Please see below the issues brought to the attention of the City by the community during the Walking Town Meeting on May 2. The issues have been separated and addressed by each department.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Community Planning and Development Services Department
Rockshire Shopping Center Future
The Mayor and Council included $50,000 in the FY19 budget to begin a public master planning process for the Rockshire Village Center site. The site has been identified as a potential location for a community center in a recent study, which assessed interest in a new center in the area west of I-270 and south of Hurley Avenue. The purpose of the planning process is to look at future redevelopment of the entire site as a public-private partnership that would accommodate a mix of uses that would complement the neighborhood. The process will include design assistance from a consulting firm who will work with neighborhood stakeholders.
A meeting with residents and owners of the shopping center is being considered for the Fall of 2018 to explain the process and address community concerns.
Department of Public Works
Traffic pattern on Hurley Avenue and Watts Branch Parkway and what Rockville plans to do about it.
Staff received a petition signed by hundreds of residents to post a left-turn restriction from Hurley to Watts Branch during AM peak period. Staff contacted HOAs and Fallsmead Elementary School, and received feedback on the issue. The proposed traffic diversion measure to address this issue is to install a “No Left Turn 7 - 9 AM Monday - Friday” sign on Hurley Avenue for traffic coming onto Hurley Avenue from MD 28. The measure would prohibit the left turns onto Watts Branch Parkway during weekday morning peak hours.
A public meeting to discuss this proposal was held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30, at Fallsmead Elementary School, 1800 Greenplace Terrace. The City will accept public comments on the proposed “No Left Turn 7 - 9AMMonday - Friday” sign through Friday, June 22.
Traffic patterns across from Best Western along Hurley Avenue and what the City plans to do about it.
The analysis performed by the applicant for the Research Row project shows that the traffic impact during the AM peak period is minimal. The impact during the PM peak period is higher, and will be mitigated by changing lane configuration at the intersections of MD28/Research Blvd. and W. Gude/Research. This project is scheduled to be completed late this year or early 2019.
Sidewalk disrepair along Wootton Parkway and the possibility of an overhead walkway above the parkway.
Michael A. Wilhelm, Chief of Construction Management, plans to have an audit of ADA concerns in the Wootton parkway right-of-way from Hurley Ave. to Greenplace Ter. This audit will be conducted as soon as funds are made available.
Public Information and Community Engagement
How to build better communication with the City of Rockville
The community was informed of multiple ways to stay in touch with the City, such as requesting the City Ambassador to meet with and share information about services and relevant information at special events. The Community Engagement Coordinator for the community, Ms. Janet Kelly, can be reached at jkelly@rockvillemd.gov or by phone at 240-314- 8316. Major Eric Over is the police department’s liaison to the Rockshire community. His presence can be requested at community meetings. He can be reached at 240-314-8967 or by email at eover@rockvillemd.gov. The presidents of the association invited the City to attend the association annual event. The City Ambassador will plan to attend this event in the summer.
The City Clerk/Director of Council Operations' office provides administrative staff support for the Mayor and Council's office. Residents can make appointments to meet with the Mayor and Council through this office. Kathleen A. Conway, City Clerk/Director of Council Operations, email is kconway@rockvillemd.gov and her Phone is 240-314-8280. The City Manager can be reached at: rdispirito@rockvillemd.gov and his number is 240-314-8100.
The City also offers multiple ways to be connected on our website and through social media.
Communication between Boards and Civic Association members from other neighborhoods
The Community Engagement Division can provide information of the active association around Rockshire and help to coordinate a meeting between interested groups. Please contact Janet Kelly at Jkelly@rockvillemd.gov to help with this initiative.
Recreation and Parks
Karma Academy property update
The City will continue to maintain the 175 Watts Branch property as-is, and not remove the asphalt for now. There were concerns about broken glass on the area of 175 Watts Branch. This has been addressed by the recreation and parks staff.
The ability of kids to drive onto the grass from Aintree Drive. We have some boulders blocking access along a portion of the area and we installed a split rail fence chain to discourage motorists to access this area.
A young participant suggested building a green house in this area. Recreation and Parks department will study the options and potential uses for the site of the former Karma Academy.
Community Garden Plot:
There were two concerns expressed about the community garden:
1- The plots are not all being sold – can the season be extended on a case-by-case basis?
The use of the garden varies from year to year with a small percentage not being sold and some that are sold never being used. The season is April 1 through Nov. 1. The City will extend the season until Nov. 15. Garden plots will have a prorated fee for those who want to extend the season.
2- Animals getting into the gardens is also a problem.
The City investigated the cost of a perimeter fence and the cost of installing a fence is about thirty thousand dollars. Due to individuals already fencing in their own plots, the City will not pursue the idea of fencing the garden.
Wootton Mill Park
The community expressed their appreciation for the work done at the Wootton Mill Park.
Garbage in the Rockmead Park
Staff will look at this situation and determine what is causing the litter in the park.
Off-leash dog park in the Wottons Mill Park
The City is presently not considering a dog park at this location.
Police Department
Car traffic speed across the shopping center parking lot.
Police have been informed of this situation and have been checking the area for the past two to three weeks. The police department is limited to what type of enforcement action can be taken since the parking lot is private property. If the traffic violation observed is reckless or negligent driving, then officers can take enforcement action. The police will continue to be present in the parking lot at random times to discourage bad driving and any other disruptive behavior. In addition, the MCPD School Resource Officer at Wootton HS has been made aware of the concerns, and the SRO has been checking the parking lot also.
Speeding in Wootton Parkway
The City police will deploy a mobile speed camera to address the issue in this area.
Underground work on Hurley Ave.
Two concerns were raised during the walking town meeting:
1- residents were concerned about the underground work on the side of Hurley opposite the shopping center, in the area which includes Halifax Ct., Hardwicke Place, Hastings Circle and Leyton Ct.
Code enforcement learned that this is a permitted Pepco project that involves the replacement of multiple underground electric cables and associated equipment in the existing Public Utility Easement. The resident who made this inquiry was provided with the contact information of the Code Enforcement supervisor.
2- Resident was concerned about underground utility work.
Mike Wilhelm (Chief of Construction Management) and Tom Howley (Supervisor, Code Enforcement) provided their business cards to the resident and staff offered to meet with the resident to discuss the concerns. The resident responded later that day with the following: There isn’t a situation we are currently aware of, but my original email was written so that any future installations will be done properly and with community members’ safety in mind. We were later able to determine that the resident lived in the Rockshire townhomes. The work that is currently done on this area was not the concern of the resident.
