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Over the objection of community leaders, the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County has entered into a contract to purchase the 203-unit Gables at Rothbury apartment complex in Montgomery Village.

The prospect has stoked worry among Montgomery Village leaders that HOC will skew Rothbury's mix of "moderately-priced dwelling units" from the 41 apartments already designated. They say that Montgomery Village already has enough affordable housing and point out that the 20886 ZIP code has among the lowest median home prices in the county.

"We do not want HOC," said Bob Hydorn, president of the Montgomery Village Foundation's board of directors. "The concern is, will it remain in the same ratio that it is today? We've got to have great assurances that they will not change the mix whatsoever."

"I'm not being critical of people who live in HOC. It's simply a question of balance," he said.

Village leaders would rather that AvalonBay Communities Inc., which had been Rothbury's contract purchaser, be allowed to buy the property from Gables Residential Inc., the Atlanta-based developer that billed the seven-building complex as an upscale condominium community when it opened in 2005 next to the Goshen Crossing shopping center.

Neither Gables Residential nor AvalonBay returned calls from The Gazette.

HOC and the county government have right of first refusal when housing developments become available. Earlier this fall, the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs — which also runs affordable housing programs — passed on purchasing Rothbury, saying that the county is not interested in spending its money, according to a spokesman.

Though HOC is chartered by the state and its commissioners are nominated by the County Executive and approved by the County Council, the agency operates independently.

After meeting with Montgomery Village leaders in recent weeks, HOC agreed to discuss its proposal at a public forum at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at the Northcreek Community Center, 20125 Arrowhead Road.

HOC says it will maintain Rothbury's mix of lower- and higher-income units.

"The 20 percent of affordable housing units at Rothbury are there; we're not increasing that number," said Tedi Osias, HOC's director of legislative and public affairs. "If we go ahead with this, it will be invisible to the owners and the community."

Longtime Montgomery Village resident state Sen. Nancy J. King has come out against HOC's purchase. In a Nov. 20 letter to HOC, King (D-Dist. 39) wrote that "HOC already owns a significant number of units in Montgomery Village, and I don't think that an increased number would benefit our community."

That day, HOC entered into a purchase contract with Gables. HOC says that the selling price is proprietary information.

More than half of HOC's $205 million budget is funded by bond revenues and property management while 40 percent comes from federal sources, 4 percent from the county and 1 percent from the state.

The agency is negotiating whether it will take 30 or 60 days before deciding whether to buy the 11-acre property, and when a study period will begin. During that time, HOC will appraise the property, determine if repairs are needed, and forecast whether the purchase will be feasible over the longer term.

HOC owns nearly 6,800 residences in Montgomery County, in addition to financing nearly 9,500 residences and administering nearly 6,200 federal housing vouchers.

The possible purchase of Rothbury comes as part of HOC's increased focus on adding a mix of income levels to its property portfolio. Profits from higher-income housing help balance out HOC's cost of owning and managing lower-income housing elsewhere.

The Housing Opportunities Commission will go over its plan to buy the Gables at Rothbury in Montgomery Village at a forum at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at the North Creek Community Center, 20125 Arrowhead Road.