A new medical office building will grace the Frederick Avenue Corridor in Gaithersburg after months of mired discussion over the mayor and council's unique role as the city's historic district commission.

City leaders approved zoning and concept plans Oct. 5 for five parcels at the corner of Frederick and DeSellum avenues, where Dr. Robert G. Wilson Jr., a city dentist, plans to build a two-story 20,000 square foot medical office building.

Historians have said designs violate the city's master plan and Frederick Avenue Corridor Plan and the proposed building is four times the size it should be.

The project will do "gross injustice" to longstanding city zoning plans, said Judith Christensen on behalf of Montgomery Preservation Inc., a countywide historic preservation group.

"The gross injustice is to allow an outside special interest group from out of town to unduly influence this process or this project," said Wilson at the meeting where his project was approved. His father, Robert G. Wilson Sr., owns the property.

For months, city leaders, planners and Wilson's project development team have been delayed by disputes over the project and concerns that Gaithersburg's unique arrangement which has the mayor and council act as the city's Historic District Commission creates a conflict of interest. City leaders will discuss whether the 20-year setup needs changing Oct. 26.

"The designation of historic properties is really a zoning function and it is required by state law to be handled by the government's legislative body," said Councilwoman Cathy Drzyzgula.

"There have been some proposals to have a separate Historic District Commission and not have a Historic Preservation Advisory Committee," said Drzyzgula, a former HPAC member. "But if that were to happen, the designation of properties would stay with the mayor and council, where it properly belongs."

City Attorney Lynn Board said in a legal memorandum that the mayor and council could rezone three residential parcels to commercial zoning so Wilson could build his project based on language that allows city leaders to correct a "mistake" in city zoning.

Councilman Ryan Spiegel said he was "persuaded" by Board's review and city planners' written analysis. Drzyzgula and her peers agreed to approve zoning and concept plans, with some conditions.

Council members approved her suggestion that an 1877 farmhouse at 206 S. Frederick Ave., that Wilson promised to save and move, should receive historic designation as soon as possible. Mayor Sidney A. Katz asked whether Wilson would amend plans to meet requests.

"I'm scared to death to try and answer the question directly," said Jody Kline of Rockville. "The record is closed. The correspondence we've received [from Montgomery Preservation Inc.] accuses us of all sorts of bad things. I'm reluctant to say something that would be treated as an addition to the record and raise a question."

Drzyzgula saw no evidence that Wilson's project threatens the residential area, she said, but suggested the dentist rework his designs.

"I don't think that taking a rectangle and sticking townhouse roofs on it makes it compatible with the neighborhood or even very attractive," said Drzyzgula. "I don't have a problem with a nice-looking office building here that looks like an office building. I think that that would be a better goal than what was presented to us, even though that was an attempt to comply with the Master Plan."

Wilson has done "a yeoman's job" in trying to meet city leaders' evolving standards, said Councilman Henry F. Marraffa Jr. "He's done everything we asked him to do," said Marraffa and cited delaying tactics. "We have to move forward."