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About Rockville's Pike: Envision a Great Place FAQs
What is "Rockville's Pike: Envision a Great Place"?
Rockville's Pike: Envision a Great Place is a planning process that incorporates widespread public input into developing a plan for the future of the Rockville Pike corridor within Rockville. The ultimate goal is to make Rockville’s main thoroughfare a great place for people to shop, live, work, gather, and move around. A variety of planning issues are being considered, including land use, transportation, open space, environmental features and impacts, and the overall "look" and "feel" of the Pike.
What are the boundaries of the planning area?
The study area contains approximately 410 acres surrounding a 2.2-mile-long portion of Rockville Pike (Route 355). It is bounded on the north by Richard Montgomery Drive and on the south by Bou Avenue, including the land on either side of the Pike. View a map of the study area.
Why create a plan now?
More than 20 years have passed since the City of Rockville completed the 1989 Rockville Pike Corridor Neighborhood Plan and made it part of the City’s Comprehensive Master Plan. Since then, there have been signficant changes along the Pike, and those changes continue both within Rockville and nearby. As the economy moves toward recovery, development and new buildings will bring more residents, shoppers, commuters, and cars. A successful plan will express Rockville’s goals, guide change in the direction that the community wishes, and further Mayor and Council visions of improved urban sensitivity with distinctive neighborhoods and multimodal transportation.
What are the next steps and the project timeline?
After years of work by the public, City staff and the consultant team, the Draft for Planning Commmission Public Hearing has been released. The next steps are for the public to review the document and provide testimony, while the Planning Commission holds work sessions that will include review of the submitted testimony. The overall plan timeline can be viewed at the updated calendar.
How can I read and learn about the Draft Plan?
The document is available on line or on CD (contact staff, listed below, to obtain a CD). Printed copies are available for viewing at the Department of Community Planning and Development Services (CPDS), 111 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD, 20850; and at the Twinbrook and Rockville Libraries (ask at the library’s front desk).
You may sign up to receive email updates as part of the Rockville’s Pike Interest Group. The City will also use Rockville Reports, Rockville Channel 11, press releases, the website and social media to provide plan updates.
How can I continue to be involved?
After many public meetings and structured interviews, the next step for public involvement is to provide testimony on the Draft for Planning Commmission Public Hearing.
There are three ways to give testimony so that it will be reviewed by the Planning Commission:
Who are the consultants?
Two nationally recognized firms are collaborating with the City of Rockville to update the plan for Rockville's Pike. ACP—Visioning and Planning is the prime consultant, leading the public involvement activities, as well as the land use, urban design and integrative components of the process. AECOM has provided analysis and recommendations in the areas of transportation and economics. (AECOM acquired both Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin and Economic Research Associates during this process.) More information about each of these firms can be found online:
How can I learn more?
To learn more, contact Long Range Planning staff:
Mayra Bayonet
Phone: (240) 314-8214
E-mail: mbayonet@rockvillemd.gov
Cindy Kebba
Phone: (240) 314-8233
E-mail: ckebba@rockvillemd.gov
David B. Levy
Phone: (240) 314-8272
Email: dlevy@rockvillemd.gov