Community Engagement Report Published

Check out the draft for public review of the Town Center Master Plan update Community Engagement Report! Please provide any feedback using the comment form here by November 3, 2023.

This report summarizes all activities performed by staff throughout the outreach and engagement phase of the Town Center Master Plan update project. The report provides insight into the methods of outreach, shares findings received from each outreach method, and details several key takeaways and major themes that will need to be addressed in the update to the Town Center Master Plan. The Community Engagement Report itself does not make any recommendations, but rather shares findings and popular topics of discussion to date. Ultimately, the final version of the Community Engagement Report will become an appendix to the updated Master Plan.

Demographics of Respondents

Staff utilized 10 different methods to collect feedback from the public during the outreach and engagement phase and confidently believes more than 1,000 unique individuals have participated in at least one method of providing feedback during this process. Generally, those who provided feedback are primarily Rockville residents, though most participants did not actually live within the boundaries of the Town Center planning area. There was a fairly even age distribution that is generally reflective of both Rockville and Town Center’s age demographics. There are two specific areas of note where the demographics of those who provided feedback do not align with demographics of Town Center of the City as a whole. There was an overrepresentation of females in this process, as well as an overrepresentation of people who identify as white. Since these demographics are not truly representative of Rockville or Town Center, the engagement results should be reviewed with that in mind.

Major Takeaways and Themes

Through the outreach and engagement period, several themes emerged. These themes continued to repeat in conversations across multiple groups and through different engagement methodologies. Major takeaways and themes gathered through this phase include:

• Land Use and Housing
  • Desire to see more density, particularly in the form of housing.
  • The increasing need for affordable housing.
• Business and Economic Development
  • Desire to see fewer retail vacancies.
  • Desire for more diversity in retail options, especially more retailers that don’t involve dining.
  • Tentative interest in an entity of some sort to support Town Center.
• Transportation
  • Desire for more and improved bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
  • Need for improved wayfinding signage for pedestrians and vehicles.
  • Desire to see improvements to signage and accessibility of existing parking garages.
  • Tentative interest in closing additional streets to vehicles and making them pedestrian only (example: Gibbs Street).
• Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities
  • Desire to see more parks and additional greenspace, including landscaping and streetscapes.
  • Desire for more events in Town Center.
  • Desire to see improvements to Promenade Park, enhancing the connection to the pedestrian bridge to Metro.

Community Engagement Report Public Meetings

At two upcoming public meetings, staff will present their findings and major takeaways from this community outreach and engagement process. These sessions will serve to help close out this process and allow community members and other stakeholders to provide feedback before the team begins drafting the plan throughout the fall.

• In-Person Meeting: Tuesday, October 24 from 7:00-8:30 PM at VisArts (155 Gibbs St, Rockville, MD 20850), Buchanan Room on the 2nd Floor
• Virtual Meeting: Thursday, October 26 from 7:00-8:30 PM via WebEx Virtual Meeting, Register Here