Michele McDaniel Rosenfeld

When our local planning office approved a gas station on a site of great historical and community significance, we (as citizens) tried to fight it on our own. The gas company's corporate attorney was too much for us, and we didn't know where to turn. A chance call led us to Michele Rosenfeld, who und...erstood our situation and went to work on our behalf. Although the planning office's original decision remained intact , Ms Rosenfeld was able to negotiate funding from the gas station folks to mitigate at least some of the damage their construction would do. An important point is that, because the planning office had approved the project and because Maryland's standing laws are surprisingly strict, the gas station folks were legally not required to do anything. Thanks to Ms. Rosenfeld, instead of telling us to go pound sand, the gas station company provided funding to address important needs that our planning office had just dismissed out of hand. Ms. Rosenfeld worked for us with reasonable fees and terms, and settled our issue with the best outcome possible.

When dealing with land use and zoning laws, you typically have a lot of money at stake and not a lot of room for miss-steps. Without a doubt, Michele is responsible for our success in fighting the lackluster performance of county's permitting office. Michele knows the people involved and more impo...rtantly what types of arguments will work and which ones will fall of deaf ears. She also has demonstrated she can get things done on an emergency basis - with quick calls to get attention by the right people. In addition, I would have to say she is not only a careful listener and meticulous in her preparations (for hearings) but also able to pivot when opportunities present themselves (at the hearings). I cannot thank her enough. The permitting processes and the protesting of permits have specific requirements and specific deadlines. You will want Michele to navigate those for you.

Michele Rosenfeld was hired by a citizen group that I chaired to represent us in a land use dispute. The Hearing became the longest in the history of Montgomery County zoning and administrative hearings. Throughout the process, Michele's professionalism, knowledge, wise advice, leadership and enc...ouragement resulted in our success in blocking the proposed land use. I would recommend Michele Rosenfeld very highly.