PHED to Consider Gaithersburg's Annexation Petition

At 2 p.m. on Monday, The Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee (PHED) will hold a worksession on the City of Gaithersburg’s petition to annex approximately 27.9 acres of land located near Frederick Road (Route 355) and Shady Grove Road. The City of Rockville, which is basically separated from Gaithersburg by Shady Grove Road, opposes the annexation because of the potential uses Gaithersburg may consider.

You can attend the worksession in the Seventh Floor Council Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville or watch it live on County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon). The broadcast also will be available via streaming through the County Web site at www.montgomerycountymd.gov.

The property, which is addressed by the County’s Shady Grove Sector Plan, currently includes commercial enterprises owned by Sears. The property is included in the potential maximum expansion limits of both Gaithersburg and Rockville.

There is concern about requests for rezoning that could lead to residential development. The County Executive sent a letter to me as chair of the PHED Committee that he would not support an annexation and rezoning plan that includes residential development because the property is located near the County’s Solid Waste Transfer Station.