Council receives county land use alternative plan

Members pleased with plan, concerned about funding it

The Webb Tract was not considered in the original plan introduced by Leggett in his state of the county address in December as a way of moving the county from leasing its buildings to owning them.

At that time, the proposal for the PSTA included dividing the academy into two parts, with classrooms and office space at a proposed ‘‘public safety campus” in Gaithersburg, and the burn building and driving track in Poolesville.

In the alternative, presented Tuesday, the Poolesville site is no longer part of the proposal, and the Webb Tract site will also house the public school system’s food warehouse.

Council members were pleased with the alternate plan, which was changed after nearby residents expressed concerns, and public safety officials said Poolesville was not centrally located for their departments.

Still to be worked out — and what the council must approve — is financing for the proposal.

Councilwoman Nancy M. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park questioned county administrators about the financing required to buy the land and renovate the buildings.

‘‘I would feel a lot more comfortable about this if I knew the full cost,” said Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park, who referenced the tight finances the county is facing.

Already the council has had to delay constructions projects, including school construction, she said.

The finance department is working on a plan to present to the council ‘‘soon,” said Diane Schwartz-Jones, an assistant chief administrative officer.

Ultimately the plan is designed to be ‘‘cost neutral,” with the county selling land, such as the public safety training site in Rockville and the Crabbs Branch site, to pay for other land, including the Finmarc property in Gaithersburg to house the Department of Liquor Control and the GE Tech Park site to house a public safety headquarters.

Staff Writer Sebastian Montes contributed to this report.

Hillmead proposals

Also Tuesday, the council introduced two proposals dealing with a five-bedroom house adjacent to Bethesda’s Hillmead Neighborhood Park.

Councilman Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Potomac proposed that the house be torn down, while George L. Leventhal (D-At large) of Takoma Park proposed that the house be renovated and used by the county for affordable housing.

The county’s Planning Board recommended that the house be demolished and the land be used to expand the park. Leggett has not weighed in on the home’s fate.

The county purchased the house on 1.3 acres, at the corner of Bradley Boulevard and Valley Road, for $2.5 million last fall as an addition to park. Since then county housing officers have discussed using the house and land for special-needs housing, a proposal that has received mixed reviews from area residents, some of whom would like the house and land to be used for its original purpose.

Estimated costs of renovating the home are between $86,000 and $110,000. Demolishing the building is expected to cost about $65,000.

A decision on both council proposals is scheduled for June 10.

Planning Board vacancies

The council is seeking applicants to fill two Planning Board vacancies.

Only three applicants have applied for the positions thus far, compared with 26 applicants who applied for two vacancies last year.

Among the applicants is Alan Bowser, a former deputy assistant secretary of commerce and a lawyer. Bowser applied for, but was not chosen for one of the two positions last year. Lourdes Cabañas and Phillip Litman have also applied.

Planning Board members serve four-year terms, and are limited to two full terms. Board members receive $30,000 per year.

Interested applicants should submit a letter of interest and resume to the council. Candidate interviews will be held in June. For more information call Justina Ferber at 240-777-7938.

Deadline for applying is May 14.

Coming next

*The council will hold a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. on May 6 on proposals to increase fuel⁄energy rates and to add a greenhouse gas surtax. Both proposals would generate $11 million in revenues for the county’s operating budget.