The Gaithersburg City Council on Monday approved plans for a development of 72 stacked townhomes proposed for the corner of South Frederick and Central avenues in downtown Gaithersburg.
Annapolis-based developer One Central LLC is now expected to submit a final site plan to the City of Gaithersburg’s Planning Commission for approval, according to Gaithersburg planning officials.
The plans call for the stacked townhomes to be built on property at the corner of South Frederick and Central avenues, which includes 1 Central Ave., 101 Central Ave., 539 S. Frederick Ave and three adjacent unaddressed parcels, according to Laura Mehfoud, long-range planner at Gaithersburg Planning and Code Administration.
According to Mehfoud, the building will feature 72 two-over-two units that will offer two or three bedrooms. A stacked townhouse refers to a building with two two-story units stacked one over the other. The development also will include six moderately priced dwelling units (MPDUs) and five workforce housing units (WFHUs). The plans also include more than 2 acres of central park space with natural surface trails.
The council also unanimously approved the developer’s application for a waiver in order to construct the buildings taller than allowed under zoning rules. According to city planners, the developer submitted a zoning map amendment application to rezone the site from classification as a low-density residential area to that of a Corridor Development Zone.
According to the City of Gaithersburg official website, the Corridor Development Zone allows for properties in the southern residential district to be up to three stories tall or 35 feet high, but applicants can apply for a waiver to extend that to up to four stories or 48 feet.