Rockville Mayor and Council Meeting Summary - September 29, 2025
Rockville Mayor and Council Meeting Summary - September 29, 2025
The Rockville Mayor and Council held their regular meeting (Meeting No. 23-25) on September 29, 2025, beginning at approximately 6:30 PM. The meeting included a consent calendar, community forum, appointments, a work session on the King Farm Farmstead Master Plan, and a decision to postpone a zoning ordinance rewrite work session due to the late hour. The meeting adjourned at around 10:45 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Appointments: Sarah Clark was appointed to the Education Commission (private school representative, term until April 1, 2027). Seven new youth commissioners were appointed (Alan Goosh, Paige Henry, Albert Lee, Layla McCarthy, Daniela Nauman, Azusa Straiter, and Elijah Noda, with Noda also reappointed). Multiple appointments to the REDI Board of Directors were approved: new members Vanessa El Hara, Tamika Montgomery, Lavon Torrent Berner, Todd Pearson, Susan Prince, Morgan Sutherland, Justin Yang, and Claire Fears; reappointment of Mohammed Ken Muy as Montgomery College ex-officio representative. All terms are three years until October 1, 2028.
- Other Items: Approved 9A (appointment of Manisha Tawari to Town Square Condominium Board), 9B (contract with Atkins Realis USA for enterprise asset management and customer relationship management software, ~$600,000), 9C (service agreement for off-duty police officer scheduling), 9D (Maryland State Arts Council grant agreement), 9E (amended MOU with Montgomery County for transportation impact taxes, 65/35 split favoring Rockville), and 9F (minutes).
Public Comments & Testimony
- STEM Education: Karen He (We Star Robotics Center) requested city support for STEM programs, noting the center serves over 100 students and 18 teams, with seven teams advancing to world championships. She highlighted the economic impact on local businesses.
- Zoning Concerns (Newmark Commons): Pat Reber and Andre Dahlman (Newmark Commons residents) opposed a proposed citywide rezoning that would allow up to 75-foot apartment buildings on a parcel adjacent to their historic community. They cited incompatibility with the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, traffic, wetlands, and a historic cemetery on the site. They invited council to tour the neighborhood before the December 1 adoption date.
- Decorum Resolution Criticism: Multiple speakers (Jamie, Brad O, Michelle Shen, Samir, Tyree, Aaron Adams, Chris Madden, Grant Samms, Nicole, Wendy Murphy, and others) criticized the proposed decorum resolution, which was pulled from the agenda. They argued it would suppress free speech, disproportionately affect marginalized communities, and noted that Councilmember Valeri had pushed for it despite public opposition. Several speakers also recounted personal interactions with Valeri, alleging harassment and unprofessional conduct. Many thanked Councilmember Jackson for his defense of the First Amendment.
- Mold Issues at Fields of Rockville: Elizabeth Adams, William Martinez, and their daughters (Cassidy Ayers and Madison Dunnen) described ongoing mold problems, health issues, and lack of response from the property owner. They requested city intervention. The city manager confirmed code enforcement actions, including tickets, and offered to meet with tenants.
- King Farm Farmstead: Multiple speakers (Nancy Deschler Gould, Anna Chung, Ulysses Santa Maria, Ilsa Bay Urban, Paul Scott, former Councilmember Persha) supported reuse of the historic buildings but opposed additional parking lots, emphasizing preservation of green space, community gardens, and use of nearby parking at Maddie Stepanic Park and Shady Grove Metro. Some supported flexible uses and minimal new parking.
- Other: Chris Mason disavowed remarks by a previous speaker and emphasized the need to focus on affordability and federal employee concerns. Wendy Murphy shared her family's history as Holocaust survivors and urged the council to prioritize housing and safety over decorum.
Discussion Items
- Transportation and Mobility Commission Annual Report: Jeff Gance presented the TMC's annual report, highlighting work on Vision Zero, multimodal transportation, and comments on zoning, transit, and complete streets. Councilmember Valeri praised the commission's work and suggested they provide input on the King Farm Farmstead project. The commission's guiding principles include accessibility, safety, and equity.
- King Farm Farmstead Master Plan Work Session: Tara Stewart and Mike Stover (Design Collective) presented refined concepts for the historic farmstead. Two options for the dairy barns were presented: Option 4 (with an addition, ~$10-12 million for dairy barns) and Option 2 (without addition, similar cost but with a bridge). The presentation included community engagement results, cost estimates, and phasing scenarios. Council discussed parking, phasing, and building uses. Key feedback from council:
- Dairy Barn Option: Majority supported Option 4 (with addition).
- Phasing: Supported 5-15 year phasing, but most members wanted to move the dairy barns to an earlier phase (Phase 1 or 2) rather than Phase 3, citing the need to protect the city's investment in the dairy barns and activate the most versatile space quickly. The horse barn was recommended to be pushed back due to high costs and structural challenges.
- Parking: Deep division. Councilmember Fulton, Van Grack, and others argued parking is essential for public access, while Councilmembers Valeri, Jackson, and Shaw opposed parking lot C (green space near the garden) and urged creative solutions (shuttles, use of Maddie Stepanic Park, grass paving). The city manager committed to exploring ways to soften parking impacts.
- Child Care: The farmhouse was supported for licensed child care, with council emphasizing the need to coordinate with the city's existing child care team.
- Other: Council asked for cost estimates to include demolition, environmental mitigation, and silo stabilization. The community garden should be highlighted. The kitchen should be placed at the back of the multipurpose hall to maximize flexible space.
- Zoning Ordinance Rewrite: The fifth work session on the zoning ordinance rewrite was postponed due to the late hour. The city manager will schedule it within the next three weeks.
Key Outcomes
- Appointments: All appointments approved unanimously.
- Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously.
- King Farm Farmstead Direction: The council directed staff to proceed with Option 4 (dairy barn with addition), prioritize dairy barns in earlier phases, and explore alternative parking solutions (including creative use of nearby lots and shuttles) while minimizing green space loss. The final master plan is scheduled for adoption on October 20, 2025.
- Zoning Ordinance Rewrite: Postponed to a future meeting within three weeks.
- Decorum Resolution: The resolution was pulled from the agenda and will be revisited at a later date; council members expressed commitment to free speech and noted that the draft was not intended to violate First Amendment rights.
- Housing Concerns: Staff will continue to address mold issues at Fields of Rockville and provide resources to tenants.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, Rockville. Today is September 29th, 2025, and we're beginning meeting number 23-25. Please join me as you're able in the Pledge of Allegiance. Ms. Sarah Taylor Farrell, we now will move to agenda review. Madam Mayor and Council members, there was a change to our agenda for this evening. We removed an agenda item 11A, um, approval of resolution adopting rules of decorum and protocol. So that agenda item has been moved to a later date, future date. And that was the change on the agenda, and it reflects on the agenda and on the website. Thank you. I think there was one more addition on Friday that I think is just important that the public is aware of the impact MOU. Mr. Mahila, can you just speak to the agenda changes as well? Sure. I'm pleased to tell you that the impact tax on WU between the city of Rockville and the County was added late on Friday. It's in your agenda packet. Happy to answer questions if we need to. Thank you, Mayor. Okay. Okay. Councilmember Valeri. Uh yes, I wanted to say something that I actually said this morning. Um, but for the larger public, I think um repeating it here will also hopefully be helpful. I believe that there is confusion by a very small number of people about the legislative process in the city of Rockville. I would like to take a moment to explain this briefly so that all residents understand the reality of how policies are developed up here on the dais. During strategic retreats and work sessions from the dais, the mayor and council identified policy areas that we would like to see advance toward a resolution or ordinance. We do this as a body. One individual council member or the mayor cannot direct staff to develop an agenda item. This is a process intended to create parity and requires us as elected leaders to work together. Unlike legislators on the county, state, and federal level, we do not write our own bills or policies. Therefore, we cannot introduce a resolution or ordinance. We can only raise issues in a broad sense, and it is up to the entire body to direct or not direct staff to develop the broad issue into a draft ordinance or resolution with specific policies. This draft is then put on the agenda for all of us to discuss at a meeting of mayor and council. More often than not, the draft is a revised from members of the body. After the body agrees to the proceed with the revisions, it goes back to staff to edit and present to the mayor and council at a later meeting. Speaking for myself, at no point during this process do I ever direct staff on how to develop the drafts. And staff can confirm that I do not engage with them or dictate to them what should or should not be in draft. This is an improper action in my mind, an action that I have not nor will ever engage in. I hope that this brief moment of educational background is helpful to our resident community. Thank you. Thank you. Just to provide some context, Councilmember, that was uh in reference to the polling of agenda item 11A. Uh, the full body um well, most of us were on the LPT this morning and made a decision to pull it because we hadn't had a chance to review it in advance of it being posted and felt like it needed more work and have a variety of considerations to undertake. We appreciate staff's work on it and uh that it will not be as part of our agenda and will be approved this evening. Okay. All right. I would like to now move to city managers' report. Is there anything else you'd like to add? Um very long agenda tonight, so I'll just say that we're working on grants, uh number of capital projects, community events, and preparing for budget season. Thank you, Mayor.
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