A new Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) report sponsored by the City of Rockville and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) has been released by ULI Washington, documenting existing challenges and recommendations for the future of Rockville Town Center.

To read the full report, click here.

Rockville Town Center is approximately 200 acres in land area, generally bounded by properties along Fleet Street to the south, S. and N. Washington Street along the west, and the railroad tracks on the east. The area is developed with a mix of uses that include office, retail, residential, hotels, government and cultural uses.

Over the course of two days, a team of ten ULI members endeavored to understand the Town Center’s existing challenges. The Panel’s goal was to assist the City of Rockville in areas such as design actions to improve the urban environment, identify the Town Center’s retail competition, and determine if the current development density and land use mix were a good fit for the area amongst other

Panelists grouped their analysis and recommendations into four categories: contextualizing Rockville; retail strategy & design; organizing stakeholders; and urgent steps and prioritization. They elaborated on the next steps for the City and community in three different categories – urgent, strengthen and maturation. They further shared a list of actionable items towards the future transformation and success of retail in the Town Center. Some of the actionable items are listed below, and further details and additional items can be found in the report.
?    Retain significant employers.
?    Build density in the Town Center without compromising character.
?    Strengthen relationships among property owners, government and businesses within the Town Center area including Montgomery College and the Montgomery County Board of Education,
?    Hire a parking consultant.

To address the specific needs of Rockville Town Center, panelists from a range of backgrounds including retail development, office property management, and public planning came together. The ULI members who made up the TAP included:

·    David Kitchens, Principal of Cooper Carry — Panel Chair
·    Andrew K. Brown, Stanford Properties LC
·    Chad Shuskey, Washington DC Economic Partnership
·    Katie Bucklew, EDENS
·    Matt Clark, LandDesign
·    Sophie Barral, Rosslyn BID
·    Suzette Goldstein, HOK
·    Jill Hunger, Arlington Economic Development
·    Walter Ploskon, Niles Bolton Associates
·    Kaushambi Shah, local Urban Designer

To view this release as well as associated photos as a webpage, click here.

About the Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) Program

The objective of ULI Washington’s Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) program is to provide expert, multidisciplinary advice on land use and real estate issues facing public agencies and nonprofit organizations in the Metropolitan Washington Region. Drawing from its extensive membership base, ULI Washington conducts one and one-half day panels offering objective and responsible advice to local decision-makers on a wide variety of land use and real estate issues, ranging from site-specific projects to public policy questions. The TAP program is intentionally flexible to provide a customized approach to specific land use and real estate issues. Learn more at washington.uli.org/TAPs.

About ULI Washington

ULI Washington is a district council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a nonprofit education and research organization supported by its members. ULI’s mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. ULI Washington carries out the ULI mission locally by sharing best practices, building consensus, and advancing solutions through educational programs and community outreach initiatives. For more information, visit www.washington.uli.org.

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