Bethesda–Chevy Chase residents worried about the city’s already congested downtown won a small victory on Thursday, but larger concerns about overall crowding in the area still remain.
In a rare moment, community residents and developers praised each other after Montgomery County’s planning board approved a preliminary plan to put a 225-room hotel, 250 apartments or condominiums, office and retail space in downtown Bethesda. The Planning Board rejected a prior plan for the Woodmont East II project last November, partly because of public concern about access to the Capital Crescent trail popular with hikers and bikers and residents’ concerns about the loss of open space.
After an outcry from residents, Montgomery Council Member Roger Berliner, who represents the area, coordinated meetings with residents and developers that led to the final plan that includes a 3,600-square-foot open space for “passive recreation and relaxation” on Woodmont Avenue.
“This is a reasonable compromise between the need for open space and the desire to develop the property,” Planning Board Vice Chairman John Robinson said.
Planning board staff analysis of the project said it will contain 9 percent more on-site public-use space than required by the zoning ordinance. Developers also agreed to reduce the height of a pedestrian walkway that would connect two high-rise buildings from 11 stories to three stories, following resident complaints that it would block sunlight.
“Did we address all concerns? Probably not,” said John Tschiderer, vice president of development for Federal Realty. “But we did what we could.”
Some residents rattled off lists of other potential or existing growth in the area, including the Adagio condominiums between Wisconsin Avenue and Strathmore Street, the Bethesda Row project, a potential expansion of the Bethesda Metro Center and the upcoming transfer of some medical services from Walter Reed Army Medical Center to Bethesda’s National Naval Medical Center.
“The way the county approves projects is one at a time,” Bethesda Civic Coalition member Jon Weintraub said. “I am concerned that no one is considering the cumulative impact.”
