The state’s largest crab apple tree stands in the way of a 225-unit apartment complex in Rockville.
Developers of the project, at the intersection of Twinbrook Parkway and Ardennes Avenue, will on Thursday request more time from the county Planning Board to determine the future of the tree, which sits on the property and has been recognized by a state “big tree” registry.
Listed on the Maryland Big Tree Program website, the 45-foot-tall tree is the largest of its species in Maryland, according to the registry.
The Maryland Big Tree Program is an independent listing administered by foresters that recognizes about 200 trees as the largest of their species.
Some neighbors and historians have called for the Rockville tree’s preservation, prompting the developers’ request to delay a hearing with the Planning Board to review ways to accommodate the request. The tree has been on the list since 2017.
The property is owned by Ardennes Partners LLC, and the engineer is listed in planning documents as Virginia-based Dewberry Engineers.
In total, the proposed project encompasses nearly 200,000 square feet of development, including 225 residences, a parking garage and green space.
The project will replace an “underutilized” one-story office building constructed in the 1960s, according to Planning Board documents.
Roughly 34 apartments will be designated moderately priced dwelling units, affordable housing mandated by the county.
The seven-story building will “become a landmark for the neighborhood,” developers say and will include 3,207 square feet of open space to include a plaza, landscaping and seating.
Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@moco360.media
