Open forum: Rockville should honor its previous agreements

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Open forum: Rockville should honor its previous agreements

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The public should know there are citizens who support the old Rockville Library site because of the investment and agreements made when the city received $6 million for the Rockville Town Center development and $1 million for parking. For Rockville to renege on its deal is wrong.

On March 10, the Rockville City Council made no comment on the testimonies given by the citizens who spoke in favor of the District Courthouse to be built on the old library site. During Citizens Forum, former Mayor Rose Krasnow gave a synopsis of the history and stressed the importance of honoring negotiations that were agreed upon when Town Center was in the planning stage. The Rockville taxpayers must not forget that the Town Center is the result of many negotiations.

I believe the Rockville City Council is doing disservice to our city and county with their action of disapproving the District Courthouse plan for the old Rockville Library site. The council refuses to recognize their limited jurisdiction and forget that their land use authority was granted to them by state legislation.

The council should have more respect for commitments made by previous elected officials. Will Rockville ever recover from this poor relationship created? Would the state really have invested $10 million to design a building on the site if it weren’t feasible?

Brigitta Mullican, Rockville

The writer was a Rockville planning commissioner, 1996-2005.