Councilman Glennon J. Harrison wants the state to choose a different site for the new district courthouse because the building would overwhelm the proposed location and the state is not paying for its share of the parking, he said.

The state plans to construct a new building to house District Court at the corner of Maryland Avenue and Jefferson Street, at the site of the Rockville Regional Library after the library moves to its new location a few blocks away.

But it was recently discovered that the building would accommodate 380 employees, more than double what was originally proposed.

The additional employees would come from the offices of parole and probation services and the public defender's office -- groups which are not housed in the present district courthouse across Jefferson Street, according to Councilman Robert J. Wright.

Harrison vowed the state would face stiff opposition to a facility that was too large and housed too many services and employees.

"If they come in with a lot of ancillary services, they've got a fight on their hands," Harrison said during a worksession on the city's legislative priorities Monday night. "If they try to stick us with a building that is as grotesque as (the Circuit Court) our citizens won't stand for it."

Harrison's remarks were tempered by those of Mayor Rose G. Krasnow, who noted the City Council had not discussed the issue of the courthouse site. She proposed a meeting between the council and top state and county officials to iron out the differences.

But the size and site of the building are just a few of the many complex issues tied together over the courthouse. At the heart of the problem is the continuing debate over parking in downtown Rockville.

A parking facility with 450 spaces had been proposed next to the new courthouse site. While the state had agreed to contribute to that facility, the city's understanding was that roughly two-thirds of those spaces would be left for citizens. Instead, courthouse employees will eat up the lion's share of parking, leaving precious little for visitors and citizens using the courthouse.

City officials are feeling pinched by the state's revised numbers, and feel they are bearing the financial burden of parking for state and county employees.

"Given the limited size of Town Center, it's unfair for the county and state to provide less than their fair share of parking," Krasnow said.

The city, county and state have negotiated for nearly two years over a parking facility originally tied to the new regional library which will be built on East Middle Lane. But that structure was eliminated by the county during its budget cycle last year, leaving the city holding the bag for parking.

An agreement -- a memorandum of understanding -- to solve the parking situation was expected by the end of May, but the city is now holding off because of the courthouse issues.

In addition, the state has provided $1 million for the design of a parking facility in downtown Rockville, but that money will not be available until all three parties sign the memorandum of understanding.

"A building that blows us out of the water is not worth a million dollars," Harrison said.

A county parking planner is expected to present a plan that will be more acceptable to all parties, according to state Del. Cheryl C. Kagan (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville. She estimated the agreement would be finished within a few months.

But citizens are wracked with confusion and frustration over the process and possible impacts to their neighborhood from a parking garage and likely courthouse site. On June 11 members on the parking committee from the West End Citizens Association poured out their frustrations to the District 17 legislators.

The parking committee had successfully halted the proposal for a surface parking lot at Fleet Street and Maryland Avenue in March, and have set its sights on the courthouse.

The Fleet Street victory was significant, Kagan said, but it is unlikely the courthouse site would be changed at this point.