Input Meetings Will Gather Public Opinion
The Mayor and Council will consider whether to require that public parkland be included as part of new development projects in the City of Rockville, and is seeking input from the community on the proposal.
The city will host two virtual public input information to hear from the community:
2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, via WebEx at
rockvillemd.webex.com/rockvillemd/onstage/g.php?MTID=e640b877085bf62983a87fd082cd3e97f.
7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, via WebEx at
rockvillemd.webex.com/rockvillemd/onstage/g.php?MTID=e6b13fb01166094b1c51310e4b35abf74.
At present, Rockville does not have a permanent, dedicated funding source or other specific mechanism to acquire or require parkland from developers during the development review process.
The discussion revolves around whether to amend the city’s zoning ordinance (chapter 25 of the city code) to create the public parkland requirement.
A recent study indicated two primary options to ensure Rockville’s parks and recreation facilities are not overburdened with stress from an increasing population due to new development:
• Parkland dedication, or a fee-in-lieu when dedication is not feasible.
• An impact fee for parks and recreational facilities.
The goal of the parkland acquisition initiative is to create a consistent, standardized tool to use, as new development takes place, to give the city an opportunity to strategically manage growing demands placed on the parks and recreation system, and to reasonably ensure that new capacity can be provided to assist in meeting those demands.
For more information, contact Jim Wasilak at [email protected] or 240-314-8211.