Right about now C. Richard Lee had planned to visit his mother in her two-bedroom condominium within the newly revitalized Rockville Town Square.

Instead, Lee is helping her figure out her options after a sudden decision by the developer of the Lunette building to convert the condos into rental units.

The news came courtesy of a letter from Bethesda-based Ross Development & Investment last week that spelled out severe problems in selling the condos, which tend to be in the $500,000 range.

“They’re basically breaking their contract,” Lee told The Examiner this week.

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Phone calls to Ross Development were unreturned Friday afternoon and employees of the Town Square’s Condominium Sales Office refused to explain the change or the number of homeowners-to-be impacted.

According to Lee’s letter, the same one the company sent to all future homeowners at the Lunette, they now have three options: seek a refund of their deposit, rent a unit in the Lunette or purchase a unit in the nearby Palladian Condominium.

The problem, though, in Lee’s mind, is that his mother is not interested in renting a home. And for her to purchase a unit in the Palladian would be at least $30,000 higher than the $550,000 she was prepared to spend for a comparable unit in the Lunette.

“And those units are not as nice,” he said. “[The one we saw] has a terrible view facing a parking lot.”

The Lees first began inquiring about a home in Rockville Town Square in the fall, ultimately signing a contract in October. They were told that January of this year would be their move-in month, yet that date has long passed, Lee said.

According to Rockville Town Square’s main Web site, the revamped Rockville downtown is expected to have 644 condo units spread out over four blocks and sitting above retail stores and restaurants. Of those, 15 percent are supposed to be set aside for affordable rental units, based on city guidelines.

dlevitz@dcexaminer.com