A proposal to redevelop 4719 Hampden Lane and 4720 Montgomery Lane will be put forward at a virtual public meeting tomorrow night, Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at 7:00 PM via Zoom. See the announcement sign pictured below for full information on how to participate. The proposed apartment tower would include up to 250 residential units, a parking garage, "private amenities," and public open space. No mention is made of retail or restaurant tenants on the ground floor.
61 comments:
What fun! After the project is [inevitably] approved, we can convene here and play Real Estate BINGO. Each player draws a five-by-five grid and placed his choice of any of the following terms in all but the center square. Check off all the terms on your card that wind up being used in promo literature and websites to flog this new venture:
• Luxury living
• Timeless
• Premium
• Vibrant
• In the heart of
• Haven
• Steps from your door
• Crafted
• Expansive
• Luxurious
• Homes
• Premier
• Curated
• Exquisite
• Character
• Bespoke
• Sophisticated
• Timeless
• Elegance
• Well-being
• A sense of…
• Living experience
• Exceeds expectations
• Contemporary aesthetic
• Authentic
• [noun]-inspired
• Modern comfort
• Modern elegance
• Easy access
• Soaring
• Without compromise
• Unrivaled
• Unparalleled
• Wood-style
• Residences
• Nestled
• Refined
• Effortless lifestyle
• Elevated lifestyle
• A new standard
The middle square for all cards should be filled in with the term "moribund economy," because that idea is central to the stagnation of this community.
No ground floor retail or restaurants are proposed by the developer on this much smaller site than previously approved. The former mid-block Tommy Joes and Pines of Rome buildings are not part of this proposal.
• Heckuva job, Brownie!
Don't forget, "Marxist."
For the love of God, just stop!!
Great to see even more dense multifamily housing options only steps from the Metro, Purple Line and future BRT. Not even close to any low density residential to be offended. A perfect place to build and great to see the removal of a very large and very vacant office building. Too bad the adjacent and rather nasty and abandoned one story retail will remain (for now). It would nice to see that cleaned up, repainted, or even leased, even if just for a short time. A cheap art gallery space perhaps.
Considering the current buildings look run down and terrible, I'm all for this. Hopefully they reconsider and put ground level retail or dining.
I agree. Even a small coffee shop on the south end, near the large new plaza and fountain would be very nice. Nice as well for those 375 or so new apartment residences living above.
"placed" is past tense so I guess this game was played out already, and failed.
@5:21 is not at all a shill for CRE interests.
@8:05 finds a single errant character among 875 and disparages the entire concept. I'm sure his irascibility has nothing whatsoever to do with his involvement creating the very type of ad being ridiculed. Poor thing, his entire vocabulary of SalesSpeak has been revealed, rendering him testy.
Nope, not a paid shill, just someone who likes dense, walkable, mixed-use, multifamily development close to public transit.
This project makes a ton of sense, and proposes to utilize the recent Commercial to Residential Reconstruction (CRR) program to get a PILOT real estate tax break for 20 years, as long as they renovate or replace an existing office building two stories or taller, that is at least 50% vacant. Their project must provide over 17.5% workforce housing.
This is the third such CRR project recently proposed in downtown Bethesda. The CRR program sunsets after 10 years, unless renewed by the County Council. Seems like a clever way to jump-start multifamily development in the county that is way overbuilt with Class B and C office space that is largely vacant, and needs more housing, especially more affordable options. By comparison, I just read that DC has the lowest construction starts in 15 years.
@1:13, if you aren’t a shill, you’ll more than do until one comes along.
“Who sir? I sir? Oh, sir, no sir. I do have at hand detailed information on building codes, densities and vacancy rates, county tax provisions, expiration dates for developer inducements, [list of damning evidence against his claim goes on and on] but I in no way have any vested interest in CRE. I am but a humble gardener.”
“I’m shocked —shocked! to discover there’s gambling going on in here!”
Any chance we can get a BRT stop here ? Maybe an extra wide bike lane?
Wouldn't it have been better for the county and the state to have created policies that would have enticed businesses to invest here and fill that office space with productive jobs and higher tax revenues, rather than throw in the towel, create more housing and of course, more traffic to jobs elsewhere (like VA)? Just a thought.
6:28 PM I sir, am a well informed resident who knows how read zoning ordinances, follow entitlement processes, and is highly interested in seeing the logical and thoughtful growth of downtown Bethesda. I enjoy following developemnt in the entire DMV, and practice what I preach, by living in the middle of a dense walkable community, I’m a mixed-use, multifamily apartment building and using the Metro, and soon the Purple Line, to get around as much as possible. I might point out that I do not have a garden to tend, but enjoy visiting urban green spaces and local parks. I might ask, who sir are you?
7:00 PM Which do you think pays more in taxes to the county? A vacant office building, or 300 or so residents paying Montgomery County Income Tax? Yes of course we need more jobs, but the tired old AOTA office building is highly unlikely to entice any tenants without a very expensive (and risky) remodeling.
Paid shills like 7:13 propagandize theoretical scenarios that are not only unachievable but outright lies as an excuse to spend taxpayer dollars on their masters vanity projects. Unfortunately they couldn't care less about the true cause of the deterioration of the quality of life like security, reasonable taxation and basic common sense. Does it make sense to declare the county a sanctuary for Illegals when you can't even protect three citizens in the past couple of months from sexual assaults in Bethesda? Now you're getting ready to funnel criminals directly but you'll be on the "the next thing". Sad and pathetic.
Nita shill replying to your comment. Yes of course crime and taxation are indeed a big problem. I contend the better transit, more walkable communities, more access to more affordable housing, better jobs and an education are all noble causes. Certainly just a few tools to improve the current conditions. As I have said many times before, yes it’s expensive, complicated and takes forever, but in my humble opinion, worth the effort.
The PL line, like almost all new transit projects, have a net reduction on crime. Time to stop shaking your fist at the clouds, and maybe actually do something to improve society, and not just complain.
I personally would think a building filled with people employed in good jobs who then go home to their own residences close by would bring in vastly more tax money for the county, who would just waste it anyway!
Elrich must let you guys smoke crack in the office as you're predictions are off in fantasyland. Contentions/humble opinions are talking points that have zero basis in reality. You're so lucky that the voter base in the county is ignorant an apathetic but might want to keep an eye on the loss of actual taxpayers as governor of NY learned this the hard way.
Why doesn't 7:05 improve society by having their boss enforce laws already on the books? Wishing EVERYTHING will get better with "better transit" is a joke, right? We're not laughing with you, we're laughing at you.
Not a shill, not Nita shill…
Why do you insist that anyone who disagrees with your opinion is somehow a paid spin control doctor for the county? I am but a humble resident who believes in voicing my opinion about how we can try to improve the public and private realm in Bethesda.
If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck...
"Humble resident" , more like brainwashed HS student who has never had to survive in the real world without parental support.
Still not a shill here. I’m a retired architect, with 45 years of experience designing and building mixed-use, multi-family residential buildings, student housing, museums, performing arts centers, theaters, transit stations and recreation centers. Getting hundreds of projects entitled, approved and built. Over 50 design awards, including 12 AIA Design Exellence awards, , 45 publications in local, national and international press and 12 LEED Certified Building. OK, maybe not so humble.
If you're not a shill, common sense eludes you and problem solving is something you'll never master.
What's the saying when you need to remind everyone how "smart" you are? Not to mention no nod to historical failures of light-rail which in any real discussion where billions of taxpayer dollars are spent are very relevant.
If all your ideas are so good, why is there a blue city exodus and plans in over 10 states, (including Maryland), to retroactively tax the ones who have left? Sooner or later you'll run out of other people's money and all your paper credentials won't even be fit for the bottom of a birdcage.
My paper credentials helped enable about $850,000,000.00 of new construction during my career. Most of my private sector clients were republican, whose primary goal always seemed to be to increase their net worth or legacy. Most of my public sector clients seemed to have a more holistic approach to society, were mostly democrats, and seemed to be more interested in improving the public realm, the arts, and education. Certainly both are necessary in a well balanced society. As an architect who worked for both, it was essential to be politically agnostic.
Politically agnostic yet you shill for one of the worst county executives in MC history? Ask Leggett about his 375K taxpayer bathroom addition to his Rockville office.
Someone who would champion 10B of taxpayer dollars instead of advocating for a couple of extra J2 busses AND claiming that almost all transit nets a lower crime rate is a result of tunnel vision statistics. You "feel bad" about crime but touting lies about your projects helping lower the "net crime rate" is sure comforting to the victims. This is just so typical of a liberal touting feel-good policies while results mean nothing. Truthfully you would never make it in the private sector, (the one that doesn't depend on government contracts), as to quote a great movie line: They expect results.
Ridership on Seattle's Link Light Rail continues rising amid the system's many expansions, helping Seattle have the strongest year-on-year ridership growth of any major metro area in 2025.
10:54 AM Nearly all of my private sector projects, except for two malls, and a few restaurants and retail shops, are all quite successful, making handsome profits for the developers and owners. Especially the mixed-use, transit oriented, multifamily housing over retail projects, that always seemed to be fully leased. I think I have a very good understanding of how to create profitable projects.
I would say the public sector projects were more satisfying to me, primarily because the main goal was not to make money, or throw money away, but to purposefully and thoughtfully improve the public realm with better schools, university projects, museums, recreation centers, government office buildings, urban parks and lastly, three new Amtrak train stations.
As I said earlier, society needs a balance between private sector development and public sector civic improvements. For the most part, most private sector developers only make improvements visible to the public under duress.
Yeah, Seattle. Complete failure as a city with record homeless and crime is something to aspire to.
Did you know the current policy for non-violent crime in MC? Violent non-lethal crime and especially crimes committed by illegals? Of course you don't because public sector projects in this area don't take into account the effects of poor governance and its influence on the right of enjoyment. So those parks and common areas you love to tout become no-go zones during certain times especially at night. People like you love to bloviate about how these projects will enhance everyone's life and in a vacuum on paper, it's all chocolate rivers and gumdrop trees.
You and the people you shill for are the problem. Drive over to SS along the PL up Wayne Ave to Flower and down Piney Branch. Walk it after dark and you'll get a better idea of the results of bad policy. Yeah, the PL is coming and where will you be when it when things don't go the way you've predicted? No where to be found as liberals never take responsibility for their actions.
Don't tell 12:05 about the constant copper theft, especially in the southern section of the rail line, sometimes twice in one week disrupting travel so progressives on entitlements can get to their daily TDS protests.
@6:57 go back to a different school because you know "everything" but learned nothing.
So let me try to sum up our little conversation. You all believe that crime is too high and liberal democratic politicians are to blame because they are soft on enforcement and punishment. It sounds like you believe that the best thing Bethesda can do, other than elect more conservative officials, is to inhibit public transportation from other areas to insulate the city from additional crime.
I certainly believe that crime is too high, and enforcement and punishment is too lax. You have no argument here with me.
Our big difference seems to be how we propose to move forward. Instead of isolation, I suggest that a well connected society raises all boats. With better transit, better school access, better job access, better housing access, available to all of us, not just a privileged few, we can help reduce these problems.
Funny that you believe that crime, directly attributable to your policies, is too high yet your solution is better transit? How obtuse can one be? Wishing for good things to happen is classic liberalism and when it doesn't work out, do the same thing over again hoping for different results. Unfortunately the only cure for the disease that you have is to be relegated to a history book on how not to run government. The damage you people do now will take decades to fix.
How is crime related to my opinion that good mass transit is a healthy thing for a city to strive for? I’m not just wishing for crime to go away, but supporting policies that create a viable community for all to live in. You seem to believe that only you deserve to live in a safe place, and all others that don’t look like you, speak like you and vote like you can just piss off. You don’t see this behavior as being self-centered? I’m not forcing you to get rid of your car, take transit or even walk around downtown Bethesda, but you seem to be afraid to allow others to do so. The elitism, nimbyism, classism and outright racism you seem to profess will take centuries to fix. At least I am proposing changes to make things better, whereas you simply complain.
I am truly curious why you continue to live in MoCo if you are so very unhappy. You clearly understand that the area is highly unlikely to ever change to a republican controlled area. Why not move to a red state and enjoy the company of like-minded folks like yourself. I don’t understand all this complaining about issues that are well beyond your control. Clearly just shaking your fist at the sky. I want you to be happy and enjoy your life.
Trying to explain, repeatedly, why safety should be a priority and frankly is a primary responsibility of the council/McCarthy yet here you are telling everyone how things will be rosy if taxpayers fund more transit? Seriously, 1+1 doesn't equal 2 in your world. If you can't make that connection, no amount of explanation will help and you are absolutely working for the right people.
4:01 should take a close look at the exodus of real taxpayers while Elrich & company are protecting illegals on entitlements. But you're probably on entitlements as well so who cares if other people pack up their businesses and leave to right-to-work states. How'd that work out for the governor of NY? Education is a terrible thing to waste and sorry to say that it was in both cases.
@3:14 Watching this thread is hilarious and you making the argument that because someone wants lower crime they want it only for themselves and therefore don't want "people that don't look or speak like you". This illustrates how the left advocates for Illegals vs someone in this thread that you perceive to be white. Wow, take a look in the mirror sometime and look at the real racist.
It sounds like we have exhausted this discussion. I guess we will just have to see the impact of the PL on the overall quality of life for residents and indeed whether it turns out to be a wise investment for taxpayers. I never stated it would be easy, cheap and quick to build. Like most new construction nowadays, everything is way more difficult than in the past.
@ 4:01 PM - because the Nepo babies would lose their free housing if they moved.
I see the NIMBY'S are malding big time in these comments.
6:55 should take to heart 5:18's comment and rethink their preconceived opinion about those who disagree with them.
Don't you have some other taxpayer funded entitlements to raid?
OK, let me rephrase my comment. It seems to me that you would rather restrict other non-local people from using transit to get to Bethesda, who you perceive as being more dangerous than local residents, because it makes you feel safer. It seems to me that you care more about your perceived safety by restricting others, than helping to create equal opportunities for people to improve their lot in life. Specifically by improving access to better housing, better jobs and a better education. That seems to be the definition of being self-centered too me.
7:54 Should get a dictionary. The operative word is illegal. You and VanHollen must have gone to the same school which didn't graduate anyone actually proficient in English let alone mathematics. You just don't get it that all citizens deserve safety and by your policies of non-enforcement of EXISTING LAWS and allowing repeat offenders to walk with essentially no penalties, it's never going to work out. Not punishing shoplifters for instance regarding thefts under 1K and giving them essentially a paper citation just encourages more theft. If these are the lessons you taught your children growing up, you abdicated your parental responsibility. Liberals are so self-centered that their arguments proport the greater good while ignoring results and patting each other on the backs that next time it will work. Results are the only thing that matter.
Did you know, but probably don't care, that there have been 4 murders in Fairfax County as of April and 3 are attributed to Illegals? We can't even get the details of the Bethesda library rape because your side is busy blaming others for their failures in leadership. But don't worry, good transit will fix everything? Maybe the waterpipe has wrecked your logic circuits.
We can walk and chew gum at the same time. Improve transit and reduce crime, both at the same time. Make more affordable housing options available and protect existing single family neighborhoods with appropriate zoning that requires step down heights and greenways. Actually, 1 plus 1 can equal 3, or more if we tackle all of our problems together.
For example, I don’t have any kids, but I am happy to pay taxes that support education that I know is good for society. I don’t know if you have any children, but I suspect that if you do not, you are likely butter about funding education that does not benefit you directly. I hope that this suspicion is wrong and you indeed can see the logic of working to improve the public realm, as envisioned by LBJ’s Great Society. It’s not just about you old sport.
Apparently you can't walk a chew gum at the same time as clearly demonstrated by your lack of true empathy for the victims of your policies. Improving the public realm without enforcing basic laws is throwing good money after bad but that's a concept that progressives will never understand. Good thing you never raised children as we would probably be dealing with them in the system and actually explains a lot about the lack of understanding of rules & social norms that should exist for everyone. Too bad the idealistic self-centered part of you will never see it.
8:55 AM Somehow you have linked my interest in improving mass transit to a policy of not enforcing the law. Just like you, I want all of our laws to be fully enforced.
Unlike you, I also want efforts to improve mass transit, create better dense and walkable communities, and get more affordable housing built. I also want to see more creative architectural designs, more performing arts opportunities, more interesting places to work and dine, and not just preserve the former Bethesda and its so called charm. I’d like to see more market rate apartments with cool amenities. I hope we can get a central, county operated, recreation center with several indoor pools built, that can offer more economical recreation and swimming compared to private clubs. I’d like to see more live entertainment options and gallery spaces. Maybe even a museum. I’d like to see a world class civic green in Bethesda. A few more high-rise hotels including a JW Marriott would be great. Of course more corporate headquarters like Marriott would be welcome. I think the perimeter of downtown could use some dense townhouses and rowhouses to create a more gradual transition from high-rises to single family homes. I’d like to see more consistent street trees, benches, pedestrian scale lighting all over downtown, especially in transitional areas.
All this AND reduced crime and better enforcement.
Reading is fundamental so perhaps you skipped that subject entirely in school.
Telling liberals to do fundamental things like basic enforcement of existing laws shouldn't be a hard ask but you guys have a chronic problem with those "mundane" tasks. You feign empathy for victims but do nothing to alleviate it. Those of us in the business sector thrive or die by the decisions we actually have to live with. Progressives live in a fake world where the money "never runs out" and bad decisions are celebrated if the intentions were good. Sell that theory to the bank next time you want funding.
Actually you've read the words but have no idea what they mean. I never said I oppose mass transit. I do oppose spending taxpayer dollars on a project where the fundamentals to success aren't met. You say you want the enforcement of laws yet you work for people who release repeat offenders without any punishment and have no problem spending money you don't have when a much cheaper option was available. All those credentials and no common sense. We've fired dozens of new grads who have the paper capability but come from educational facilities would rather teach 14th century French Lit & gender studies rather than something useful like reading, writing and mathematics. Look at your hero AOC who has a degree in economics from Boston yet she is dumber than a box of rocks. Don't quit your day job for anything in the private sector.
I am frankly surprised that you are not in favor of the PL. As the new, self appointed sheriff of Bethesda, it would seem that your PL “crime funnel” would be an enforcement asset. You and your deputies could hang out at the Bethesda PL station with a big net and scoop up all these obvious evil doers as they enter our fair city. Folks that don’t look like you, speak like you, pray like you, dress like you, or vote like you should be quite easy to spot. Folks that are not upstanding conservative right-wing private sector business owners like yourself should be easy to identify as democrats. Search them for black ski masks, rubber gloves and lock picking tools.
Of course I’m joking, but I think you need to work on getting along with others.
Joking would indicate humor but I suppose the burning of taxpayer dollars is funny to you. All we need is a little truth and the left shows their racist tendencies. Go back and read some MLK speeches but his words you will never understand. The business community is getting hammered by leftist dreamers who have never run a business and always believe that their policies operate in a vacuum. You make assumptions about race but this is another thing you have completely wrong. Story of your life.
The goofball replying to you really thinks that Bethesda is some war ravaged crime-ridden hellhole, and that a new metro line will bring hoards of criminals to target them specifically. It's very weird how they're inventing things in their mind to be afraid of.
Too bad you failed the reading test as well but two birds of a feather. As you posted in another thread about your taxpayer funded education, I really feel you got shortchanged because we certainly did.
I think we need to end this discussion right here. Robert is likely burning out reviewing our comments for posting. I don’t want him to turn off comments again. Let’s meet up when the PL is open for a few years and see who turned out to be right. More crime or a noticeably improved and useful transportation network. Maybe both, or maybe neither.
When that day happens, we'll be there as we are EVERYDAY but you will likely only be there for the opening day festivities. If crime does increase, you won't be around or will be out blaming locusts, climate change but won't look in the mirror. One day you might have an epiphany but I doubt it.
On no. The climate is changing? That’s not what they say on Fox News. My source for reliable, independent news.
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