Demand for a five-bedroom Bethesda home with asbestos in the basement and more than $100,000 of repair work needed has never been so high.
Most residents of Bethesda’s Hillmead neighborhood want the home torn down to increase green space in the local park where it sits. Some countyofficials, however, want it renovated for use by the homeless or people with disabilities. Montgomery Council members will vote on the matter next Tuesday.
Last fall, the county spent $2.5 million to buy 1.3 acres of space near Bethesda’s Hillmead Park, including the home on the site, ending a multiyear dispute over the future of the land. The former landowner wanted to sell the lot to a developer to build a four-home subdivision, but some neighbors objected, and the county swooped in to purchase the site to expand Hillmead Neighborhood Park.
Residents were ecstatic, they say, until they learned the county might not demolish the house, and instead may use it for special needs housing.
“There was no community involvement,” Hillmead resident Jon Frankel said, saying the neighborhood became aware of the county’s plans when residents stumbled across a letter between members of Montgomery’s Planning Board and county housing officials. “All residents should be aware of this because ultimately, this could set a precedent that allows the county to take steps on parkland without guidelines or community involvement,” Frankel said.
Council Member George Leventhal, who backs using the home for the needy, agrees the matter has countywide significance.
“I think all of Montgomery County should pay attention,” Leventhal said. “I think the larger community has not clued into the significance of this vote … are we going to allow a single neighborhood to dictate who gets to live in that neighborhood? I think this raises important questions about open housing, civil rights and affordable housing policy.”
Leventhal says from July 1, 2007, to March 31, 2008, the county provided shelter to more than 230 homeless families, spending about $650,000 to do so over nine months, compared to the roughly $150,000 Planning Board officials think it would cost to make the home habitable.
Councilman Roger Berliner, who represents the neighborhood, is pushing council members to raze the home.
