory update information each household can be asked whether they want a printed directory. It’s estimated that directories could cost approximately $4 each to print, and possibly less if more than 200 households buy a printed directory. It was agreed to ask those households that may choose not to have their information included in the printed directory if it was OK to indicate in the printed directory (and the e-directory) that the house was at least occupied. KC can also use the CGCA Google Group to canvas the membership to find out how many and which households want a printed directory.
Updating Electronic CGCA Membership Directory and Collecting Membership Dues, JW: JW explained that she had been canvassing the CGCA block captains to confirm who was willing to help collect the e-directory information and the bi-annual membership dues, and that collecting the additional information that KC was requesting could be part of the process. JW explained that about 5 new block captains were needed, and that a volunteer is needed to help lead the dues collection and directory update effort. JW and JMH explained that IAW the CGCA bylaws, the biannual membership dues (currently $10 per household every two years), is not intended to pay for a printed directory, but that the CGCA Executive Committee will continue to help maintain and periodically provide the Membership the Electronic CGCA Membership Directory. [this is repeated from above]
Street Light Discussion – Andrew Luetkemeier (AL), Principal Transportation Engineer, City of Rockville and CGCA Member Robert Wise (RW) RW introduced AL who he has been working with the City to address the streetlight maintenance challenge of missing and damaged access panel covers, to help identify how we might potentially assist with management oversight and resolution of this stubborn problem. AL then provided information regarding the following questions – 1. Apart from the shabby appearance, do you agree that these panel covers ensure safety by preventing curious children and pets from contacting live wires? 2. Please review roles of city staff and contractors, particularly Pepco, for servicing metal pole street lights within Rockville. 3. Do we understand correctly that Pepco handles outages due to no voltage and that most or all of the missing and damaged cover plates follow Pepco service visits? 4. Please review efforts thus far to achieve proper completion of service visits with replacement of cover plates. 5. Could Rockville potentially move these repairs to an alternative contractor? 6. If not, has the City explored communications higher up in the Exelon system? 7. Do City contracts with Pepco and other activities routinely include conventional “workman like” language about the quality of work? 8. Has your office conferred with Rockville’s legal department to explore compliance options? 9. Do you have suggestions for ways in which the College Gardens Civic Association could potentially assist? AL answered all of the questions, and the summary was that the City appreciates the community’s bringing to their attention those poles that need repair; that the City was aware of this challenge; and that it would continue to work with PEPCO and others to address it.
College Gardens Garden Club – Due to the CGCA meeting going over, JW included the following submission from the College Gardens Garden Club: If anyone is a Landscape Designer, the Garden Club is looking for assistance in revising its plan for the Hill, at the corner of Nelson and College Parkway, which the Club has maintained for 50 years. We are looking to make this area more natural, using native plants and installing irrigation. If you can help, please contact the Club President, Nancy Brooks, at (301) 717-9382. SAVE the DATE of our annual Plant Sale: April 26, 2025 at 6 Duke Court. Neighbors are invited to meetings held at the Senior Center on the 2nd Thursday of each month. Highlights of our programs are: November: Peerless Rockville January: Chelsea Flower Show slideshow February: Invasive vines March: Importance of maintaining dark skies April: top 10 Hidden Treasures in Montgomery County May: Lichens in our area For more Garden Club information, call Nancy Brooks (301) 717-9382 or Jan Groft (301) 424-1273
270 update – Due to the CGCA meeting going over, JW included the following submission from Janet Gallant, Co-Coordinator, DontWiden270.org: Well before the presidential election, the Wes Moore Administration had stopped publicly talking about adding toll lanes to I-270 and I-495. But that didn’t mean they’d stopped working behind the scenes to keep the toll lane project alive. Earlier this year, the Maryland Department of Transportation (called “MDOT”) applied again for federal grants to build Phase 1 of the project. Phase 1 includes toll lanes across the American Legion Bridge and along I-495, ending at Old Georgetown Road on the East spur, and past Westlake Terrace on the West spur. Phase 1 would basically move Virginia’s northern bottlenecks into Montgomery County, MD. The Moore Administration is also allowing Virginia to design and construct overhead electronic toll lane signs right here in Montgomery County, starting this year – without giving the Maryland public a heads up or opportunity to comment. And earlier this year, MDOT signed an agreement to negotiate a new bi-state toll lane accord with Virginia, again without notifying the public. MDOT does say that building toll lanes through Rockville is a lower priority and that no action will be taken anytime soon. But the state has refused to take Rockville toll lanes off the table. That’s why we can’t let up. Thank goodness for Mayor Ashton and the current City Council, as well as the Mayor and Council before them, including College Garden’s Mark Pierzchala. They continue to do what they can to protect Rockville from what would be a financial, environmental, public health, and equity disaster. All that said, Governor Moore’s toll lane plan clearly faces major challenges now. The biggest, of course, is the lack of transportation funding. The state has no money for multi-billion dollar toll lanes. Just recently, the Biden Administration said ‘no’ to the state’s latest request for Phase 1 toll lane grants. MDOT said at the time that it planned to reapply in 2026. Meanwhile, the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation have launched a powerful appeal of an earlier court ruling on the toll lane project. The appeal makes the case that, among other things: “MDOT…ignored, denied, and downplayed evidence of serious health and environmental harms…” “Adding lanes to the Beltway and I-270…would expose residents, school children, and workers to higher levels of fine particulate matter pollution…” “The [toll lane] project would worsen traffic on I-270’s general purpose lanes during afternoon rush hour.” A decision on the appeal is expected next year. Although the future of the toll lane plan seems increasingly uncertain, there is a well-financed highway lobby pushing for the project. Our wide coalition of advocacy groups and our elected allies will continue to actively oppose it while urging the Moore Administration to pivot from toll lanes to the many smart, effective alternatives already on the table, including those focused on relieving congestion on upper I-270. Keep an eye on the funding and the legal action. Any opportunity you have, urge our county and state officials to reject the toll lanes. If you haven’t already, subscribe to the DontWiden270 newsletter, at DontWiden270.org.
West Rockville Connects – Diane Fuchs: Rockville currently has eight Villages and WRC is part of one of these Villages and represents several neighborhoods, including CG. WRC will be recognized as a Not For Profit organization by the State of MD. WRC gives a welcoming package to persons that have recently purchased a home in the WRC neighborhoods, and it includes welcoming CGCA and CGGC letters for the CG homes.
Gude Entrance to Rockville Senior Center – Leland Deck (LD), Rockville Citizens Advisory Group LD attended the meeting via the internet. LD explained that an entry with traffic lights to allow access to the Senior Center’s north parking lot from Gude Drive was in the works. The entry would only provide for two lanes sufficient for two cars in opposing direction, but only one emergency vehicle in one direction, while barring through-traffic into the Woodley Gardens neighborhood. LD provided the following additional information: The link to the project info on the City website is: https://www.rockvillemd.gov/2540/Rockville-Senior-Center-Entrance-Project A nice blurb on the project, a link to info on the Public Meeting on 11/19, and some downloadable info. At the bottom of the project page and at: https://www.rockvillemd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/56922/Senior-Center-Entrance-Project-Advisory-Group-Meeting-Presentation-11-7-24
CGCA Treasurer – JW: College Gardens resident Efi Atkinson volunteered and was unanimously elected by the meeting participants to become the next CGCA Treasurer Officer. JW will get EA set up on the CGCA bank account and provide guidance to EA on the Treasurer duties.
