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Plans for an affordable housing apartment complex that were slowed to a near halt last year by negotiations between the developer and the community came back before the residents of West End last week in a highly revised form from the original.

A meeting held before Montgomery Housing Partnership resubmits plans to the city Planning Commission for its Beall's Grant II apartments drew out many of the same questions and concerns about size, appearance, parking and placement that were raised in the past year about the building planned for North Washington Street in downtown Rockville.

After getting approval from the Planning Commission and City Council in 2008 to go ahead with a 109-unit, four-story building on the site, West End residents went before the council and asked members to withhold a letter of support needed by the developers to obtain necessary state funding.

Last December, the council suggested MHP work with a committee formed by members of the neighborhood and produce a memorandum of understanding outlining size and appearance guidelines for the building.

In July, the WECA committee and MHP agreed on the major aspects of the design, including 74 units, three stories, an I-shaped footprint and a more townhouse-like appearance along Beall Avenue, a gateway to West End.

MHP added two clauses at the 11th hour that the committee objected to, and the agreement was never signed, although the committee voted to approve the version of the memorandum without MHP's addendums.

Last week's meeting was a chance for the community to review the revised plans before MHP submits them to the Planning Commission.

The only physical difference in the plan presented at the meeting from the plan agreed to by the West End committee was the addition of about 10 parking spaces in front of Beall's Grant I, an affordable apartment building directly adjacent to the Beall's Grant II site.

The spots were added to meet the requirements of a parking variance that MHP is applying for, allowing the nonprofit developer to have far fewer parking spaces than City Code requires. MHP officials said studies indicate less parking is needed than is required.

Susan Prince, president of the West End Citizens Association, asked if MHP had a backup plan if the parking variance was not granted.

Artie Harris, MHP's director of real estate and neighborhood development, said that based on the zoning ordinance there is a "high probability that we'll get that variance."

Robert Goldman, president of MHP, said the revised plans would be submitted to the Planning Commission soon, and that MHP was committed to signing the memorandum of understanding after litigation concerning the commission's approval of the original plans has run its course.

A lawsuit by several residents, including former mayor Larry Giammo, against the city charging that Rockville violated its Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance has been appealed to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals after a lower court judge threw out the suit.

The ordinance, which Giammo championed when in office, calculates the impact of new development on schools and other public facilities.

Goldman said MHP cannot sign the memorandum until that lawsuit is resolved.

The memorandum outlines a plan for the affordable housing apartments that includes 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.