From a standpoint of attracting people to downtown Rockville, the 12.5-acre Rockville Town Center has been a big success. Hundreds can be spotted dining, shopping or gathering at nearly every time of day.
But popularity aside, the reviews so far have been mixed about the nearly $400 million effort.
As officials dedicate the new town square today, some residents are voicing skepticism about the ability to pay back the money used to build new parking garages.
Merchants also have said that construction problems along the way have hampered businesses’ success since the first shops opened in February.
Carlos Aulestia, the owner of the Toy Kingdom, for one, told The Examiner that five days after his store’s opening, officials shut down Maryland Avenue for 10 weeks to work on the uneven pavement that had just been laid.
That “almost took me out of business,” Aulestia said. Fixing the paving has so far taken more than $1 million in unbudgeted public money and still is not done, officials said.
Federal Realty, the company handling retail for the mixed-use project, gave Aulestia two months’ free rent. Yet Toy Kingdom is far from turning a profit, Aulestia said.
Before that can happen, the toy-store owner is worried that some customers will be scared off when the parking switches from being free to $1 an hour by the fall.
“It’s too much to charge,” Aulestia said Monday. “I have tried to get them to hold off for this year so that people can get to know this area well first.”
Parking also is a concern for some regarding the city’s future budget outlook. About $34 million of the Town Center project went toward building parking garages that offer 1,000-plus spaces.
But there’s no plan and timeframe about repayment; Rockville’s budget indicates the city could face shortfalls of $500,000 to $800,000 each year for 30 years.
“It’s very disappointing,” said Rich Gottfried, a Rockville resident and accountant who frequently testifies in city government meetings. “Government is supposed to provide improvements that help all citizens. How do parking garages satisfy all residents?”
While opening a new business district, merchants say they’ve faced a litany of issues, including fire alarms constantly going off — in some cases chasing off customers.
Lee Yau, manager of Gordon Biersch Brewery, says he’s “lost count” of the number of weeks his patrons have had their meals interrupted by the annoying blares.
Such problems come with the territory, according to Arthur Chambers, Rockville’s director of community planning and development.
Chambers, instead, touts the overall beauty of the Town Center and the widely received diversity of shops as proof of success.
“We wanted to create a place where you could go eat, do some shopping and grab a bite to eat,” he said. “And we’ve done that.”
