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Montgomery County committee backs accelerated road funding for White Oak Science Gateway
Summary
The county’s Economic Development Committee accepted a staff recommendation to advance $30 million in GO bond funding to accelerate roads work at the White Oak Science Gateway redevelopment, after developers and county staff described a more definite construction schedule and a projected late‑year groundbreaking.
The Economic Development Committee on a briefing accepted a staff recommendation to accelerate county funding for roads at the White Oak Science Gateway redevelopment site in East County.
The amended capital improvements program (CIP) moves a larger share of the project’s work forward so the county’s road participation funding—about $30 million in general obligation (GO) bond proceeds in fiscal 2026—will be available to reimburse the developer as roadway construction proceeds.
The White Oak Science Gateway redevelopment is a long‑running effort the county estimates as a $45,000,000 CIP project, primarily for construction of master plan roadways. “This CIP project is the $45,000,000 project to support construction of roads primarily on the White Oak site,” Council staff said during the briefing. County staff described earlier appropriation of the larger $40,000,000 road participation commitment, which has been “fully appropriated” for several years and is intended to reimburse the developer pro rata as costs are incurred under the road participation agreement.
County executive representatives told the committee they recommended accelerating funding because fiscal 2027 presented capacity constraints and recent activity from the new developer gave staff more clarity on timing. A county executive representative said the executive branch was “very enthusiastic about this project” and that the new management team under MCB Real Estate has “breathed new life” into the site. MCB Real Estate representatives told the committee they expect to break ground in late November or early December, pending permitting; one MCB presenter said a permit date around Nov. 20 would allow mobilization within one to two weeks.
Greg Austin of the Department of General Services said the county has adjusted the earlier expenditure schedule several times but that the $40,000,000 appropriation tied to the road participation agreement remains available to reimburse the developer when work is performed. County staff said reimbursement will operate through monthly draws as construction invoices arrive rather than a single up‑front payment.
Committee members pressed for clarity on timing, reimbursement procedures and whether advancing the CIP schedule would require scaling back other projects. County staff said no other projects would be reduced to accommodate the change and that if reimbursement timing shifts the appropriation will simply roll into the next fiscal year until obligated. Committee members also asked about job and housing numbers tied to the development; MCB representatives said the project includes more than 3,000 housing units and estimated roughly 30,000 jobs over the life of the project, including construction and built‑out employment.
On the committee floor, Councilmember Ollie Sales asked for a projected groundbreaking date; Teresa Segment, development director with MCB Real Estate, said “our projected breaking ground date is late November, early December of this year.” Staff cautioned the county will likely present a revised expenditure schedule with the FY27–30 CIP next year to reflect actual draw timing.
The committee accepted the staff recommendation with no objections and indicated it would forward the CIP amendment consistent with the executive’s proposal.
The briefing included questions about coordination with district council members, permit milestones, reimbursement mechanics and the need to monitor how the developer’s draw requests will affect future CIP schedules.
