Rockville Planning Commission Approves Montgomery County Diversion Center with Conditions (Sept 10, 2025)
Rockville Planning Commission Meeting – September 10, 2025
The Rockville Planning Commission held a public hearing on a mandatory referral application (STP 2025-00512) for the proposed Montgomery County Diversion Center at 1307 Seven Locks Road. The commission heard staff presentations, public testimony, and deliberated on the project, ultimately approving the application with an additional condition requiring a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and county before occupancy.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Lori Brody (registered nurse, nearby resident) expressed concerns about the facility being described as voluntary but noted that voluntary patients can leave at any time; questioned the lack of medical professionals in planning; warned of potential sirens for medical emergencies; and doubted the feasibility of escorted discharges, as many clients are homeless.
- Sherry Solomon (resident directly behind the site) voiced fears about addicts and alcoholics being released into the neighborhood, potential for homeless individuals to linger in wooded areas, increased noise from police/ambulance activity, and the impact on local shopping areas. She urged denial, stating the facility should be in an industrial area.
- Dan Prewis (Potomac Springs resident) submitted a written letter and argued that the discharge plan is too preliminary; the comprehensive plan requires that persons not be released directly to Seven Locks Road; and without details on legal authority to confine clients, the commission should deny approval until more information is available.
- Leon Feerstein (Falls Ridge Homeowners Association, Seven Locks Alliance) acknowledged the county’s community engagement but stressed that the 2040 Comprehensive Plan requires maintaining residential character. He noted that the county has not answered all city council questions; the MOU with the city was lost; and key operational details (walk-ins, escorting, security, community notification, signage, fence plan) remain undefined. He recommended an MOU with guarantees be in place before approval.
- Adam Van Grack (personal capacity) supported the project but argued that the commission could add conditions—such as a discharge plan, visual buffer, and walkway—to address community concerns, rather than denying the application.
Discussion Items
- Staff Presentation: Nelson Ortiz (CPDS) presented the mandatory referral for the 16,490 sq ft, two-story diversion center. The facility will provide 24/7/365 voluntary short-term stabilization for individuals in mental health or substance use crisis. Clients will be referred and transported by hospitals and county agencies; no walk-ins. The site is 26.23 acres (disturbance 4.75 acres) in the MXT zone. Staff recommended approval with conditions, noting consistency with the comprehensive plan on location, character, and extent. Traffic impacts are minimal. The county committed to a client release plan and an MOU.
- Commission Questions & Discussion:
- Commissioners asked about architectural renderings (facade designed to look like townhomes), patient discharge procedures, maximum occupancy (32–40 clients), noise from sirens (county said no sirens), and tree removal (18 significant, 6 specimen trees; replanting ratio not yet finalized).
- Commissioner Pittman expressed discomfort with the project's incomplete details, especially the lack of a discharge plan, and noted that the county could have shown good faith by providing more information.
- Commissioner Fulton emphasized that the project's character is unclear without knowing whether clients will be discharged by private vehicle or public transit, and that the commission cannot make a recommendation without knowing day-to-day operations.
- The city attorney (Mr. Dumay) advised that the commission must act tonight to avoid a deemed approval and that the county could override a denial with a two-thirds vote of the county council.
- Commissioners discussed adding conditions, including a requirement for an MOU before an occupancy permit, to address the buffer, patient access/egress, signage, noise, and visual buffer with native flora.
Key Outcomes
- Motion: Commissioner Fulton moved to approve mandatory referral STP 2025-512, subject to the conditions in the staff report and the following additional condition: "Prior to issuance of an occupancy permit, the county must enter into a memorandum of understanding with the city addressing the facility's compliance with the comprehensive plan regarding the maintenance of an adequate buffer from the residential areas to the facility, patient access, release, and egress to and from the facility, signage, noise, and visual buffer with emphasis given to native flora." The motion was seconded by Commissioner Pittman and passed unanimously (5-0).
- Next Meeting: The next planning commission meeting is scheduled for September 24, 2025. The commission also approved meeting minutes from April 23, 2025, and May 14, 2025.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, Rockville. Today is Wednesday, September 10th, 2025. This is meeting number 11-25 of the City of Rockville Planning Commission. I am Jamie Espinosa, Chair of the Planning Commission. I am joined in chambers tonight by Commissioners Susan Pittman, Commissioner Eric Fulton, Commissioner Mungsoon, and Commissioner Syan Salahouden. Tonight's meeting is being conducted in person and virtually by WebEx. Tonight's agenda includes a mandatory referral application. Then this will be followed by a regularly scheduled commission items. So for our first agenda item, it is a mandatory referral application STP 2025-00512 to establish Montgomery County Diversion Center and install associated site improvements within a portion of the existing property at 1307 Seven Locks Road in the MXT Mixed Use Transition Zone. Montgomery County, Maryland applicant. Over to Mr. Wasilak for any staff presentation. Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the commission. This application is a mandatory referral application. And that is the mechanism by which public projects are reviewed by the local planning commission. And so a little different than the site plan process that you're used to. I do have uh Nelson Ortiz, uh, our principal planner to make the staff presentation on the application. Mr. Wasach, before we do that, uh are we um allowing for public testimony tonight? Yes. So as a notice to folks in the audience and to anybody on WebEx, if you could please sign up on the sign-up sheet in the back of the room to indicate that you plan on providing public testimony. Now to clarify the commission's procedures, we don't take questions from the audience. The way to pose your question to the commission is to provide public testimony. And when we get to that portion, I'll provide the ground rules for how to do that. But if you do wish to either ask a question or to address us, please ensure you sign up at the back. All right, back to you, Mr. Waswak. And that Mr. Ortiz is here to make the staff presentation. There you go. Good evening, Chair, members of the commission. Nelson Ortiz with Community Planning and Development Services Department. This is mandatory referral application, STP 2025 512. This is for the proposed Montgomery County Diversion Center. The property is located at 301307 Seven Locks Road. The property has been developed, is currently developed with the detention center located in the center. The detention center is flanked by office buildings. The proposed project for the Montgomery County Diversion Center is uh located at the corner of Seven Locks Road and Wooden Parkway and identified in the yellow highlighting. The land use designation for the subject property is civic and public institutional. The property is zoned mixed use transition. The entire property is 26.23 acres in size. However, the limits of disturbance for this project is approximately 4.75 acres. And again, as I mentioned, the property has been developed. To the west of the property and to the southwest are residential neighborhoods. To the south of the property across Wooden Parkway, are public buildings also owned by the applicant, Montgomery County. And to the east of the property is I-270. Uh just on the other side of I-270. The properties are it's mostly vacant with some uh commercial office on uh Wooden Parkway. So just some background on this.
openpublica.com