The Gaithersburg mayor and council on July 7 introduced an ordinance to abandon about 37,430 square feet of city right-of-way on O'Neil Drive and Nancy Place to enable a realignment tied to redevelopment of the Rosedale Apartments.

Planning staff said the abandonment application relates to zoning map amendment Z100302025 (Casey Rosedale) and would remove unused, never-constructed sections of O'Neil Drive and a small portion of Nancy Place so that the street realignment can proceed as part of future redevelopment. “The city is giving up their rights to the right of way, essentially,” Planning staff said when council members asked for clarification on the meaning of abandonment.

The council voted to introduce the ordinance; the introduction motion carried 5-0. Staff explained the municipal code requires a separate process for abandonment applications and that the public hearings for abandonment must be scheduled to align with the related zoning map amendment public hearing.

Key details recorded: the proposed abandonment area totals approximately 37,430 square feet and is intended to facilitate phasing of the Casey Rosedale redevelopment. Planning staff said the new right-of-way for the realigned O'Neil Drive and Nancy Place will be considered as part of the separate zoning map amendment and future site-plan approvals.

Next steps: the ordinance was introduced at the July 7 meeting and will follow the city’s public hearing process for abandonment applications with dates to be posted according to the city code.