Crown Farm Annexed for Homes, Offices

The Gaithersburg City Council voted last night to annex a 182-acre former family farm in central Montgomery County, paving the way for a local developer to build a large-scale residential and commercial center with as many as 2,250 homes.

The project, approved unanimously, would be the city's most significant in years, bringing condominiums, townhouses, single-family homes and high-rises to one of the last large pieces of undeveloped land in that part of the county. Known as Crown Farm, the parcel is an open field of trees and barns near Interstates 270 and 370. That could now be home to as much as 320,000 square feet of shops and office buildings.

Crown Farm is in a prime area off Fields Road, near the Washingtonian shopping center. Gaithersburg businessman Aris Mardirossian and his partners, who include Los Angeles-based builder KB Home, have been negotiating the details of the project with the city and county since buying the land from the Crown family last summer.

"It's going to be a great project," said City Council Vice President Henry F. Marraffa Jr. "People talked about wanting it to remain a farm. That's not realistic. The Crown family sold it, and it's zoned for development."

The developers have faced many hurdles. Several residents complained that the development would create school crowding and too much traffic. They also argued that Mardirossian's political connections led county leaders to make concessions. Mardirossian and some of his companies have made campaign contributions to several council members.

For example, the County Council, whose approval was needed for the annexation, allowed Mardirossian to donate $2 million to the county's agricultural easement program in lieu of buying more expensive transferable development rights, as he would have had to do under normal circumstances. Crown Farm is in a location designated as a "receiving area," a place where the county encourages development so as to steer builders from its 93,000-acre agricultural reserve in northern Montgomery. Developers who want to build in those areas have to buy development rights from property owners in the reserve.

Mardirossian and some County Council members, including Steven A. Silverman (D-At Large), a candidate for county executive, argued that it was a legitimate concession, given that Mardirossian is donating 32 acres of land for a high school.

Phil Andrews (D-Gaithersburg-Rockville), one of two County Council members who voted against the annexation, said yesterday that he believes the project was rushed through without it being fully considered.

"I'm disappointed that the [County] Council didn't take more time to do it right," he said. "You only get one crack at this. It's critical to do it right the first time."

The County Council did require Mardirossian and his partners to set aside 12.5 percent of the homes as moderately priced dwelling units. The builders will also reserve 2 percent for workforce housing, which targets middle-class families, particularly those who are teachers and firefighters in the county. In addition, the team is donating about $2 million to the city for affordable housing initiatives and $5 million for a new aquatics center.

The developers said they envision building a community in which people can live, shop and work without driving. They have promised to provide shuttle service to the Shady Grove Metro station. They also will set aside five acres for a park and allow the city to decide how to preserve the old farmhouses and barns.