Planning Commission recommends approval of Twinbrook Hines site plan for 437-unit building near Twinbrook Metro

The Rockville City Planning Commission on Feb. 26 recommended approval of Level 2 site plan application STP2022-00436, a Hines proposal to construct a 437-unit multifamily building, 5,075 square feet of retail/restaurant space and stormwater management facilities at portions of 1700 and 1818 Chapman Avenue, near the Twinbrook Metro station.

The site plan implements a project plan (Project Plan 2022-14) previously approved by the Mayor and Council in October 2022. Staff said the 4.01-acre site would be developed in the Planned Development—Twinbrook Commons (PD-TC) and MXTD (Mixed Use Transit District) zones and includes a 120-foot building (10 stories above grade, one below) with 66 moderately priced dwelling units (MPDUs) distributed throughout, 437 vehicle parking spaces, 10 active EV charging stations, 24 EV-ready spaces and 148 long-term bicycle parking spaces.

Staff principal planner Nelson Ortiz told commissioners the site plan replaces an underutilized area with a transit-oriented development and complies with the city's development standards, MPDU and bicycle-parking requirements. Ortiz said the Mayor and Council already found the project compliant with the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance when they approved the project plan and that utilities and stormwater improvements will be constructed per applicable codes and standards.

The applicant team said the proposal relocates the existing stormwater pond into an underground vault beneath the Twinbrook Metro kiss-and-ride area, and would relocate the existing WMATA bus loop so buses enter from Thompson Avenue and exit onto Chapman Avenue in the long-term configuration. Applicant representatives said the vault will provide equal or greater stormwater volume and treat runoff from the contributing drainage area; the team described Environmental Site Design (ESD) measures, bioswales, a green roof and other treatments directed to the vault.

Architectural and landscape materials submitted to staff show a base scaled to the street with upper-level setbacks and a private third-level courtyard with pool and resident amenities. Retail and lobby entrances face Chapman Avenue to activate the streetscape; loading, garage entry and refuse access are off Thompson Avenue.

Several nearby property owners spoke during public testimony with concerns about construction impacts, foundation support during excavation for the adjacent property at 1830 Chapman Avenue, stormwater/drainage toward their building, placement of electrical transformers near the property line, loss of short-term drop-off parking on Thompson Avenue and daily commercial deliveries and trash-container staging. Applicant representatives told the commission they will comply with building-code standards for excavation and foundation support, coordinate temporary kiss-and-ride relocations with WMATA during vault construction, and finalize transformer and other utility locations during final engineering.

Commissioners asked about bus-loop directionality, pedestrian routing between the Metro and the building, on-street parking and EV charging. Staff noted that the Mayor and Council previously approved a parking waiver as part of the project plan that reduced the required parking from 600 to 437 spaces (a 28% reduction); the site plan provides the reduced 437 spaces within the building.

After discussion, the commission voted to recommend approval of Level 2 site plan STP2022-00436 based on the staff findings and conditions in the staff report. The recommendation now goes to the Mayor and Council; if approved there the applicant may apply for permits and begin construction per the approved plans and permit conditions.