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Gaithersburg Planning Commissioner Matthew Hopkins balked Monday at a developer's proposal to slash two-thirds of retail for a residential development project years in the making.

Todd Jacobus of Woodfield Investments LLC, told Gaithersburg's mayor, council and Planning Commission that decisions "boil down to the current economic conditions, you can't ignore them."

Hopkins said he wanted to plan for 20 years from now, when retail space could be at a premium.

The Summit is slated for the corner of Goshen Road and Girard Streets where city leaders and code enforcement have declared an abandoned shopping center a public nuisance.

Councilman Henry F. Marraffa Jr. said high shopping traffic is unlikely at the spot, one block from the Montgomery Village Off-Price Center, three blocks from Olde Towne and four blocks from Lakeforest mall.

"I just want to put in a plug for the hard-working people," said Toni Hudson of nearby Deer Park, who protested a call from some Hidden Creek residents to waive the city's affordable housing requirement, slated to bring 45 moderately-priced dwelling units.

She is the wife of a teacher and her two children are a teacher and a nurse, she said.

The 300-unit high-end complex would have 58 percent one-bedroom apartments aimed at young professionals using public transit, said Jacobus, asking for a reduction in parking space requirements.

There is no evidence that Gaithersburg will not still be a car-driven community far into the future, said Councilwoman Cathy Drzyzgula.