Historic designation of 24 Martins Lane

Executive director of Peerless Rockville, speaking for the organization, strongly supported designation, citing the property's ties to the Hayti community and the comprehensive plan's equity and preservation goals.

A seventh-generation Hayti resident, he supported preserving the family legacy but insisted the subject property is not the original Ross Powell homestead — his own home is — and urged the commission to verify addresses and surveys before deciding.

A state delegate and Hayti property owner, she testified the land represents her ancestors' blood, sweat, and tears, described the community's 1830s origins, and urged designation for the benefit of all Rockville.

A fifth-generation resident of 20 Martins Lane, she urged designation as a way to safeguard Rockville's Black history against redevelopment pressure and honor the Crutchfield family legacy.

A 25-year adjacent neighbor, he argued the overlay protects the land's context even if the house is lost, said designation would not hurt property values, and cited the HDC commissioner who called it the most significant site of his tenure.

She argued African American historic spaces face erasure, said the 2003 designation of 22 Martins Lane should have included 24, cited Maryland Historical Trust mapping, and noted a map error in the staff report.

A former city land use commissioner, he urged a positive recommendation based on the preponderance of met master plan criteria, and pressed the city to fund an update of its decades-old historic inventory.

A Rockville resident since 1981 and former elected official speaking as a private citizen, she strongly encouraged the commission to follow the HDC's recommendation, stressing the land's meaning to the whole city.