Work Session on Initiative to be Held Feb. 12
The Mayor and Council will discuss new tools to acquire city parkland at their Feb. 12 work session.
The parkland acquisition initiative aims to provide parks and recreational facilities, or generate revenue to create them, as new development takes place.
“While many residents of the city are well served by parks within walking distance of their neighborhoods, others are not,” City Manager Rob DiSpirito said. “Also, with a growing population, there is continued pressure to create new park greenspace, especially in redeveloping and urbanizing areas along Rockville Pike and in Town Center.” Currently, the city has about 16 acres of open space for every 1,000 residents.
Two possible tools to do that are under consideration: impact fees charged to new development or requiring dedicated parkland or a fee-in-lieu from new development. Many jurisdictions around the country, and locally, use one of these tools to create parks and recreational facilities.