Beall's Grant II committee details scope of project
The West End Citizen's Association Committee on Beall's Grant II was scheduled Tuesday night to show the full membership a memorandum of understanding it had hoped a developer would sign regarding an apartment building proposed at the entrance to its neighborhood.
The memorandum contained a list of how the committee would like the building to look and the number of units, among other things discussed during several months of discussions between the citizens and Montgomery Housing Partnership.
Montgomery Housing Partnership added two addendums that MHP officials felt did not alter the footprint or other provisions of the plan, said Cheryl Kagan, community outreach director for the non-profit housing organization.
Dennis Cain, co-chair of the committee, said the citizen's group pulled back its ratification of the memorandum because of the changes.
The MOU outlines a plan for the affordable housing apartments that included 74 dwelling units, 95 underground parking spaces, a 37,000-square-foot building footprint and a maximum of three stories above ground in some areas of the structure.
It specifies that the building be a mix of approximately 5 percent to 7 percent three-bedroom units, 50 percent to 60 percent two-bedroom units, 35 percent to 40 percent one-bedroom units and less than 5 percent studio units.
It also specifies that 20 percent of the units be rented at market-rate price, 70 percent of the units be rented to individuals or families earning between $35,000 and $60,000 per year and 10 percent of the units be rented to individuals earning less than $35,000 per year.
The memorandum states the group would like MHP to give preference to tenants who are working as teachers, firefighters, law enforcement officers, emergency service personnel, U.S. military service members or City of Rockville employees.
Adult prospective residents will be screened for a criminal record when they apply, the MOU states.
The memorandum caps more than a half-year of discussions between the neighborhood committee and MHP over what each would like to see built at the site on North Washington Street.
MHP officials were not invited to the Tuesday night meeting, Kagan said. The meeting took place after Gazette deadline.
City officials attend
MML conference in OC
The mayor and council are out of town this week while they attend the annual Maryland Municipal League Conference in Ocean City.
The theme of this year's convention is Getting Green Together and will emphasize the role towns and municipalities can play in creating environmentally friendly practices and policies, according to the event's Web site.
The convention, which ran from Sunday through today, includes exhibits, workshops, speakers and networking opportunities for city and municipal leaders.
The Maryland Municipal League, founded in 1936, represents about 160 municipal governments and "works to strengthen and support municipal government through advocacy and the development of effective leadership," the Web site says.