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Committee backs abandoning two Washington Grove Lane rights-of-way to enable Heritage Emery Grove project
Summary
The Montgomery County Transportation and Environment Committee on June 23 recommended that the County Council move forward with abandoning two county right-of-way areas on Washington Grove Lane in Gaithersburg to support the proposed Heritage Emery Grove redevelopment.
The Montgomery County Transportation and Environment Committee on June 23 recommended that the County Council move forward with abandoning two county right-of-way areas on Washington Grove Lane in Gaithersburg to support the proposed Heritage Emery Grove redevelopment, a joint application from the Housing Opportunities Commission and Emery Grove United Methodist Church that includes affordable housing and a community revitalization element honoring local Black history.
Council staff recommended amending the draft resolution to change the square footage for abandonment area 1 from 56,826 square feet to 41,997 square feet and otherwise support the transmittal to the full council. “Both MCDOT and the planning department have testified that these established rights of way are not needed for current or foreseeable public use,” Council staff attorney Mr. Kenny said during the committee discussion.
The two right-of-way dedications date to 1969 and 1971 and were originally reserved for a possible widening of Washington Grove Lane tied to a potential relocation of State Route 124; those plans were never realized. Committee discussion noted that the parcels in question are not presently used as roadway.
The committee’s support is conditional: the draft resolution preserves public utility easements for Pepco, WSSC and other utilities; requires that access and connectivity be maintained through the redevelopment (to preserve non-public right-of-way access); and directs that title issues be resolved through the subdivision process before final disposition. Planning and MCDOT recommended the same conditions in their testimony to the committee.
Chair Glass moved the amendment to correct the square footage, and by unanimous consent the committee approved recommending the amended resolution to the full County Council. No roll-call vote was recorded during the committee meeting; committee members adopted the recommendation by unanimous consent.
The county will transmit the amended resolution to the full Council for final action; the abandonment and any subsequent conveyance or redevelopment remain subject to the subdivision process and the condition that utilities’ interests are preserved.
