More Than Zoning: A Systemwide Approach to Rockville’s Housing Crisis
At a recent Community Forum, Rockville residents spoke out about rising rents, neglected apartments, and fears of being pushed out of the city they call home. Their stories were powerful—and familiar. For many, housing costs are rising faster than wages, and longtime residents are finding it harder to stay in Rockville.
What’s encouraging is that the City is listening and acting, despite what renters are claiming. Behind the scenes, Rockville has been working on two major initiatives:
- A complete rewrite of the city’s zoning ordinance to allow more housing in key areas.
- A growing toolkit of housing affordability strategies, many of which are already in motion.
These efforts reflect a larger truth: there’s no single solution to Rockville’s housing challenges. Instead, the city is starting to take a systems approach, linking land use, renter protections, affordability programs, and partnerships into a broader vision. Affordable housing was not a priority of previous Mayors and candidates who ran on this issue were not elected (e.g., Mayor Newton opposed the acquisition of Fireside Apartments by Rockville Housing Enterprises at the March 19, 2019 meeting). Here’s what you need to know:
Zoning Reform: Making Room for More Homes
Rockville’s zoning rewrite, which we’ve previously summarized here, is a once-in-a-generation update. The city’s March and May staff reports lay out ambitious goals to:
- Encourage more mixed-use development in Downtown and Twinbrook.
- Allow a wider range of housing types, from townhouses to accessory units.
- Simplify permitting, reduce parking minimums, and promote walkable neighborhoods.
The goal is to increase housing supply and support diverse, connected communities. But zoning reform is a long game. Even with these changes, it may take years before new, affordable housing comes online.
Pairing Zoning with Housing Affordability Tools
The good news is that Rockville isn’t relying on zoning alone. According to the May 5, 2025 Mayor and Council meeting, the City is actively developing housing strategies to:
Continue reading →Affordable Housing and Election Integrity: Residents Share Concerns with Council
The public comments during the Rockville City Council’s Community Forum on October 21, 2024, covered the following major topics:
- Enforcement of Campaign Laws: Several speakers, including Brigitta Mullican, Steven Weiner, and Bridget Newton, emphasized concerns over the enforcement of Rockville’s campaign regulations. They argued that a lack of consistent action on campaign violations could undermine trust in local election laws. These comments called for clearer standards and increased accountability for campaign rule violations. Next steps? The Council could direct the City Attorney to establish clear guidelines for when and how campaign violations will be addressed, possibly creating a review process for the Board of Supervisors of Election to report findings and suggest enforcement actions.
- Rent Stabilization and Housing Affordability: Numerous residents, such as Misha Clive, Grant Sams, and Wendy Murphy, urged the council to prioritize rent stabilization. They discussed the challenges of rising rent costs, particularly for renters on fixed incomes or with lower-wage jobs, and expressed concerns that the current lack of rent caps could displace long-term residents. The call for rent stabilization was framed as a measure to maintain Rockville’s diversity and accessibility. Next steps? At the same meeting, the Council held a work session on housing strategies.
- Election Integrity and Voter Access: Senator Cheryl Kagan provided comments focused on election integrity and reminded the community of available options for casting ballots securely in the upcoming elections. Her remarks aimed to dispel misinformation and highlighted her efforts in sponsoring election-related bills for improved municipal election oversight. Next steps? The Council could enhance outreach efforts to ensure residents understand their voting options and election security measures. Partnering with state or county election boards may provide additional support.
- Traffic and Speed Control on Major Roads: John Becker addressed issues regarding traffic safety, especially along Rockville Pike and East Jefferson Street. He advocated for the installation of speed cameras to enhance safety in residential areas, especially given the planned increases in residential development along these roads. Next steps? The Council could explore the installation of speed cameras or other traffic-calming measures on Rockville Pike, East Jefferson, and Viers Mill Road. A collaboration with the State Highway Administration to address these concerns would ensure safety for both current and future residents.
- Requests for Transparent Campaign Finance Records: There was also a response from council members, including Mayor Monique Ashton and Council Member Adam Van Grack, who clarified that they had not accepted any PAC donations, addressing comments about alleged developer influence on council decisions. Next steps? The Council might consider publishing more detailed campaign finance records or hosting an information session to clarify the council’s stance on developer influence. This could foster greater trust and show commitment to transparency.
These topics reflect a community deeply engaged in matters of governance, housing equity, and transparency.
Continue reading →Random Rockville Reports: January 28, 2024
Playing Musical Chairs and Three-Card Monte in Rockville City Hall
The Takoma Park City Council hired Robert DiSpirito as their new City Manager effective January 22, 2024. DiSpirito was City Manager of Rockville for seven years and by coincidence, his predecessor was Barbara Mathews, who was previously the City Manager of Takoma Park. They were also both hired and fired by the Rockville Mayor and Council, which both times included Mayor Bridget Newton and Councilmember Beryl Feinberg.
DiSpirito’s departure continues to be an embarrassment of poor management by the Mayor and Council. When he resigned at the conclusion of a Closed Session (aka “secret meeting”) of the Mayor and Council on August 17, he also received a $307,093 severance package (typically resignations don’t include severance). But figuring out what was going on was kept secret illegally for several months. According to Maryland’s Open Meetings Act, the Mayor and Council must provide minutes of a closed session at its next open session (3-306), which would have been September 11 but they failed to share the minutes. It wasn’t until October 23, 2023 (three regular meetings later) that the Mayor and Council approved the August 17 minutes (Agenda, page 218), keeping the public uninformed for more than two months. Furthermore, they played a trick in the meeting minutes. The Mayor and Council approved the official minutes of the September 11 meeting as if they included the Closed Session minutes of August 17 (watch the video of September 11 meeting and you’ll see the August 17 meeting was not discussed)–but it actually didn’t happen until October 23. Hmm, looks like the Mayor and Council is playing three-card monte with the public. Clearly, the Mayor and Council violated the Open Meetings Act but also acted unethically in the preparation of their official records.
More Pedestrians Struck in Rockville Than Reported
The recent death of a 70-year old pedestrian struck by two vehicles at Atlantic Avenue and Viers Mill Road prompted me to see if this a growing problem in Rockville. Data collected by Montgomery County suggests that many more pedestrians were injured or killed in Rockville in 2023 than the eight reported at the most recent Mayor and Council meeting. Not sure the cause of the discrepancy, but county data shows the greatest numbers of incidents occur in and near King Farm, downtown Rockville, and Twinbrook. Although these high incident areas all share major highways (MD Route 355 and 586), pedestrian injuries and deaths also occurred on smaller streets in these neighborhoods, which conflicts with the City’s conclusions. Both the City of Rockville and Montgomery County have adopted Vision Zero, but they don’t seem to be working from the same data. Should pedestrian safety be a higher priority for Rockville’s Transportation and Mobility Commission?
More Troubles With City of Rockville Executives?
Although the November 30 Mayor and Council meeting was to be the last for the current Mayor and Council, a closed session meeting was hastily scheduled for 9:00 am today to “discuss the appointment, employment, assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation, or performance evaluation of an employee over whom the Mayor and Council has jurisdiction.” That concerns only three employees: City Manager, City Attorney, or City Clerk. This must be incredibly serious because it couldn’t wait until the first meeting of the newly elected Mayor and Council on November 20. The Mayor and Council might receive a summary at the end of the meeting, but it may be through a news release later in the day. Mayor Newton has played her cards very close to the vest with closed sessions, even flaunting Maryland’s Open Meetings Act to keep information secret, so we may have to wait to learn what is happening. Let’s hope the new Mayor and Council will be more transparent and open about their decision-making.
Rockville’s $307,093 Question: What Led to City Manager DiSpirito’s Resignation?
The cause of former City Manager Rob DiSpirito’s resignation in August remains a mystery except that we now know that it cost the City of Rockville $307,093.21, including $229,630.98 representing nine months’ salary and benefits and $77,462.23 for unused vacation time. It’s an extraordinary expense for the City of Rockville which so far remains unmentioned by the Mayor and Council and would be equal to:
- Ten years of the Senior Nutrition Program ($30,070 per year according to the upcoming agreement to be approved by Mayor and Council at Monday’s meeting).
- Salaries for three to four police officers ($70,036.00 – $105,429.00 annually according to the latest job posting).
- All computer and communication equipment expenses for the City ($259,880 in the FY 2024 budget)
- Janitorial services for all City facilities for a year (almost! annual expenses are $364,840 in the FY 2024 budget)
- Annual property tax for 175 houses (if $600,000 is the average cost of a house in Rockville and tax rate is $0.292 per $100 of assessed value on real property = $1,752.00 per house)
Why would someone who has gone through a Performance Improvement Program and then resign be entitled to a severance package? According to his 2016 contract, “the City shall have no obligation to pay the one-time lump sum cash payment and shall have the right to immediately terminated this Agreement without payment of any further compensation to the City Manager” if he commits “any act which involves moral turpitude.” Obviously, no moral turpitude occurred or he wouldn’t have received a severance payment.
So under what circumstances could the City Manager receive a severance package? His 2016 contract states that the “City may terminate the City Manager at any time for any reason including, but not limited to, a conflict in management style or philosophy” and if the “City Manager is still willing and able to perform the duties under this agreement, then, in that event, the City agrees to pay the City Manager a one-time lump sum cash payment equal to nine (9) months’ aggregate salary.” Hmm. So there’s a reason for his resignation, or should we say termination, but no one has provided an adequate explanation.
Rob DiSpirito has refused to explain why he resigned, but that’s because his 2023 Settlement Agreement requires that he “shall keep the terms of this settlement completely confidential, and that confidentiality is an essential element of the settlement itself” nor can he “directly or indirectly, engage in communication or conduct that disparages the City, its elected officials, officers, employees or agents or make any negative statements about the employment practices of the City.”
The Mayor and Council is not required to keep this confidential, but unfortunately, they’ve insisted on secrecy. Indeed, obtaining copies of the City Manager’s 2016 Employment Agreement and 2023 Settlement Agreement required invoking the Maryland Public Information Act. What is the Mayor and Council hiding that’s worth $307,093? If there’s a “conflict in management style,” let’s discuss it and stop guessing. Mayor and Council, where are you leading the City? Right now you’re being sneaky and opaque—exactly the opposite of good governance. Mayoral candidates Ashton and Pierzchala, will you be able to bring better governance and transparency? What will you do better and differently than Mayor Newton? Or is just more of the same?
October 30, 2023: Response from Mark Pierzchala, Rockville City Councilmember and candidate for Rockville Mayor:
In your October 29 post about Mr. DiSpirito’s departure, I remind you that in May, it was I who wanted to end the drama at that time. The Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) was unwarranted for such a senior manager.
The date of the closed August 17 meeting, concerning Mr. DiSpirito’s status, was chosen because that was after the 3-month ending of the PIP. Note that the August 17 meeting was held during the Mayor and Council summer recess.
I was the one who took the August 17 closed-session minutes. These were typed up immediately after that meeting and sent confidentially to my colleagues before 8 pm on August 17. The length of time it took to officially approve them, over 2 months later, is not appropriate. Indeed, Mayor Newton pulled them off the October 9 consent agenda.
The August 17, 2023 closed-session minutes were approved at the October 23, 2023 meeting, as were the September 11 minutes. Since the August 17 minutes were from a closed session, they are to be included in the September 11 minutes when these are put on the City’s website (the September 11 meeting was the next public meeting of the Mayor and Council). In the August 17 minutes, you will see the motions and results that led to Mr. DiSpirito’s departure. These minutes should soon be posted.
There is no reason for Mayor and Council to hide actions and votes from a closed session. Some of the information presented therein should be kept confidential, but the resulting decisions should be made public in a timely manner. That is what I will achieve as Mayor.
Rockville Mayor and Council Set to Approve Tower Oaks Development in Final Meeting for Newton and Feinberg
At its Monday, October 30, 2023 meeting, the Rockville Mayor and Council will approve the Tower Oaks townhouse development, possibly adopt the pedestrian master plan, and discuss the City’s personnel manual and County’s development impact tax. On the Consent Calendar (items approved without discussion) are right-of-way agreements for Joseph Street, reclassifying a private road to a public street with waivers for the Tower Oaks townhouse development, contracts to perform stormwater cleanouts, asphalt-concrete improvements to city parks, for the Linkages-to-Learning program and Senior Nutrition Program, among others. The Mayor and Council will also receive reports on the police department deployment plan (which includes the most recent crime report for Rockville, see figure 1). Strangely, the recent issues with the election are not on the agenda (but I suspect they will be mentioned in Community Forum).
This will be the last Mayor and Council meeting attended by Mayor Bridget Newton and Councilmember Beryl Feinberg because they are not seeking re-election; a reception in their honor will be held at 5:00 pm.
The Mayor and Council are conducting hybrid meetings. If you wish to submit comments in writing for Community Forum or Public Hearings, please email the comments to MayorAndCouncil@RockvilleMD.gov by no later than 10:00 a.m. on the date of the meeting.
More details in the 320-page agenda packet are available at https://www.rockvillemd.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10302023-7043.
Unexpected Resignation: Rockville City Manager Rob DiSpirito Departs Post
Rockville City Manager Rob DiSpirito resigned yesterday on Thursday, August 17, effective at 5:00 pm. The Mayor and Council accepted his resignation and appointed Deputy City Manager Barack Matite as acting city manager, effective immediately. DiSpirito had served as Rockville’s city manager since January 2017. DiSpirito was interim senior manager of the Sarasota County (Florida) Planning and Development Department when appointed in December 2016 and previously served as the city manager of Dunedin, Florida for nine years and city manager of Oberlin, Ohio for 11 years. Barack Matite was previously City Manager of Eudora, Kansas (population 6,449) and holds a master’s in public administration from the University of Kansas.
It’s unclear what prompted the resignation, but we can assume it’s related to the Mayor and Council Closed Session meeting yesterday, which was to conclude the Performance Improvement Plan that the Mayor and Council instituted 90 days ago. Unfortunately, once again the Mayor and Council is unable to follow Maryland Open Meetings Act and failed to post the adjournment of the meeting, which was held exclusively on WebEx. In Maryland, “After a public body has met in a session closed under § 3-305, it must include a summary of the session in the minutes of its next public meeting. Public bodies may instead include the summary in the minutes of the public meeting held that day—that way, the public will see the summary sooner—but should follow a consistent practice or include a cross-reference in the later set of minutes so that the public knows where to look” (Chapter 6, OMA). I strongly recommend the latter approach to provide greater transparency to government, but so far, the Mayor and Council has been reluctant to go down this path. What are they trying to hide? Perhaps this an issue for the upcoming election.
The City Manager is the “executive officer and head of the administrative branch of the City” and one of three employees that report directly to the Mayor and Council (Chapter 2, Rockville City Code). City Manager Rob DiSpirito served six years. The previous City Manager, Barbara B. Matthews, served almost four years, when she was fired by the Mayor and Council in a contentious 3-2 vote (Mayor Bridget Newton and Councilmembers Beryl Feinberg and Virginia Onley voted to terminate her employment; Councilmembers Mark Pierzchala and Julie Palakovich Carr voted against). City Manager Scott Ullery retired in December 2011 after seven years following conflicts with Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio over the management of the City. Notice a pattern? Ironically, most of the current city council members have NO experience supervising employees at a management or executive level, yet make crucial decisions about hiring, supervising, and terminating these types of employees. Are management skills an increasingly important qualification for Mayor and Council?
Follow-up: On August 19, 2023, Barry Jackson, candidate for Rockville City Council, insisted that current Mayor and Council should not begin the search for the new City Manager but instead that the “newly elected Mayor and City Council hire a City Manager through a transparent and thorough process.”
Rockville City Manager Faces Performance Improvement Plan in Surprise Session
In an extraordinary last-minute Closed Session held on Thursday morning, May 11, 2023, the Rockville City Council put the City Manager Rob DiSpirito into a three-month Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) for reasons unknown. Improvement Plan (PIP) is a formal, structured process designed to help underperforming employees identify and overcome performance issues. It outlines specific goals, expectations, and timelines for improvement, along with support, resources, and regular progress evaluations to facilitate success and growth.
When the Council came out of Closed Session, Councilmember Monique Ashton quickly moved for the PIP and was supported by Councilmember Beryl Feinberg. Mayor Bridget Newtown rushed for a vote without a discussion, but was interrupted by Councilmember Mark Pierzchala to note that, “I don’t know how the sequence of events unrolled but I’m not going to vote for it. I think things have moved past the point where a performance improvement plan is going to be effective. So I’m gonna vote against it. I had asked to make the first motion but that was not allowed, apparently. I’m not sure where that came from. Thank you.” The motion passed 4-1 with Councilmember Pierzchala voting against. A brief three-minute video is available at https://youtu.be/fIu7e9cHhoo, but of course, the closed session portion is held in secret and it’s unclear how long they debated the issue.
I typically discourage Closed Sessions because they are secret and prevent voters from knowing what’s happening—and Closed Sessions usually deal with major issues. Fortunately, Maryland has an Open Meetings Act to keep council and board meetings available to the public so they can be “in the room where it happens.” A quick introduction is available as FAQs, but here are a fundamentals:
- The Maryland Open Meeting Act lists 15 topics that the City Counci) may choose to discuss behind closed doors under specific conditions. These topics or “exceptions,” include personnel discussions about particular individuals, the receipt of legal advice from the public body’s attorney, and subjects that must be kept confidential under other laws. A discussion on “the appointment, employment, assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation, or performance evaluation of an employee over whom the Mayor and Council has jurisdiction” is an appropriate reason for the Closed Session on May 11.
- Public bodies must make an agenda available before each meeting, either when notice is posted, if the items of business are known then, or as soon as practicable, but no later than 24 hours before the meeting. There is an exception for meetings held in response to emergencies. This Closed Session was not publicized as an emergency and the the agenda was posted on the city website on May 10 at 5:20 pm, that’s less than 18 hours in advance, so is in violation of the Act. Furthermore, it was not sent out as an email to those who subscribe to the City Council’s agendas (thanks to a blog reader who alerted me to this meeting).
- This meeting was not publicized an emergency, so why the rush? Two councilmembers had difficulties attending in person. Councilmember Myles was absent at the start of the meeting and showed up virtually later. Councilmember Ashton started the meeting virtually and joined in-person by the end. How much of the Closed Session discussion did they miss? Councilmember Ashton didn’t even notice that the vote to go into Closed Session occurred.
Most management leaders will emphasize that employees are the organization’s most important assets so how well are these assets being managed in the City of Rockville? Most of the current councilmembers lack significant experience in supervising employees and the City Council has a poor record of managing its most senior staff. The City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk have each been dismissed during Mayor Newton’s tenure. After a while, the only common denominator to these problems is the City Council.
The City Council needs to provide a better explanation for this decision and how they handle Closed Sessions. Or it’s time to rethink their privilege to serve.
May 21, 2023: This post was corrected to show a vote of 4-1 in the caption of the photo.
Mayor and Council to Receive Final Public Comments on FY24 Budget
At its Monday, April 17, 2023 meeting, the Rockville Mayor and Council will discuss FY 2024 budget (public hearing). On the Consent Calendar (items approved without discussion) are no items. The Mayor and Council will also receive reports on no items.
This is the third and final public hearing related to the FY 2024 budget, with more than 100 suggestions received at the March 29 public hearing (lots of requests for community gardens and a new entrance to the senior center from Gude Drive, but many were boiler-plate requests which I tend to ignore). The FY 2024 operating budget totals $156.4 million for the City’s ten operating funds. This represents an overall increase of 5.1 percent from the FY 2023 adopted budget. The total number of full time equivalent (FTE) positions in the FY 2024 operating budget equals 642.7, a net increase of 4.1 FTEs from the FY 2023 adopted level. The FY 2024 proposed budget includes an additional 4.0 regular FTEs over the FY 2023 adopted budget.
The proposed Capital Improvements Program will receive $35.2 million in new funding in FY 2024. The CIP is organized by program area and provides:
- $10 million to the Recreation and Parks program area, which includes funding for the outdoor recreation pool renovations and the design of the dance/fitness studio and multi-purpose space proposed for the King Farm farmstead;
- $7.5 million to the Transportation program area, which includes funding for roadways, sidewalks, and ongoing LED streetlight conversions;
- $10 million to the Utilities program area, which includes funding for water main and sewer rehabilitation;
- $2.4 million to the Stormwater Management program area, which includes funding for stream restoration projects, storm drain analysis and spot repairs, and improvements to City stormwater facilities;
- $5.2 million to the General Government program area, which includes funding for data center and disaster recovery infrastructure and improvements at the city’s Maintenance and Emergency Operations Facility.
A few council members had questions about the budget, which were answered by staff. For Councilmember David Myles, see page 251+, 268+, and 272+. For Councilmember Mark Pierzchala, see page 257+ and 272+. For Councilmember Beryl Feinberg, see page 266 (just one question!), page 269 (two more!), and 277+ (lots, looks like she finally studied the budget by March 20). For Councilmember Monique Ashton, see page 266+ and 274+. For Mayor Bridget Newton, see page 273+ and page 285. If you’re running for council (or really want to know which council members are thoughtful and informed), you’ll want to review this section.
More details in the 294-page agenda packet are available at https://www.rockvillemd.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04172023-6873.
Will Mayor and Council allow Self-Storage Warehouses near Schools and Adult Day Care Centers?
At its Monday, November 14, 2022 meeting, the Rockville Mayor and Council will discuss financial management policies, state legislative priorities, and a zoning change to allow self-storage warehouses in the MXE Zone.
The zoning change is prompted by U-Haul Inc., which owns a four-story office building at 1355 Piccard Drive, an industrial/office area between I-270 and King Farm, north of West Gude Drive. This is in a MXE Zone, which was created to generate more jobs by allowing retail, institutional, and residential uses that were not permitted in the former I-3 (Industrial) Zone. City staff calculated that, “with about 153,000 square feet of floor area, the applicant’s building could accommodate about 600 employees at 250 square feet per person. With only the retail and rental shop and self-storage, there would likely be only five or six employees on-site”—which fails to meet the intent of the MXE Zone. Secondly, Ann Mitchell, CEO of Montgomery Hospice, a tenant in the building, stated that the self-storage warehouse was not compatible with existing adjacent uses, including a private school (The Children in the Shoe) and a senior adult day care center.
At its September 6 meeting, the Planning Commission voted 6-1 to deny a zoning change to allow self-storage warehouses in the MXE Zone. Commissioner Sam Pearson, however, supported the change because self-storage warehouses “brought value to the community” and would not “generate traffic issues nor was it unsightly to the surrounding area.” This issue reminds me of the lawsuit by ezStorage that put Mayor Bridget Newton and Councilmember Beryl Feinberg right in the middle of a legal storm. I wonder how they’ll respond to U-Haul when it comes before the City Council.
More details in the 224-page agenda packet are available at https://www.rockvillemd.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11142022-6746.
Max for Rockville 