Maryland Community Newspapers Online
Lerner Enterprises wants to build a senior and family living development that would center around a hotel, retail and office space in the Churchill neighborhood of Germantown, south of Black Hill Regional Park and north of Father Hurley Boulevard.
The Crystal Rock Project, to the west of Interstate 270, would bring 1,500 townhouses, apartments and condos for an active adult retirement community and family apartments, according to attorney Robert Brewer of Lerch, Early & Brewer, who represents Lerner Enterprises. At least 3,000 people would reside in the homes, 2,400 of those being senior citizens, if the county approves the project, he said.
The project would consist of 1.3 million square feet of commercial, office and hotel space and 110,000 square feet of retail. The development would be near the Dorsey Mill Road stop of the Corridor Cities Transitway, proposed to link Shady Grove Metro station to Clarksburg.
Project plans have not been submitted to county planners, said Sue Edwards.
If the project is approved, Brewer said construction could begin in late 2011.
Under the Town Sector Zone, Lerner would be limited to 1,425 residents in 570 units on its 110-acre parcel, according to Brewer. Lerner wants the zoning to allow them to build homes for at least 3,000 people. The county council will consider Brewer's request to change the property's zoning for the project, Edwards said.
If the council doesn't change the zoning to accommodate the project, Lerner will re-access the plans, Brewer said.
The Montgomery Village Foundation is opposed to the change.
Foundation President Robert Hydorn said changing the zone, which restricts the number of residents that can be in a specific area in Montgomery Village and Churchill, could allow more development in those communities.
The zoning was implemented in Montgomery Village in 1965 and in 1968 to Churchill. Edwards said the zoning is reassessed after 50 years, which will be 2015 for Montgomery Village and 2018 for Churchill.
Brewer said the plan has been received "with little controversy" from the public.
The proposal would "bring a population that could use the Germantown Town Center" all day, said County Councilman Michael J. Knapp.
"From what I've seen proposed, it's a good plan," said Knapp (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown. "It brings in more jobs and it allows for seniors in our county to stay in our county and be close to their families."
Not everyone feels that way.
"This area should be kept the way it is," said Joan Kiffin, a Churchill resident. "I like it the way it is now."