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Monday, March 16, 2020

Montgomery County aiming again to realize plan for Veterans Park Civic Green in Bethesda

The Montgomery County Planning Board held a closed session regarding acquisition of property related to Veterans Park at the corner of Woodmont and Norfolk Avenues in downtown Bethesda recently. That meeting was closed to the public, but now we are learning what it was in relation to.

On the board's March 26, 2020 agenda is now a Veterans Park Civic Green agenda item. It seeks authorization from the board commissioners to "acquire 0.26 acres, more or less, improved, from The Charles H. Goldberg Family Trust and Bettie Goldberg GST Tax Exempt Trust located at 7800 and 7810 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda MD 20814."

An expansion of Veterans Park across Woodmont Avenue, potentially including part of the square block currently housing EagleBank, Reddz Trading and 7-Eleven, among others (and which is expected to redevelop in the coming years; the various property owners are still trying to find a potential consensus plan but some have already proposed smaller buildings for their sites), was proposed in the Bethesda Downtown Plan passed by the County Council in 2017. As you can see from the four options shown here, if achieved, it may vary in size and location. The acquisition proposed now, for example, would be insufficient for the grandest version shown at top. Planning staff is recommending approval of the acquisition.
Renderings via Montgomery County Planning Department
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4 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:20 AM

    It still seems odd to me that the county would be supportive of an expanded Veteran's Park that would be split by Woodmont Avenue, as shown in the top three conceptual plans. The fourth one, with an expansion in the same block, to become a much larger triangle, by acquiring some low scale buildings, seems so much more functional and safe.

    Yes, I get that the big idea was to connect the Woodmont Triangle to East Bethesda, with groups of linked parks, but this bifurcated idea seems dangerous to me. Perhaps a nice allee of shade trees along the north side of Norfolk in a slightly expanded right of way, would make a strong enough connection.

    The bifurcated Park idea just seems like it is trying way too hard, at the cost of safety and will certainly limit possible park improvements.

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  2. Anonymous1:54 PM

    Great idea, push more traffic toward Marriot and Old Georgetown rd, thwarting vehicular rt turns from Woodmont. Another bone head idea
    By park and planing

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  3. Anonymous6:47 AM

    More useful would be to take the buildings immediately adjacent to the existing park.

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  4. Anonymous6:49 AM

    Demo the buildings behind the veterans park and not close the rt hand turn

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