Transformative Document Envisions a Thriving Area
The Mayor and Council’s approval of zoning text and map amendments in January has cleared the way for the Rockville Pike Neighborhood Plan to become a reality. The plan was adopted in 2016 after more than a decade of intensive study, public hearings and planning.
The framework of regulations, now in place for about 382 acres along a 2-mile stretch of the pike, implement the plan’s
vision for a multi-use, economically vibrant and attractive neighborhood, with comfortable walking and biking, new parks and better access to transit.
Much of Rockville’s growth in jobs and population over the next 20 or more years is anticipated in the area the plan covers. By 2040, the plan projects almost 12,000 residents and 14,000 jobs in the plan area — about 40 percent of Rockville’s population growth and one-third of its employment growth, compared with 2015’s 3,530 residents and 9,050 jobs.
An early focus for the plan is the on the southern area of the pike around Twinbrook Metro station, where development interest is high. The zoning amendments offer options for large developments located near the Metro station, including the potential for greater building height, in exchange for more amenities such as open space and affordable housing units, beyond what would otherwise be required. These projects are referred to as “Champion Projects” in the plan.
The city has received concept-level plans for the first potential Champion Project on the east side of the pike, an 18-acre mixed-use development by B.F. Saul, within walking distance of the Metro station. The plans feature a 1-acre park as a centerpiece and new roads, including a northern extension of Chapman Avenue. The Mayor and Council will determine if the proposed development meets the criteria for a Champion Project at a project briefing, which will likely take place in spring.
Additionally, the Mayor and Council approved a new mixed-use zone to gradually reduce building height and intensity of uses moving away from the Metro station and the pike. One of the plan’s policies is to protect existing, surrounding neighborhoods from more intensive development.
Major planning initiatives undertaken by the City of Rockville over the years include the completed Town Center Master Plan and ongoing Rockville 2040 update to the citywide master plan.
For more information about the Rockville Neighborhood Pike Plan, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/pikeplan.