• What is Rockville's Town Center?  
• How were Rockville residents involved in the planning process?  
• What was the public/private partnership that worked together?  
• What was the cost of the project?   
• Will there be a grocery store?  
• What were some of the important milestones?  
• What types of businesses are located in the revitalized Town Center?  
• What parking is available?  
• What makes this project "pedestrian friendly?"  
• How does the new Rockville Library fit into the Town Center project?  

Rockville's Town Center is a mix of commercial, residential, retail, cultural, restaurant and entertainment space. This creates a pedestrian-friendly downtown that is a focal point of civic, business, leisure and cultural activities in the City. It encompasses 15 acres between Beall Avenue and Middle Lane (bordered by North Washington Street on the west and Route 355 on the east), and is known as Rockville Town Square.

Rockville Town Square consists of 644 condominium units, 175,000 square feet of retail space, 600,000 square feet of office space, a town square, the new Rockville Library and a new Arts and Innovation Center. There are also three parking garages with both public and private components. 
 

For many years, the residents of Rockville had been asking for a revitalized Town Center. Town Center redevelopment is the implementation of a vision developed during the mid-1990s, called "Imagine Rockville," a process wherein residents were asked what they would like to have in Town Center.

Throughout 2003 and 2004, many open forums for citizens were held at City Hall to unveil new elements of the plan and to get citizen input.

The many public meetings led to formulation of the Town Center Master Plan. Throughout development of the Master Plan, which was adopted by the Mayor and Council in October 2001, the public was invited to provide input, including during a public hearing. See the Design Review Process for more information on the public hearings on the project that will provide opportunities for residents to weigh in on issues concerning Town Center.

Various individual citizens and organized groups continue to provide input trhough the Town Center Action Team (TCAT).
 

The partnership between the private sector included a nationally known developer, Rockville-based Federal Realty Investment Trust, and residential co-developer, RD Rockville, LLC. The public sector partners involved include the City of Rockville, Montgomery County, the State of Maryland and the federal government.
 

The total public/private investment in this phase of the Town Center project is estimated at $352 million. 
 

There is a space of more than 30,000-square feet in the new block between Middle Lane and Beall Avenue reserved for a grocery store (to be completed in 2009). Negotiations are active between Federal Realty and prospective grocery store tenants.  
 

Two general development agreements between the public and private sector were signed in September 2003 and in April 2005. The groundbreaking took place June 15, 2004. The Grand Opening occurred in July 2007. 
 

The plans call for a food store of more than 30,000 square feet and overall 175,000 square feet of retail/restaurants. There is a mix that produces a vibrant downtown during both the day and evening hours. Town Square also includes enhanced cultural amenities such as VisArts (the former Rockville Arts Place). There is also a new "incubator" for new technology businesses, managed by Montgomery County. 
 

There are 970 public parking spaces in 3 public garages, and 1,000 private spaces. The garages are located "inside" of the development and retail establishments are wrapped around them. The new garages include the newest technology that will permit drivers to pay using cash, credit cards or smart cards. It also includes a state-of-the-art parking guidance system that permits drivers to find spaces easily and efficiently. 
   

One of the goals of the revitalized Town Square is to be pedestrian-oriented. This is chiefly accomplished through wide sidewalks next to the street-level retail establishments. With the addition of Gibbs Street and the extension of Maryland Avenue, the blocks are shorter in length and more uniform in size, with retail on both sides of the streets. Sidewalk widths are up to 20 feet wide. The wider sidewalks offer the opportunity for restaurants to provide outside tables to animate the streets day and night. The plaza area and Gibbs Street are excellent locations for outdoor events such as Rockville's traditional Hometown Holidays celebration on Memorial Day Weekend, movies, and other summer events. 
  

The Rockville Library is an integral part of the Town Center site. The library serves as the northern anchor of Town Square and is expected to attract more than 900,000 patrons per year. Its main entrance faces the new Town Square plaza, with an additional accessible entrance on Beall Avenue. The library includes the Special Needs collection transferred from the Davis branch.