Comstock seeks conversion of 13,000 sq ft of ground-floor retail to 13 loft apartments at 198 E. Montgomery; council takes briefing

Comstock 33 Monroe presented a project‑plan amendment briefing on April 7 asking the Rockville Mayor and Council to permit conversion of roughly 13,000 square feet of previously approved street‑level commercial space into 13 residential loft units at 198 East Montgomery Avenue.

Why it matters: The application would change the street‑level character of three frontages in Rockville Town Center and adds downtown housing in a building that already contains both market and many moderate‑income units. Council members sought assurance on noise mitigation, ground‑floor privacy, parking allocation and how the building’s MPDU (Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit) commitments are distributed.

What was proposed Christopher Davis of the Community Planning and Development Services Department summarized the application and the review process. The applicant’s attorney, Nancy Reglin of Schulman Rogers, and Rick Bierbauer, vice president for Comstock’s asset management team, presented concept plans showing ground‑floor residential entries on Monroe Street, Helen Hennigan Way and East Middle Lane (Bridal Lane) and interior “loft” unit layouts with open living areas and mezzanine bedrooms.

The applicant said about 17 parking spaces would be reallocated from commercial to residential use inside the building’s existing parking structure; staff and the applicant said commercial parking remains available for businesses and a new restaurant proposed on East Montgomery.

Council questions and staff responses Councilmembers asked several detailed questions: - Noise and privacy: Councilmember Jackson asked about interior sound levels and whether enhanced glazing would be used to meet county interior noise standards. The applicant said the building already uses enhanced windows on noisy facades and that the ground‑floor units would be required to meet the same interior noise criteria; blinds and tenant controls would address privacy on the ground floor. - Fire and egress: Dr. Miles asked whether the three‑bedroom unit has a second egress; the applicant said site‑plan review is ongoing and that code compliance would be reviewed during that process. - MPDU distribution: Councilmembers asked how inclusionary units are distributed across the project. The applicant said the original development approach produced a higher proportion of MPDUs in a related residence-on-the-lane building and that this project’s unit mix includes studios, two‑bedrooms and three‑bedrooms as configured in the filing.

Process and next steps This was a briefing only. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing and make a recommendation; the mayor and council will then consider a public hearing and possible final action. If the amendment is approved, the applicant will proceed with a concurrent site‑plan application to finalize building elevations, façade treatments, entry details, and noise and privacy mitigation measures.

Ending Councilmembers praised the addition of housing and asked staff to ensure detailed noise, privacy and safety information is included in the site‑plan review when the project returns for formal action.