Workforce Housing Coming To Rockville
This blog entry was written by Helen Triolo and posted on Nov 27, 2007
A victory occurred quietly yesterday evening, one which reminds me of all that is good about Rockville. A motion was passed by the Rockville City Council, in their first session together, that allows the County to move forward with plans to make existing residential units above the shops in King Farm Village Center available for sale to people who live and work in Rockville and other parts of the county, as part of the County's commitment to providing affordable housing for residents and would-be residents.
It sounds like a simple enough thing, but all sorts of behind-the-scenes work had to be done, and done quickly, to bring it about. First of all, the County recognized an opportunity some weeks ago to enact legislation passed in summer of 2006 that ensures the creation of housing for teachers, firefighters, and other crucial members of our community who work here but would otherwise be squeezed out of the housing market. Residential units in King Farm Village Center had been offered to a seller for redevelopment or rental, and the County moved to exercise its right to purchase such property at the same rate as the seller for conversion and sale as workforce housing, contingent on the approval of the municipality (Rockville) of which the housing is part.
Rick Nelson of the Department of Housing and Community Affairs was the key player from the County. Both he and Rockville City Manager Scott Ullery apparently worked many long hours (including over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend) meeting with members of the King Farm Citizen Assembly (who held several emergency town meetings) and working with KFCA President Andrew Gordon and Eric Gotting of the KF External Affairs Committee to try and negotiate an agreement that would allow the County to proceed with this model workforce housing implementation before the deadline on the transfer of property expired, and still assure the residents of King Farm that the standards set forth for workforce housing would be strictly adhered to by the County for the duration of the project, and allow legal recourse for KFCA if not.
It was fascinating to watch the players at work in the (televised) council session last night. Mr Nelson was an articulate spokesman for DHCA and the worthiness of this County endeavor, but also recognized the concerns of the KFCA, represented equally articulately by Eric Gotting. Mayor Susan Hoffmann and Mr Ullery kept the proceedings moving forward, with new councilmember John Britton pointing out language changes needed to make sure both the City and KFCA retained their legal rights in the document, and councilmembers Marcuccio and Robbins affirming the worth of the project. City attorney Paul Glasgow addressed each legal issue and question that came up, and by the end of the session, a motion was passed that appeared to satisfy everyone. It was a gratifying conclusion to a complicated matter, and none too soon, as the extended deadline for the County to act is tomorrow. I look forward to seeing how the actual implementation of the project proceeds, and hope it will be a successful model for future affordable housing ventures in Rockville.
It sounds like a simple enough thing, but all sorts of behind-the-scenes work had to be done, and done quickly, to bring it about. First of all, the County recognized an opportunity some weeks ago to enact legislation passed in summer of 2006 that ensures the creation of housing for teachers, firefighters, and other crucial members of our community who work here but would otherwise be squeezed out of the housing market. Residential units in King Farm Village Center had been offered to a seller for redevelopment or rental, and the County moved to exercise its right to purchase such property at the same rate as the seller for conversion and sale as workforce housing, contingent on the approval of the municipality (Rockville) of which the housing is part.
Rick Nelson of the Department of Housing and Community Affairs was the key player from the County. Both he and Rockville City Manager Scott Ullery apparently worked many long hours (including over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend) meeting with members of the King Farm Citizen Assembly (who held several emergency town meetings) and working with KFCA President Andrew Gordon and Eric Gotting of the KF External Affairs Committee to try and negotiate an agreement that would allow the County to proceed with this model workforce housing implementation before the deadline on the transfer of property expired, and still assure the residents of King Farm that the standards set forth for workforce housing would be strictly adhered to by the County for the duration of the project, and allow legal recourse for KFCA if not.
It was fascinating to watch the players at work in the (televised) council session last night. Mr Nelson was an articulate spokesman for DHCA and the worthiness of this County endeavor, but also recognized the concerns of the KFCA, represented equally articulately by Eric Gotting. Mayor Susan Hoffmann and Mr Ullery kept the proceedings moving forward, with new councilmember John Britton pointing out language changes needed to make sure both the City and KFCA retained their legal rights in the document, and councilmembers Marcuccio and Robbins affirming the worth of the project. City attorney Paul Glasgow addressed each legal issue and question that came up, and by the end of the session, a motion was passed that appeared to satisfy everyone. It was a gratifying conclusion to a complicated matter, and none too soon, as the extended deadline for the County to act is tomorrow. I look forward to seeing how the actual implementation of the project proceeds, and hope it will be a successful model for future affordable housing ventures in Rockville.
