Owner of 255 Rockville Pike seeks flexibility to build up to 550 apartments or adaptively reuse office as large retail

Kimia Zulfaguarian, principal planner for the City of Rockville, and Bob Elliott, representing the property owner, presented a project plan amendment briefing on 255 Rockville Pike on May 5, 2025. The applicant asked the Mayor and Council for preliminary feedback on two development paths: a phased residential redevelopment of up to 550 dwelling units with a maximum height previously vested at 217 feet, or an adaptive reuse of the existing office building for up to about 160,000 square feet of retail.

The subject property, roughly 2.5 acres at the eastern end of Rockville Town Center abutting Promenade Park and the Metro pedestrian bridge, currently carries a PDRCI (Plan Development Rockville Center, Inc.) entitlement. Kimia Zulfaguarian said the project plan amendment and a concurrent Level 2 site plan were filed March 7; Planning Commission briefed the proposal April 9 and a DRC meeting occurred April 24. The applicant described a two‑phase residential approach with an initial five‑story wood‑framed building of about 300 units over an existing three‑level parking garage (roughly 440 spaces) and a potential later tower that could add roughly 250 units.

“The idea is to get this building…