Support Underscores Pledge to Maintain Affordable Housing
Continuing their commitment to preserve and expand affordable housing in the City of Rockville, the Mayor and Council in March supported the refinancing of Fireside Park Apartments, as well a $500,000 grant.
The money will be used by the city’s independent affordable housing agency, Rockville Housing Enterprises, toward the modernization of the 236-unit mixed-income rental property at 735 Monroe St.
Fireside Park Apartments consists of one- to three-bedroom garden-style units built in the 1960s. RHE bought the property to keep the apartment units affordable to a range of household income levels.
A fire on Feb. 2 damaged some of the units in the apartment buildings. Insurance proceeds covered the costs of rebuilding. On April 30, after press time for this edition of “Rockville Reports,” the Mayor and Council were expected to recognize RHE and other community partners for their rapid response to serving tenants impacted by the fire.
RHE was created by the Mayor and Council in 1957 to own and administer public and assisted housing in Rockville, and owns and manages more than 400 public and assisted housing units in the city, as well as 56 low-income housing tax credit units. RHE also administers about 400 vouchers under the Housing Choice Voucher Program (also known as Section 8). The Mayor and Council identified the expansion and preservation of affordable housing opportunities as a top priority in the priority initiatives they endorsed in 2017.
The modernization is scheduled to be completed by late 2020. For more information on the refinancing, contact Asmara Habte, chief of housing programs, at 240-314-8203 or [email protected].