What is "Rockville's Pike: Envision a Great Place"?
Rockville's Pike: Envision a Great Place is a planning process that will incorporate widespread public input into developing a plan for the future of the Pike. The ultimate goal is to create a great place for people to shop, live, work, gather, and move around. Rockville's Pike is about reexamining the city's main thoroughfare and turning it into a place in which everyone in the community can truly take pride. A variety of planning issues will be considered including transportation options, the economy, land uses, environmental matters, and the "look" of the Pike. Throughout the course of Rockville's Pike community members will have numerous opportunities to share their ideas for the future of the Pike and learn about the progress of the plan.
What are the boundaries of the planning area?
Rockville's Pike: Envision a Great Place will look at the 1.5-mile stretch of 355 between Twinbrook Parkway and Richard Montgomery Drive, including the land on either side of the Pike. View a map of the 258-acre planning area.
Why create a plan now?
Rockville Pike is changing. New development is occurring throughout the region, and residents, shoppers, commuters, and cars are coming to the Pike every day. Rockville's Pike will help the community take the lead on addressing these changes and taking "ownership" of its Pike.
Nearly 20 years have passed since the City of Rockville developed the Rockville Pike Corridor Neighborhood Plan in 1989. The Mayor and Council's 2006-08 Vision Priority of creating an Exceptional Built Environment recognizes that completing a master plan for the Rockville Pike corridor is a central priority and that the time is right for creating a new plan. Montgomery County planners are currently looking at the entire stretch of 355 from Friendship Heights to Clarksburg and considering ways to create a more pleasing, greener environment and a stronger sense of place, while meeting the land use and transportation demands of a growing county. Engaging in Rockville's Pike will give the Rockville community an opportunity to define the future of its segment of the Pike.
What is the timeline for the planning process?
Rockville's Pike is an 18-month planning process. Preparation began in fall 2007, and plan adoption is anticipated for May 2009. The public involvement activities that will inform the plan's development will begin in early December 2007 and continue throughout 2008. Following a project Kick-Off meeting on December 4th, 2007, the consultant team will start working on data collection and technical studies. A stakeholder workshop will be held in February 2008 to gather additional input on preliminary findings. Rockville's Pike will culminate in a week-long design charrette that will take place in June 2008. The charrette will be an intensive, highly interactive event that involves the consulting team, stakeholders, and community members directly in the design process. At the conclusion of the charrette Rockville will have the foundation of its plan for the Pike. Throughout the entire planning process meetings known as "Reports to the Community" will be held periodically to report on technical findings and gather additional public input.
How can I get involved?
The first opportunity to become involved will be at the Rockville's Pike Kick-Off meeting scheduled for December 4th, 2007 from 7pm to 9pm at the Ramada Inn on Rockville Pike. This meeting is open to everyone—if you live, work, shop, or travel in Rockville, this is an opportunity to make sure that your ideas for improving the pike are included right from the start. You do not need to be an expert to come to the meeting—you only need to have an interest in the future of the Pike. The meeting will be divided into two parts. The first part will consist of a presentation and overview of the project; the second part will give you an opportunity to work in small groups, brainstorm, and discuss the critical issues that should be addressed in the plan for the Pike.
Following the Kick-Off there will be numerous opportunities to be involved in Rockville's Pike. The website will soon incorporate a feature for sharing your ideas and comments about the plan as it unfolds. View the public meeting schedule.
What happens to my ideas after the Kick-Off?
The comments you share at the Kick-Off meeting will highlight critical issues for the consultants to incorporate into their technical analysis. Your ideas for the future also will be used to begin crafting a set of draft development principles that will ultimately guide future development on the Pike. You will have an opportunity to review and comment on these draft principles during the first Report to the Community that will take place in March.
Who are the consultants?
Three nationally recognized firms are collaborating with the City of Rockville to update the plan for Rockville's Pike. ACP—Visioning and Planning is the lead firm that will coordinate the effort, design the public involvement activities, and focus on the land use, urban design, and environmental components of the plan. The firm of Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin will focus on the multiple transportation components of the plan. Economic Research Associates will conduct the market analysis and identify potential catalyst development projects for the Pike. More information about each of these firms can be found online:
- ACP – Visioning and Planning: www.acp-planning.com
- Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin: www.glatting.com
- Economic Research Associates: www.econres.com
How can I learn more?
To learn more, contact the project manager:
Mayra Bayonet
Department of Community Planning and Development Services
City of Rockville
Phone: (240) 314-8214
Email: MBayonet@rockvillemd.gov
