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Over the past few weeks, there have been signs opposing Beall's Grant II as well as letters to The Gazette. As the president of Montgomery Housing Partnership, (the nonprofit organization developing Beall's Grant II), I thought I would write to tell you a bit more about the project.

MHP is proud to have created almost 1,100 affordable places for families and individuals to live in the county. In addition to building homes, we also sponsor programs that enrich our residents and help develop their futures. For example, we help kids with their homework and offer computer classes, health promotion activities, and a host of other programs for adult residents.

About 15 years ago, MHP, through a nonprofit subsidiary, purchased a vacant motel in downtown Rockville, the old Town Centre Motel. It was a vacant eyesore in the community that was also a source of crime and other problems. We converted the motel to affordable apartment units that became Beall's Grant Apartments.

Beall's Grant residents are hard-working individuals and families who just need a decent and affordable place close to Metro and the new Town Center. Some work for the federal government and the city government; others work in retail stores and the health care industry. Rockville's police chief has confirmed that Beall's Grant has been a safe community; we expect the same of Beall's Grant II.

This improved community would provide 109 new units in a four-story structure across from Rockville's new Town Center. It would include environmentally responsible features such as water-conserving fixtures, energy star appliances, low VOC paint, "green" floor coverings, and much more.

There have been questions about the mix of residents in the new Beall's Grant. We are anticipating that 20 percent to 30 percent of the units will be leased at market rate. The majority of the residents will be hard working individuals and families earning approximately $35,000 to $60,000 per year. Ten percent of the apartments will be offered to families earning less than that. We have found that neighborhoods with this range of incomes works very well.

Over the past two years, we have made a vigorous effort to inform the community of our plans. We met with the West End Civic Association twice to present our preliminary ideas and got helpful feedback in response to concerns raised by residents. Our draft plans were posted on the civic association's Web site for those who could not attend either meeting. At a publicized meeting, the West End Civic Association unanimously approved a resolution in support of Beall's Grant.

We also reached out to the Town Center Action Team, Snowden Funeral Home and the residents of neighboring Heritage House. Twice, we made televised presentations to the mayor and council at citizens forums.

MHP is proud of its record of helping those of modest means afford to live here. We are committed to improving the community we built in Rockville, and we are proud of our dedication to the environment in our design and building materials.

I hope that this letter helps to clear up any confusion in the West End or elsewhere in the city. We hope to be able to move forward on this important project.

Robert Goldman, Silver Spring

The writer is president, Montgomery Housing Partnership.