Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Fee topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Gaithersburg planners recommend removing school utilization premium fee for Stevenson Metro project
Summary
The Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of ASDP-10349-2026, asking the mayor and council to waive the Montgomery County school utilization premium payment (UPF) for the Stevenson Metro residential development, citing falling enrollment and lack of nexus to new units. The recommendation passed unanimously.
The Gaithersburg Planning Commission on June 3 recommended that the mayor and city council approve ASDP-10349-2026, a waiver removing the Montgomery County Public School utilization premium payment (UPF) requirement from the Stevenson Metro residential schematic development plan.
Jasmine, planning staff, opened the public hearing and summarized the city code requirement that development projects in school areas must pay the UPF when any school exceeds utilization and seat deficit standards. Attorney Scott Wallace, speaking for the developer, told the commission enrollment at Quinn Orchard High School and other Montgomery County schools has declined and "the numbers have shifted," arguing "there's no nexus" between the project and the need for the fee. Wallace also noted the per-unit fee is about $3,500 and said the charge affects housing economics.
Staff noted prior approvals for the site (SDP-9558-24 and the January 22, 2025 final site plan) and said the public hearing had been posted and exhibits entered into the record. Commissioners asked whether the mayor and council are separately considering a text amendment to remove the UPF; staff said a public hearing on a proposed text amendment is scheduled for July 6. No members of the public requested to speak during the Planning Commission hearing.
After brief questions, the commission voted to close the record for ASDP-10349-2026 and moved to recommend approval to the mayor and city council. Both motions passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
The recommendation sends the waiver request to the mayor and council for final action. Staff and the public will also have the opportunity to comment on the separate city text amendment that would remove the UPF more broadly.
What happens next: The Planning Commission’s recommendation will be transmitted to the mayor and council for final consideration; a separate public hearing on a potential code change removing the UPF is scheduled for July 6.
