Council to Ask County to Put Day-Laborer Center Elsewhere

Gaithersburg officials abandoned plans last night to find a location for a county-funded day-laborer center in the city.

After more than a year of searching for a site acceptable to residents, the City Council agreed to send a letter to Montgomery County officials asking them to look elsewhere in the county.

"Quite honestly, it's futile to continue looking for a site," said City Manager David B. Humpton.

In the past year, city officials have identified 30 possible locations, only to have residents object to them or the owners refuse to lease space. Last month, another promising location fell through, prompting the council to reconsider its plan.

"Enough is enough," said City Council member Henry F. Marraffa Jr. "It's time for us to listen to our citizens, and our citizens don't want this in their neighborhoods."

The county had agreed to fund the center to serve immigrant laborers who had been gathering at a parking lot next to a church on North Frederick Avenue. Residents and shopkeepers complained that the laborers had become a nuisance and a threat to public safety.

County officials wanted to replicate similar centers in Silver Spring and Wheaton. CASA of Maryland, an immigrant advocacy group, runs those facilities, supervising the hiring while teaching the workers English and computer skills.

Some county officials had questioned the city's commitment to the center. Similar proposals have torn apart communities across the country as residents protest the use of public funds to help immigrants regardless of their legal status.

Humpton said the city is not opposed to the idea of the center but would like it to be in a more industrial area, far from homes.

He welcomed the county to find such a place in the city limits. "I don't think that's going to happen. I've been trying," he said.

The decision drew applause from some in the audience.

"I would like to think that the city came to its senses, but really I think the city read the tea leaves," resident Demos Chrissos said.

The City Council also agreed to consider later this month an ordinance that would strengthen its ability to ban loitering in an effort to keep the day laborers from continuing to congregate at the parking lot on North Frederick Avenue.

In addition, the council unanimously voted to require developers to set aside affordable housing for moderate-income and working-class families, despite objections from residents who said it could hinder economic development in some areas.

Under the plan, developers would have to offer at below-market prices 7.5 percent of owner-occupied units to moderate-income households -- those earning 60 to 80 percent of the area median income of $90,300. Another 7.5 percent would be so-called "workforce housing," for those making 80 to 120 percent of the median income. The rules would apply to new developments and redevelopments.

For rental units, developers would have to make 15 percent of the units moderately priced.

The council decided to exempt from the requirements housing in the Olde Towne area, which contains the city's main commercial district. In lieu of providing affordable housing units, developers would contribute to a housing fund set up by the city.