For Immediate Release: Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Montgomery Council to hold
second public hearing session
on Wed., Oct. 19, on
Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan
Release ID: 16-327ROCKVILLE, Md., October 18, 2016—The Montgomery County Council at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19, will hold the second of three sessions of a public hearing on the proposed Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan.
Today, the Council received an overview of the plan, which will provide a fresh look at Downtown Bethesda and will serve as a “20-year checkup” to assess the best parts of the community and explore what improvements can be made in future redevelopment. Prior to the presentation, the Council learned that Marriott International intended to relocate its current headquarters in Bethesda to Downtown Bethesda. Marriott’s plans include a hotel of about 200 rooms.
The first session of the public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 18. The final session is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20. More than 100 speakers overall are expected to testify this week on the plan.
The public hearing sessions will be held in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The hearings will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon). All activities also will be available via streaming through the Council web site at http://tinyurl.com/z9982v8 .
The County’s Planning Board began its efforts to update the Downtown Bethesda Plan in 2014, using meetings with residents and business owners as the basis of the draft of an updated plan that it will present to the Council.
The revised plan addresses land use and density; urban design and character, open space, mobility and environmental quality. The proposed Bethesda Downtown Plan updates the 1994 Bethesda Central Business District Sector Plan and the 2006 Woodmont Triangle Amendment to that sector plan.
The updated plan builds on the success of Downtown Bethesda by offering ways to strengthen its centers of activity, which include Bethesda Row, the Wisconsin Avenue corridor, Woodmont Triangle and other established and emerging districts. Among the plan’s recommendations are a high performance area that incentivizes more energy-efficient buildings, new parks, tree-lined streets and innovative storm water management. The priority of the plan is to create a sustainable downtown. Other goals of the plan focus on:
· A mix of housing options, including preservation of market-rate affordable apartments and new moderately priced dwelling units in exchange for development incentives.
· New and/or expanded civic greens at Veteran’s Park, Bethesda Farm Women’s Cooperative Market and Capital Crescent Trail.
· Economic competitiveness within the region based on new development, public amenities and proximity to transit, including Metrorail and the proposed Purple Line light rail.
· Density averaging (a planning tool that allows square footage to be sent from one mixed-use site to another mixed-use site) to create or enlarge parks, protect significant community landmarks and retain affordable housing.
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