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A decision by the Rockville Planning Commission last week to give Montgomery College more options in its struggle to alleviate some neighbors' anger over side effects of the school's tobacco ban could make other neighbors just as upset.

After three hours of testimony from college officials and residents of communities adjacent to the college's Rockville campus, the commission voted unanimously to delete a condition of a use permit it issued last October for the proposed $60 million science center that had required a gap in the fence leading to Princeton Place, a cul-de-sac in a residential neighborhood, to stay open at all times.

Having it open, however, means that students use the gateway to go into the neighborhoods and smoke, which the college does not permit anywhere on campus. Some residents say students are littering, loitering and causing a nuisance for neighbors.

The Planning Commission replaced the condition with wording that requires the college to continue to work with the city and community to address what some feel are problems associated with students gathering on local streets to light up.

Rescinding the condition could mean the college could close up the gap in the fence, even permanently, and some residents use the opening to walk through campus on their way to bus stops and other parts of Rockville.

"We're very pleased they are working with us," said Dr. Judy E. Ackerman, vice president and provost of the Rockville campus. "It's great to hear they don't want to hold up the construction of our science center."

Ackerman said at the Feb. 11 commission meeting that closing the fence on its own without permission was not an option, as it would likely hold up building permits for the science center, which is set to begin construction by summer.

Christine Borger, who lives on Princeton Place and testified before the commission, said she has mixed emotions following its decision.

"I don't think it's a happy thing that the opening may be closed," she said. "It may be necessary, but it's not a happy thing."

To solve the problem of students smoking on residential streets, residents have asked the college to rescind the smoking ban, designate a smoking area on campus, close the gap in the fence or put a gate at the opening that would be locked during business hours.

In 2001, the college received funding from the Maryland State Cigarette Restitution Fund to support the Healthy Campus Program. The program also receives grants from four other anti-smoking groups, as well as funds for other health- and safety-oriented programs.

Ackerman said the school is not currently receiving any grant money for the tobacco-free policy, but told planning commissioners that designating a smoking spot on campus "probably would" affect potential future funding.

"On the part of the community, there is a lot of suspicion of the college that they just want to close the fence," Borger said.

Several solutions to the smoking issue are being considered by the college, but Ackerman said she did not want to discuss them publicly.