Page "Rockville, Maryland" Paragraph 16

From the 1960s, Rockville's town center, formerly one of the area's commercial centers, suffered from a period of decline.

Rockville soon became the first city in Maryland to enter into a government funded urban renewal program.

This resulted in the demolition of most of the original business district.

Included in the plan was the unsuccessful Rockville Mall, which failed to attract either major retailers or customers and was demolished in 1994, various government buildings such as the new Montgomery County Judicial Center, and a reorganization of the road plan near the Courthouse.

Unfortunately, the once-promising plan was for the most part a disappointment.

Although efforts to restore the town center continue, the majority of the city's economic activity has since relocated along Rockville Pike ( MD Route 355 / Wisconsin Avenue ).

In 2004, Rockville Mayor Larry Giammo announced plans to renovate the Rockville Town Square, including building new stores and housing and relocating the city's library.

In the past year, the new Rockville Town Center has been transformed and includes a number of boutique-like stores, restaurants, condominiums and apartments, as well as stages, fountains and the Rockville Library.

The headquarters of the U. S. Public Health Service is on Montrose Road while the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's headquarters is just south of the City's corporate limits.