Rockville Historic District Commission Meeting – September 18, 2025
Rockville Historic District Commission Meeting – September 18, 2025
The Rockville Historic District Commission (HDC) held its meeting 07-2025 on Thursday, September 18, 2025, at 7:00 PM in a hybrid format. Chair Anita Neil Powell presided, joined by Commissioners Seth Dimbo, Peter Falseman, and Michael Goldfinger. Commissioner Mercy Shingley was absent. Staff present included Preservation Planner Sheila Pashiri, Deputy City Attorney Cynthia Walters, and Comprehensive Planning Manager Katie Gerbis. The meeting covered organization reports, public comment, consent agenda approval, an evaluation of significance for demolition, a presentation on the King Farm Farmstead Master Plan, and updates on code revisions, the annual report, and strategic priorities.
Organization Reports
- Peerless Rockville (Nancy Picard): Announced a call for a qualified researcher/historian for the AAPI History in Rockville project, beginning with Chinese and Taiwanese populations. The project is supported by city grants, Arts and Humanities Organization of Montgomery County, the Miller History Fund, and the Maritime Heritage Area Authority. Noted that AAPI residents make up more than 20% of Rockville's population. Also thanked attendees for the Glenview Mansion speaker series event and invited the public to a walking tour on September 19 focusing on displaced African American communities.
- Lincoln Park Historical Foundation (president): Announced an upcoming event leading up to the 250th anniversary of Montgomery County in conjunction with the U.S. semiquincentennial.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Open Forum: No members of the public requested to speak on non-agenda items.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes (July 17, 2025): Approved with corrections noted by Commissioner Dimbo (removing his name from a recusal line) and Commissioner Goldfinger (correcting his attendance mode for July to in-person).
- Montgomery County Historic Preservation Tax Credit Application: Approved as part of the consent package. Commissioner Goldfinger later raised minor questions about invoices from 2023 and duplicate check images, which staff clarified. The consent agenda passed unanimously (4-0) with the noted corrections.
Discussion Items
- Evaluation of Significance – 1201 Parish Drive (Applicant: Colleen McPherson): The applicant requested demolition of a 1952 ranch-style home to build a new residence. Staff presented the property as part of the Twinbrook development by notable builder Monroe Warren but concluded it did not meet HDC criteria for historic or architectural significance, recommending against historic designation. Commissioner Dimbo noted Monroe Warren could be considered a master builder, but did not disagree with staff’s recommendation. Commissioner Goldfinger emphasized the importance of documenting such post-war development as part of Rockville’s growth. The owner, Ms. McPherson, stated structural issues necessitated demolition and she would donate usable windows to Habitat for Humanity. The commission voted 3-1 to recommend against historic designation (motion by Commissioner Dimbo, seconded by Commissioner Goldfinger; one commissioner opposed).
- King Farm Farmstead Master Plan Update (Chris Henry, Deputy Director, Recreation and Parks): Presented the planning process and community engagement results. Key points: Over 250 survey respondents (76% Rockville residents) and large participation in visioning sessions. Mayor and Council directed staff to explore options 2 and 4 (option 2 with an addition). Options include performing arts, youth/senior programs, teaching kitchen, maker spaces, childcare (a mayor/council priority), and flexible multi-purpose spaces. Commissioner Dimbo raised concern about preserving the history of the farm and Rockville’s African American heritage; Ms. Henry confirmed interpretation and signage will be included in later detail. Commissioner Powell requested further HDC involvement; staff agreed to provide updates. A work session with Mayor and Council is scheduled for September 29, 2025, with potential approval in October.
- Historic Preservation Code Update (Staff): Shared that the Mayor and Council work session on code changes, originally September 15, was moved to September 29. A public draft of the code is expected December 1, 2025, with adoption anticipated in May 2026. Staff noted the commission’s July discussion will inform the council’s direction.
- HDC Annual Report: The annual report will be presented to the Mayor and Council on October 6, 2025, at 6:30 PM. Chair Powell will present. Commissioners were encouraged to attend.
- Commissioner Strategic Priorities (Staff): The discussion from July was deferred to allow more time. Staff provided a tracker of the historic preservation work plan (40+ items) to inform priority setting. Staff also noted that FY27 budget planning begins next week; commissioners were invited to provide input on budget enhancements for projects like updating brochures (e.g., Lost Rockville tour, African American brochure).
Committee and Staff Reports
- Commissioner Goldfinger: Gave a historical overview of the Red Brick Courthouse (opened 1891, saved from demolition multiple times, designated historic in 1965).
- Chair Powell: Attended the NAPC Virgil Summers Short Course and received certificates; recordings available until November 2025.
- Staff (Sheila Pashiri): Updated on bronze plaque distribution: 4 of 5 new plaques distributed; 6 of older found plaques distributed. Awarded two Maryland Historical Trust grants: $2,500 for continuing education and professional development, and $16,000 for continued investigation of the Avery Road Colored Cemetery. Noted the retirement of CPDS Director Ricky Barker and that an interim director will start September 22, with a nationwide search to follow.
Key Outcomes
- Consent agenda approved 4-0 with corrections.
- Evaluation of significance for 1201 Parish Drive: Motion to recommend against historic designation passed 3-1, allowing demolition to proceed.
- King Farm Farmstead Master Plan: Next steps include Mayor and Council work session on September 29 and potential approval in October; HDC will receive future updates.
- Historic Preservation Code: Revised public draft expected December 1, 2025, with adoption by May 2026.
- HDC Annual Report: Scheduled for October 6, 2025, at 6:30 PM.
- Commissioner strategic priorities: Discussion deferred; staff to keep commission informed on budget enhancement opportunities.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at [time not specified in transcript] with a unanimous vote (4-0).
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome to the Rockville Historic District Commission meeting number 07-2025. Today is Thursday, September 18th, 2025. I am HDC Chair, Anita Neil Powell. I'm joined by my fellow commissioners, Seth Dimbo, Peter Falseman, and Michael Goldfinger. Commissioner Mercy Shingley will not be in attendance tonight. We also joined by city staff. Sheila Pashiri, preservation planner, Cynthia Walters, Deputy City Attorney, and Katie Gerbis, comprehensive planning manager. The historic district commission 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 via WebEx. The virtual meetings can be viewed on Rockville 11, Channel 11 on County Cable, and live stream at WW. Rockville MD.gov slash Rockville 11. Each meeting is also available for viewing soon after the meeting.gov slash video on demand. The first item on the agenda is committee and organization report. Is there anyone here from Pierlish Rockville staff to give a staff report? I'm here this evening. Thank you very much, Chair Neil Powell. Nancy Picard, Executive Director for Peerless Rockville Historic Preservation. And it's good to see you all in person this evening. Just a few things I wanted to share. One is that we're very pleased that after uh somewhat of a delay, we have issued a call for a qualified researcher historian to assist us with our AAPI history in Rockville project. We are going to be starting with demographic and documentary research. We hope from there to move into gathering stories, oral histories, things like that that will be a little bit off as we connect with kind of the right parties and learn more about the community and meet individuals that are interested in contributing in that way. The call went out just this week, so we are excited to see where that project's going to be going in the future. Just a note on that we are starting with the Chinese and Taiwanese populations in particular, as they are the oldest and largest AAPI populations here in Rockville. And in addition to grants from the city and the Arts and Humanities Organization of Montgomery County, this work is in particular supported by grants by the Miller History Fund through the Maryland History and Culture Center, Center for History and Culture, and also the Maritime Heritage Area Authority. The project seeks uh greater understanding of this group that makes up more than 20% of Rockville's population. Um we also want to thank everyone who attended our event last week at Glenview Mansion as part of our Glenview Mansion Peerless Rockville speaker series. We welcomed U.S. Park Ranger Brian Cheeseborough, and he did a very interesting talk on Washington, D.C. and the DMV during the years of the Civil War, which is kind of some interesting parallels till today. Um perhaps we'll have them back at some point. We thank everyone who was able to attend. Uh we want to invite all of you to consider and the public to consider joining us tomorrow at noon at the Red Brick Courthouse. We will be repeating a walking tour that happened earlier this summer. Um it's a walking tour in downtown Rockville that's going to look at the displaced African American community that had flourished after the civil war till early mid-century in the middle lane and north Washington kind of areas. It is $10 a person, but we would hope that people will come out and learn a bit a little bit about this history of these um dispersed displaced persons. Lastly, I just wanted to um kind of uh recognize and thank the city. Uh we have been watching closely and excitedly the um progress of the King Farm uh review, the input from the public, the work of the consultants. The input from the public, the work of the consultants. We did attend. I saw several of you all at those meetings. And I just wanted to say I'm really happy to know that the city is here this evening and that you all will be getting a presentation on uh the next steps there. So thank you. Thank you very much. Do you anyone have any questions? Okay, thank you. The next organization report on the agenda is the Lincoln Park Historical Foundation. I am the president of the foundation. The foundation will be hosting an event leading up to the 250th anniversary of Montgomery County in conjunction with celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States.
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