The overall vision for the City of Rockville's Town Center is a mixed use of commercial, residential, retail, cultural, restaurant and entertainment space. This would create a pedestrian-friendly downtown that will be the focal point of civic, business, leisure and cultural activities in the City. The current plan is directed toward the 15 acres between Beall Avenue and Middle Lane (bordered by North Washington Street on the west and Route 355 on the east), known as Rockville Town Square.

Development in this area will consist of between 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. The plan calls for three parking garages with both public and private components. The garages will be located inside of the development and retail establishments will be wrapped around them. 
 

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

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

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.
 

The project is a partnership between the private sector, including 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 2007). 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. Construction has been underway since then, with the grand opening scheduled for Spring 2007. 
 

The plans call for a food store of more than 30,000 square feet and overall 175,000 square feet of retail/restaurants. Plans project creation of a mix that would produce a vibrant downtown during both the day and evening hours. Town Square also will include enhanced cultural amenities such as new space for VisArts (the former Rockville Arts Place). The traditional Rockville Farmers' Market will have a prominent place in Town Square during the warm weather months of spring, summer and fall. There will also be a new "incubator" for new technology businesses, managed by Montgomery County. 
 

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

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

The Rockville Library is an integral part of the Town Center plan. 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 will be facing the new Town Square plaza, with an additional accessible entrance on Beall Avenue. The library will include the Special Needs collection transferred from the Davis branch.