Rockville Historic District Commission Meeting 04-2025 - May 15, 2025
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Rockville Historic District Commission Meeting 04-2025 - May 15, 2025
The Rockville Historic District Commission (HDC) met on Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 12:00 PM ET in hybrid format under Chair Anita Neil Powell. Commissioners Seth Dimbo, Peter Falsenan, Mercy Shengay, and Michael Goldfinger were present, joined by staff Sheila Pajeri, Cynthia Walters, and Katie Gerbis. The meeting covered organizational reports, a consent agenda, a major demolition significance evaluation, and planning for the upcoming Preservation Month event.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes (April 17, 2025): Unanimously approved in a 5-0 vote.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Open Forum: No members of the public spoke on non-agenda items.
- Agenda Item 809 West Moore Avenue: Several written comments were received urging demolition due to safety hazards (raccoon infestation and structural collapse). One online resident, Tarsha, joined but had nothing to add.
Discussion Items
- Peerless Rockville Report: Executive Director Nancy Picard reported on Archaeology Month and Preservation Month events, including a talk on the Hungerford Tavern and the launch of the exhibit "Changing the Map: The Mid-City Project," which documents Rockville’s 1950s-1970s urban renewal that demolished much of the downtown. She invited the public to explore the how, what, where, and why of the project.
- Lincoln Park Historical Foundation Report: The president announced the 134th anniversary celebration of Lincoln Park on Saturday, June 21, 2025, from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM at Mount Calvary Baptist Church, featuring a historical parade and events.
- Commissioner Comments: Commissioner Goldfinger raised concerns about the balance between historic preservation and natural urban development, noting that allowing historic properties to become dilapidated could lead to their loss. He also highlighted that redevelopment with larger structures signals a healthy economy but risks erasing mid-century neighborhoods. Chair Powell agreed and suggested coordinating with code enforcement.
- Commissioner Announcements: Chair Powell shared attendance at the Preservation Month proclamation ceremony and related webinars on African American and Pacific Islander heritage preservation and window replacement best practices. Commissioner Goldfinger asked about the ability to display the agenda on screens and requested water at meetings—staff agreed to follow up.
- Staff Reports: Comprehensive Planning Manager Katie Gerbis provided updates on the historic preservation work plan, including draft amendments to the zoning ordinance to address demolition by neglect (currently absent from code). Staff aims to present a draft for public and commission feedback by late summer 2025, with formal adoption anticipated in late 2025. Grants for ground-penetrating radar at Avery Road Cemetery are active, with a new application submitted for FY26 funds; a professional development grant to Maryland Historical Trust is pending.
Evaluation of Significance - 809 West Moore Avenue (HDC 2025-01189)
- Staff Presentation: Preservation Planner Sheila Pajeri presented the case. The property at 809 West Moore Avenue is a one-and-a-half-story vernacular house in severe disrepair, located in Lincoln Park on an undeveloped kinship lot. The owner inadvertently began demolition preparations without HDC review but halted when informed. Staff recommended against historic designation because the building does not meet HDC criteria for architectural or historic significance. Written comments from neighbors strongly supported demolition due to safety and pest issues.
- Owner Testimony: Shimon Day, the owner, stated he purchased the house as a foreclosure in poor condition. Due to financial constraints, he cannot afford repairs or rebuilding soon but acknowledged the safety hazard and intends to demolish first, then rebuild when funds permit.
- Public Participation: No additional oral testimony was given beyond the written record.
- Commissioner Discussion: Commissioner Falsenan noted potential damage to a large street tree from excavation and asked about tree protection. Deputy City Attorney Cynthia Walters advised that tree preservation conditions fall outside HDC purview, but staff offered to alert forestry. Commissioner Falsenan also suggested a commemorative plaque for the site’s historic residents, which chair Powell supported.
- Chair’s Statement: Chair Powell read a detailed biography of Reverend Henry Davis (former pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church, 1956-1963) and his son Dr. Henry M. Davis, an internationally acclaimed pianist, composer, and recording artist who lived at the address, to underscore the property’s association with influential individuals. However, she noted the building itself lacked integrity.
- Vote: Commissioner Dimbo moved that the HDC record against historic designation (i.e., allow demolition). Commissioner Shengay seconded. The motion passed 4-1 (Chair Powell voted nay). Commissioner Falsenan’s proposed condition on tree preservation was not adopted as beyond HDC jurisdiction.
Key Outcomes
- Approved Consent Agenda: Minutes of April 17, 2025, approved 5-0.
- Demolition Approved: The commission determined that 809 West Moore Avenue does not meet historic significance criteria, clearing the way for demolition (4-1 vote). Staff will notify forestry about the tree; a future commemorative plaque for the Davis family was suggested.
- Preservation Month Event: The commission’s Saturday, May 17, 2025, event (10:00 AM – 12:00 PM) in the historic courtroom of the Gray Courthouse (27 Courthouse Square) is confirmed. Program includes a presentation on Montgomery County’s sustainability guidelines for historic buildings, a property owner fireside chat moderated by Vice Chair Falsenan, and a history of the courthouse by Peerless Rockville. Commissioners are encouraged to arrive early to help with setup; coffee and pastries will be provided.
- Code Update Timeline: Staff is drafting updated preservation code addressing demolition by neglect, to be integrated into the zoning ordinance rewrite. Public and commission input sessions are expected in summer 2025, with formal adoption targeted for November/December 2025.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome to the City of Rockville Historic District Commission meeting number 04-2025. Today is Thursday, May 15th, 2025. I am HDC Chair Anita Neil Powell. I am joined by my fellow commissioners, Seth Dimbo, Peter Falsenan, Mercy Shengay, and Michael Goldfinger. We're also joined by city staff. Sheila Pajeri, Preservation Planner, Cynthia Walters, Deputy City Attorney, and Katie Gerbis, Comprehensive Planning Manager. The HDC are conducting hybrid meetings. Applicants and the public may join the meeting virtually via WebEx or in person in the Mayor and Council Chambers at Rockville City Hall 111 Maryland Avenue. The public is invited to participate in person or virtually by webs. The virtual meetings can be viewed on Rockville 11 Channel 11 on County Cable and live stream at WWW. Rockville MD.gov slash Rockville 11. Each meeting is also available for viewing soon after the meeting is held at www.rockville MD.gov slash video on demand. The first item on the agenda is committee and organization reports, starting with Peerless Rockville. Is there anyone here from Peerless Rockville staff to give a report? Yes, hi, thank you, Commissioner Neil Powell. I'm Nancy Picard, Executive Director for Peerless Rockville. And just a short report, but I wanted to update you guys on some of the things we've been doing. We have had events for both archaeology month in April and preservation month this month. So happy preservation month to all of you. I know we just celebrated with a proclamation earlier this week. We did do just a talk as part of our Glenview series on preservation in Rockville and some of the things that Peerless Rockville has been just really helped take a part in over our 50 year history. And in April, we had a talk on the archaeology of Hungerford Tavern, which existed right here in the center of town, all the way back to the beginning of the county in 1776. In addition to that, we have been working hard on sharing some of our online files through new online sharing. And we are very excited to announce the launch of our exhibit called Changing the Map, the Mid City Project, which gives visitors visitors an opportunity to understand why the Rockville government chose to demolish most of their downtown in an urban renewal project and rebuild. And we actually have picture displays recreating those streets and have invited people in to come and look and remember and see what the town was like before it was drastically changed. And just a little bit more about the Mid City project. Beginning in the late 1950s and then continuing until at least 1972. Rockville sought to change itself from a small community county seat to what they believed was going to be thriving county seat of a giant Montgomery County, which today is true, but wasn't quite there in 1972. The path along this growth was not always smooth, and the project did not go nearly as quickly as planned. Some of the amenities did not last long, but the impact of the mid-city project as it was known is felt even today. Streets were realigned and familiar buildings torn down. Today is it is hard to even picture what Rockville looked like in 1970. But we invite people to visit our exhibit and explore the how, what, where, and why of Rockville's Urban Renewal Project. And along the way, you can explore things like the architectural plans, maps, view buildings that were lost, things that were built, and um see how Rockville actually went about changing the map. So thank you. Nice. Are there any questions? Thank you. Thank you. The next report is by the Lincoln Park Historical Foundation. I am the president of the Lincoln Park Historic Historical Foundation. The foundation will be hosting the annual Lincoln Park 134th anniversary on Saturday, June 21st, starting with the historical parade at 9 30 and ending with a celebration at 6 o'clock p.m. The event will be held at the Mount Calvary Baptist Church 608 North Hornets Lane in Rockville. Please save the date of June 21st from 9 30 to 6 p.m. This concludes my report. We will now move on to item C, Public Comics, an open forum. This time is set aside for members of the public who want to comment on any non-agenda item. Is there anyone here from the public wanting to speak on any non-agenda item? I will close the public comment, open forum portion of this meeting. Thank you.
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