Gaithersburg Planning Commission approves site plan amendment for future City Hall at South Summit Avenue

The Gaithersburg Planning Commission voted unanimously June 17 to approve an amendment to the final site plan (AFP-1030-2026) that renovates the existing building at 12 South Summit Avenue and develops the adjacent vacant lot at 8 South Summit as a future City Hall campus.

City staff introduced the application and cited the city zoning ordinance sections 24-12.6E and 24-12.6G as the authority under which the Planning Commission must approve amendments to final site plans. Ashley Beesom, civil engineer with Adtek Engineers, presented the proposal and described existing site constraints and the project’s principal elements: repairing an existing loading area, re-leveling and repairing brick paving, restriping parking, creating an ADA-accessible plaza aligned with existing informal footpaths, adding planter boxes and tree grates, and installing a micro bio-retention facility for stormwater management. "We have a new ADA space available..." Beesom said during the presentation, describing the plaza and pedestrian circulation improvements.

The applicant noted site dimensions: the building site at 12 South Summit was described in the presentation as located on a roughly 66,000-square-foot lot with a 25,070-square-foot building; the adjacent lot at 8 South Summit was described in the record as approximately 13,388 square feet (transcript phrasing was unclear). The design team said the project will add tree grates with Silva cells — modular soil vaults under paving that "allow the roots to expand and thrive," the presenter said — to improve tree health and prevent pavement heaving. Staff also noted the project will increase impervious area in places, so the plan includes trench drains directing runoff to the micro bio-retention area.

Commissioners questioned several site details during an extended Q&A. They asked why a sequence of concrete steps was used across portions of the plaza; the design team said grade changes and the need to accommodate subsurface Silva cells and ADA routes limited options. Commissioners also raised safety and security questions about vehicle impacts; the architect said substantial planter boxes provide protection and that the city opted not to add bollards. On alley access and parking, commissioners pressed the applicant to ensure existing access easements remain clear in the record; staff and the applicant confirmed an existing egress/access easement will be maintained and said they will add a note to the plans calling out existing easements so future users consulting the plan will not assume rights have changed.

Staff recommended approval with one condition: the applicant must submit revised plans addressing staff comments and obtain approvals from the planning department and public works prior to final signature. A commissioner moved to approve the amendment "based on the exhibits submitted, the applicant’s testimony, the staff report findings and recommendation," and another commissioner seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Next steps identified in the presentation include coordination with Pepco to underground overhead electrical, finalizing wayfinding design, securing stormwater and erosion/sediment control permits, obtaining building permits, and moving to bidding and construction once final signatures are complete. Staff noted final signage will require a separate permit and that public artwork will be procured through a bid process involving the Arts in Public Places Committee; no firm timeline was provided for the art installation.

The Planning Commission’s approval carries the staff condition requiring plan revisions addressing staff comments prior to final signature. The project team said it will return with final, signed plans and that construction sequencing and detailed parking assignments will be resolved with city management as the project advances.