Washington Post Covers Element 28
I noticed that the Washington Post recently covered the new Bethesda apt building “Element 28″ and touched on the broader growth of high-rises in a piece titled: “High-end, transit-oriented apartments rise in Bethesda.”
It got me thinking about the future a little bit….and I wanted to share this thought with you:
I hope that the spike in apartment buildings and new residents leads to a renewal of community in Bethesda. The risk is that things go the other way and we become more siloed but I believe that with some effort, imagination and constructive engagement with local gov., we can build a Bethesda that captures the best of years past with new energy and dynamism for the future.
Grosvenor Metro Development (North Bethesda)
Hi friends,
I wanted to take a minute and forward this notice to you:
Planning Board to Hear Testimony on June 29
Make Your Voice Heard, In Person or In Writing
On June 29, the county Planning Board will hear public testimony on staff’s draft plan for the remaining undeveloped land at the Grosvenor-Strathmore station. A copy of the draft plan is at the Parkside management office, which you are welcome to consult in the office. To consult an online copy, go to http://montgomeryplanning.org/
The agenda for the 29th will be posted two weeks beforehand (go to http://
The most critical issue to be decided is DENSITY, which will affect both the number of dwelling units to be built and the building heights.
NUMBER OF DWELLING UNITS: Staff is recommending a FAR (floor area ratio) of 2.5, or approximately 1,145 dwelling units. The developer is pushing for a FAR of 3.5 (1,650 dwelling units) or a FAR of 3.0 (1,400 dwelling units).
Sushi Burritos in Bethesda!
Somehow I had missed the initial announcement of this Jose Andres concept!
“Buredo, a Washington, D.C., chain that offers burrito-sized sushi rolls, is opening a restaurant in Bethesda this month. Jose Torres, the manager of the location, said the store will open in two weeks at 10241 Old Georgetown Road in the Wildwood Shopping Center.”
What do you think? Have you tried the food at the DC restaurant?
I’m curious and look forward to checking out Buredo!
Downtown Bethesda Sector Plan: Building Design Guidelines
The next phase of the sector plan will see the design of buildings and guidelines be discussed in some detail. Here is a snap shot of the next phase from our friends at Bethesda Magazine:
“The design guidelines that are under development will help define the look and feel that planners want to encourage in downtown Bethesda. The rules are coming as a companion to the Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan that the County Council approved last week and are being written after a series of public outreach meetings.”
Washington Post Review of Q by Peter Chang
I thought this review was worth passing along! Worth reading the whole thing but here is a small bite to whet your appetite (see what I did there!):
“With the opening of the 8,000-square-foot Q by Peter Chang in a glass-wrapped office building in Bethesda, fans of the peripatetic chef now have 10 places in the Mid-Atlantic to explore Chang’s personal style of Chinese cooking.
Admirers of the food created by the one-time chef of the Chinese Embassyare streaming in with high hopes, fanned in part by a name intended to set the $2 million, 200-seat project apart from the collection.”
Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan Dissenter Speaks
Marc Elrich, the one Montgomery County Council member to vote against the Bethesda Downtown Sector plan explains his vote here.
Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan Cont.
Reactions to the Sector Plan are coming in. Here is one take from our friends at Bethesda Magazine. Of particular interest was a point on additional development:
The plan opens the door to about 4.2 million square feet of additional development.
That might sound like a lot, but the county planning director and the chair of the Montgomery County Planning Board assert that the proposed Bethesda plan is modest in scale.
To put the number in context, county staff reports show that 23.6 million square feet of development existed in Bethesda as of September 2014. Ongoing and approved projects add up to another 4.6 million square feet. Included in that number is a roughly 940,000-square-foot redevelopment plan for the site of the Apex building at 7272 Wisconsin Ave.
What’s not included? Marriott International’s proposal to construct roughly 400,000 square feet near Woodmont Triangle for the company’s headquarters and a flagship hotel. That project will consume some of the 4.2 million square feet of new building space allowed by the Bethesda plan.
It will be interesting to get a variety of takes on this and other aspects of the plan. Feel free to email me at raj@rajabout.com
MPDU’s and the Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan Cont.
As I was digging into the plan I saw that there was an increased commitment to MPDU’s. As an aside, if anyone would like to discuss this program with me, feel free to give me a call at (240)486-3921 or send an email to raj@rajabout.com:
“Add more units to the marketplace by [providing] requiring a minimum 15 percent MPDUs for optional method residential development within Downtown Bethesda. Provide 15 percent MPDUs on-site as a first priority. [Preserve existing market-rate affordable housing by identifying some sites as Priority Sending Sites for density averaging. Affordable Housing Sending Sites that choose to transfer their density must enter into a rental agreement to retain 30 percent of their existing affordable housing units, defined as 65 percent of area median income (AMI) or below, for 20 years.] Provide an incentive to encourage 25% or more MPDUs (by allowing an increase in FAR without additional payments otherwise required for increases in FAR).
Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan Cont.
As promised yesterday, I am digging into the plan for nuggets and things to be happy/ worry about. This one struck me as a good recommendation:
“Page 41: Modify language under A. Bethesda Circulator Expansion as follows: A more robust Circulator Bus route should be considered to serve an expanded Downtown Bethesda. That route should include service to the Battery Lane and Pearl Districts,[. Potential new stops should include the following locations (see Figure 2.10: Proposed Circulator Route Revisions):] new Bethesda South Metrorail station/Purple Line station on Elm Street, the Pearl District, and Medical Center Metrorail station.”
I like the idea of the Circulator connecting residents to both Bethesda and Medical Center metro stops. Hopefully with easier, all weather, access to metro, we will see more downtown residents able to leave the car at home and use metro a bit more.
More nuggets etc. to follow!
