‘Under the Lights’ Tours Will Provide Details and Feeling of New Downtown Development As Construction Takes Shape
ROCKVILLE, Md., September 1, 2006—Rockville residents will have their second chance for an up-close view of the new Rockville Town Square development coming to Rockville Town Center through special twilight walking tours on Wednesday, Sept. 20, that will take them inside the fences of the construction site.
The City’s Neighborhood Resources Program, in conjunction with the Rockville Department of Community Planning and Development Services, will conduct the 45-minute tours of the new development. Tours will be given in groups at staggered times beginning at 5 p.m. Tour space is limited and only those who register in advance will be guaranteed spots.
The tour will highlight the features of the new Town Square Development and its progress. The tour will put into focus the perspectives of the mixed-use development that will include 644 condominiums above retail and restaurant locations. Construction progress has firmly defined building exteriors—including that of the new Rockville Library that will front the new public square. A recent addition to the site was the planting of a 35-foot high sawtooth oak tree that will provide a distinctive look to the square. The tree likely will at least double in size eventually.
In June, more than 120 people took part in the first tours that took curious visitors inside the fences for an up-close look at construction progress and special presentations by residential developer RD Rockville, retail developer Federal Realty, VisArts at Rockville and the Rockville Library. The September tours will feature presentations by the same organizations, as well as Rockville Economic Development, Inc.
City staff and members of the Rockville Mayor and Council also will be available to answer questions about public safety and parking enforcement, traffic and transportation and plans for public events in the square.
Tours are open to all interested Rockville residents and future residents of Rockville Town Square who are 18 or older. Participants will meet at a welcome tent at the corner of Maryland Avenue and East Middle Lane and should arrive at least 15 minutes before the assigned tour time.
It is mandatory for all of those entering the construction site to wear closed-toe shoes and hardhats (the hardhats will be provided prior to entering the site). All participants must sign a waiver to enter the construction site.
Free parking for tour participants will be available at City Hall at 111 Maryland (about two blocks from the construction site). Parking closer to the site is available in the lot across from Regal Row, but a fee will be charged.
To register for a tour, contact Maria Broadbent, a Rockville Neighborhood Resources Coordinator, at 240-314-8340 or at mbroadbent@rockvillemd.gov.
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