Committee recommends county move forward with federal-funded project to convert Rockville building into 18 supportive housing units

The Montgomery County Council Health and Human Services Committee on Feb. 20 recommended approval of a supplemental appropriation to fund the Affordable Living Quarters project, which would convert a county‑owned building in Rockville into 18 permanent supportive efficiency units for people experiencing homelessness.

Nicole Rodriguez Hernandez, council staff, told the committee the request would amend the FY26 capital budget and the FY25–30 Capital Improvements Program and that the county’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs received a Home Investment Partnership (Home ARP) grant award of about $7.3 million. The packet lists the appropriation sought as $7,221,940 and notes the county executive transmitted the request on Jan. 15, 2026. A Feb. 10 public hearing drew no testimony, staff said.

The site identified in county materials is a county‑owned building in Rockville (listed in packet materials as 600 East Scutie Drive) that staff described as already on the county campus and currently unused. Department of General Services spokesman Greg Austin said the single‑story building will be retrofitted rather than built from the ground up, which shortens the schedule and reduces acquisition costs. "There’s 18 units total. A handful of those will be fully ADA," Austin said during the presentation.

Under the executive’s plan, DHHS would procure a local nonprofit to manage the facility and provide 24/7 on‑site staffing, building maintenance and case management. County staff said tenants would typically pay 30% of income toward rent; the executive packet lists HUD’s fair market rent for a studio in the zip code at $2,003.80. Placements are planned through the county’s coordinated entry referral system.

Committee members probed schedule, procurement and site‑safety questions. Staff said design and procurement would follow prompt approval, with construction anticipated to begin in FY27 and completion targeted by the end of FY29, and county materials note a federal expenditure deadline in September 2030. A council member raised prior site concerns tied to vibration and methane from nearby County operations; DGS said the methane flare equipment has been decommissioned, mitigation work was performed and that noise and vibration studies and DEP documentation can be provided as follow‑up.

Chair Laurie Ann Sales framed the project as a narrowly targeted use of federal funds to help people who struggle to access congregate shelters. "It's transformative and it is important," she said, urging committee support while asking for further detail on sustainability and operations.

The committee conducted a voice vote and the chair announced that the motion to recommend approval carried. Council staff said the full council’s final action date had not been scheduled; the committee asked DGS and DHHS to provide a written services plan (remediation and air‑quality status, staffing model, service providers, referral processes, and operating‑cost estimates) once designs are ready.

Next steps: the matter will advance to the full council for final action when scheduled; committee follow‑ups will include post‑design and pre‑construction updates and the written services plan requested by the chair.