Planning Board, Staff Discuss Development in Bethesda, Germantown, Burtonsville, Glenmont

At next Thursday's county planning board meeting, planning staff will recommend the approval, with conditions, of a plan to redevelop 7535 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda. According to a planning department memo:

• The redevelopment proposes demolition of the existing two-story drive-through bank to replace it with a mixed-use, 143-foot-tall multi-family high-rise building in the Bethesda Metro Core District.
• The proposed development provides 140,345 square feet of residential property with an additional 5,000 square feet of commercial/non-residential space.
• The application proposes public space opposite the Clark building and the Bethesda Metro along Old Georgetown Road.

"The Applicant is proposing a mixed-use redevelopment with up to 120 multi-family residential units, including 12.5 [percent] Moderately Priced Dwelling Units (MPDUs), 5,000 square feet of retail space, belowgrade parking, and public use space and amenity space. The application proposes the 5.0 FAR allowed by the Zone. The building proposal is 15 stories, or 143 feet as measured from Commerce Lane," the memo added.

"The open public amenity plaza will create an appealing pedestrian experience with an intimate vest pocket park in an urban landscape. The park will include a highly designed plaza pavilion, high quality paving materials, creative lighting, a lush planting pallet, and an integrated bioretention system," the memo continued.

Read more about the proposed development on Bethesda Patch.

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Planning staff also will recommend approval, with conditions, of a mixed-use development with a preliminary forest conservation plan for a Germantown property north of Father Hurley Boulevard/Ridge Road, between Crystal Rock Drive and Interstate 270, according to a department memo.

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And, planning staff will recommend approval, with conditions, for a request for three lots for three, one-family residential units (one of which already exists), located at 15615 Riding Stable Rd., Burtonsville, according to a department memo.

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The first work session for the Glenmont Sector Plan will take place, with a discussion among board and staff members to provide guidance to planning staff. Possible topics in the discussion include land use, zoning and transportation, according to the meeting's agenda.

Read the full agenda for the planning board's meeting on Thursday, March 14, at the planning department's website.