In its endorsement, the council also
directed the town planning and economic development offices to work
with the RDA in furthering the plan, and voted to appropriate $9,000
for advertising to promote the concept to developers.
The area affected is bound by Union Street to the north, Brooklyn
Street to the south, Court Street to the east, and Rockville General
Hospital to the west.
At Tuesday's Town Council meeting Marina Rodriguez, the economic
development coordinator, laid out recommendations for the next steps
that should be taken.
They include cataloging affected properties, identifying the owners
and determining if they have future development plans that could be
integrated, performing environmental assessments on the properties,
appraising the properties, developing a project budget and financing
plan, performing a feasibility study to determine the project's
potential, developing a plan that shows project stages, and ironing
out details for a town-RDA partnership.
The council's Republican majority pushed for the endorsement, saying
the project is critical to Rockville's revitalization and could
significantly add to the tax base.
Some Democrats, including Mayor Ellen L. Marmer, cautioned against
haste, however, saying more details are needed.
"I think at this point we're jumping the gun. What are we
spending $9,000 on - we don't even have a budget yet this year,"
Marmer said.
Councilman George Apel said the project needs to get off the ground
and quickly.
"I can see us sitting here for the next five years and nothing
will ever get done," Apel said. "I really think this could
help the town."
Councilman Dan Champagne echoed the sentiment.
"Even if this is going to take 10 years, it's about time we get
going on something," Champagne said. "Rockville is falling
apart."