Bethesda Downtown Minor Master Plan Amendment process beginning

The public process to introduce and potentially approve a Minor Master Plan Amendment to the 2017 Bethesda Downtown master plan will begin next week. Three community events will provide information to, and take preliminary feedback and commentary from, the public. The first will be held during the Bethesda Central Farm Market at Bethesda Elementary School at 7600 Arlington Road this Sunday, May 19, 2024, from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM. Two more events are scheduled for Wednesday, May 29 from 7:00 - 9:00 PM at the Connie Morella Bethesda Library at 7400 Arlington Road, and on Saturday, June 1 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Chevy Chase Town Hall meeting room at 4301 Willow Lane.

Minor Master Plan Amendments have been controversial for three reasons. They have an abbreviated public process compared to a full sector plan. Second, there is often a particular developer seeking to redevelop a particular property beyond what current zoning allows, and - to get around the illegality of benefitting one property owner - a map is drawn up including a few properties around that site to provide a veneer of legitimacy to the amendment. Finally, the Montgomery County Council and Planning Board have failed to extract significant concessions or public benefits and amenities in exchange for the upzoning that typically results from an MMPA. 

Case in point for the latter is the MMPA that covered the redevelopment of the Apex Building at 7272 Wisconsin Avenue. The Council could have, but did not, require a replacement cineplex for the Regal Bethesda 10 that was in the ground floor of that now-demolished building. It also did not mandate that the developer provide the replacement Capital Crescent Trail tunnel under Wisconsin Avenue. As a result, we now have neither. 

The CCT tunnel? It's now very likely never to happen, especially as long the County budget continues to favor the developers and "non-profits" run by Friends of the County Council over the residents and taxpayers. The whole point of the MMPA process is to wrest at least some public benefit out of the upzoned development, in exchange for the greater profits being realized by the private developer. It's safe to say the Council failed spectacularly in that last MMPA, despite holding 100% of the leverage, and it's clear the failure was intentional.

Now, the MMPA being proposed this time is said to be focused on the cap on development allowed by the 2017 plan's Bethesda Overlay Zone. When development since 2017 comes within 2,000,000-square-feet of the 32.4 million cap, the plan recommends the County Planning Department "check in with the County Council to see if additional recommendations are needed to help implementation of public amenity and infrastructure recommendations like new parks and transportation-related improvements."

So far, despite the lofty promises of the Planning Board and County Council, the 2017 Bethesda Downtown Plan has delivered zero amenities and zero new parks. At the same time, it has provided substantial real estate development for tremendous private profit. Keep this in mind if you participate in this MMPA public process. Demand you get a return for your tax dollars that are being spent (the County's structural budget deficit has raised your property taxes every year except FY- 2015, in which the average homeowner received a $12 tax "cut") and the noise, higher housing costs, inconvenience, overcrowded classrooms, traffic congestion and net loss of existing affordable housing created by all of this development.

Federal Realty employee nominated for Bethesda Downtown Plan IAC

Planning Board also to review

Cabin John Village site plan

One of the business community representatives on the Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan Implementation Advisory Committee, Ramsey Meiser, is stepping down. The IAC has nominated Federal Realty Director of Development Mark Hendrickson as his replacement.

Hendrickson has worked at Federal Realty from 2007-2013, and now again since December 2018. He was previously employed by Grosvenor Americas, Renaissance Centro, PN Hoffman and Centex Construction, to name a few. In addition to his credentials, Hendrickson's letter of intent emphasizes the significance of Federal Realty's Bethesda Row property in the downtown community.

The appointment of Hendrickson is subject to approval by the Montgomery County Planning Board, which will review his nomination on April 25. Planning staff are recommending approval of Hendrickson's appointment.

At the same April 25 meeting, the board will also review the site plan for Cabin John Village, which includes a proposed 45000 SF of new retail and restaurant space and 48 townhomes. This is a partial redevelopment of the Cabin John Shopping Center.

The developers will be required to contribute funds for improvements at Cabin John Regional Park, and to extend an existing bike path to the park's entrance along Tuckerman Lane, among other conditions of approval. Planning staff are recommending approval of the site plan.

Town of Chevy Chase left with green strips for parks in Women's Farm Market plan

Only the non-angled parking spaces
along 46th street and to the right of the
left horizontal island in the
compass shape will become green space here;
the rest will be filled by an angled 7-story building

Remember when the Montgomery County Council approved the Bethesda Downtown Plan last year, and promised public parking lots on the edge of Bethesda bordering the Town of Chevy Chase would become parks and green space? In fact, the document the Council approved specifically stated the plan would "Convert county-owned surface parking lots to parkland/neighborhood greens to the
maximum extent feasible." As I predicted, reality is going to be quite different, based on a plan introduced by developer EYA at a public meeting last night.

This is the only part of Lot 10
shown as becoming green space
in the proposed development

A seven-story residential building and 12 townhomes will take up the majority of what are now public parking lots between Walsh Street and Willow Lane in this vision. Left as green space will be only half of the parking lot behind the strip of buildings that includes the Montgomery Farm Women's Market and Villain & Saint today, and the rear strip of parking lot east of the central island in Lot 10 south of Leland Street (behind Miller's Furs today). Suddenly, most of the promised green space has become yet another residential development.

CLICK HERE to find out more about a
Council candidate who will put the
People back in charge of development
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Councilmembers and Planning Board commissioners have often cited the pie-in-the-sky promise of big parking lots turning into green space along the edge of Chevy Chase when residents have complained that the public space promised elsewhere in town is - surprise, surprise - not materializing. Properties north of here that also border Chevy Chase already had their green space reduced to narrow green strips by the Council.

Ultimately, this situation is not the developer's fault. They are only going to do what your elected officials allow them to do. The issue here, is that the Council promised more, while not actually writing it into the plan - just as they did at Westbard, Lyttonsville and elsewhere. And these are lots the Council had total control over, as they are currently County-owned. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Bethesda Downtown Plan is the worst of both worlds

The Montgomery County Council passed the Bethesda Downtown Plan by a vote of 8-1 yesterday. Councilmember Marc Elrich cast the lone dissenting vote. While the plan, in relative terms, is better than the Westbard sector plan the Council passed a year ago, it offers the worst of both worlds. The growth allowed is the wrong type, and insufficient to make downtown Bethesda an appealing destination for corporate headquarters. Yet the lack of infrastructure and staging guarantees that that lackluster, mostly residential, growth will be sure to strain already-jammed roads and classrooms - and County services.

Parks won't be of the size needed, and aren't guaranteed. Even the aspirational park sites were simply the low-hanging fruit, such as the parking lots at the edge of town. While that may or may not create a small buffer for the Town of Chevy Chase, those are poor locations for parks, which should be more centrally-located. Where is the green space with trees that can give a respite to pedestrians in the concrete jungle?

There is a slightly-greater commitment to affordable housing downtown, as there should be in an urban center near services and Metro. In contrast, the Westbard sector plan places a greater proportion of affordable units in that neighborhood, where there is little transit and no social services or County facilities. Ultimately, some of the growth that should have occurred downtown near Metro has been shifted to Westbard, a complete violation of smart growth principles.

Speaking of facilities, the Bethesda Downtown Plan is lacking in those, as well. At least a recreation center is under discussion. Westbard was completely shut out, despite having gone without a recreation center for decades.

On the flip side, the heights and density allowed in the core of the Central Business District near Metro are too low for the kind of major corporate tenants we need. One can argue that the question is moot, as the demand for office space in moribund Montgomery County is so weak, that no major corporate tenants will be interested anyway. But under this plan, downtown Bethesda will not be competitive with Tysons in ten or even twenty years. One of the main reasons is that most of what density is allocated will be eaten up by mediocre residential buildings, and Marriott, by the time the 2018 or 2022 County Councils can create a more business-friendly climate (assuming voters don't elect the "new" faces from the old cartel, who will be among the candidates on the ballot). How much will be left, for example, when Federal Realty potentially redevelops part of Bethesda Row, when Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema's lease runs out later in the next decade?

Unbelievably, the increased population downtown will be "accommodated" with lower speed limits and no additional highway capacity on Wisconsin Avenue. The major commuter route is already overloaded with interstate-level traffic, thanks to the cancellation of the Northwest Freeway.

In casting his dissenting vote, Councilmember Elrich noted that, "When you put it all together, the Bethesda plan has no transportation solution, no guaranteed amenities and no binding connection between increased density and the infrastructure necessary to support it.” His vote was an important one, regardless of the overwhelming support the plan had from his developer-beholden colleagues. It sends a clear message, and ensures that the dissenting views of actual residents have to be given at least a mention in media coverage.

In fact, given that the Bethesda Downtown Plan is better than the Westbard plan, I'm honestly puzzled as to why Elrich voted "no" on the former, and "yes" on the latter, instead of no on both.

Perhaps the only thing worse about the Downtown Plan than Westbard, is the uncertainty. Westbard-area residents know they were ripped off, will be getting no amenities at all, and a couple of postage-stamp-sized "parks." They know they're going to get 3000+ people and all their cars dropped into a block-and-a-half area, transformed into a concrete canyon of Soviet-style apartment blocs. And they know there are no plans for new schools, in a cluster where some kids are currently taking gym class in hallways.

In contrast, there's no clear vision at all as to what downtown Bethesda will look like in twenty years. After a promising start between the arrival of Metro and the late 1990s, the vision for downtown went off the rails after the turn of the century. The signature developments of that early period (Newlands Building, Chevy Chase Bank Building, Bethesda Lane, to name a few) have given way to a period where form lags far behind function.

Architectural and public art mediocrity and economic development malaise combine with a lack of real parks, public space and large-scale events (St. Patrick's Day parade? Halloween? Mardi Gras?) to weaken any sense of civic identity. We couldn't even pull off Strut Your Mutt this year. Downtown Bethesda deserves better, and was promised better, decades ago.

B.F. Saul acquires Violin House of Weaver property in East Bethesda

B.F. Saul has made an intriguing purchase at the border of downtown and East Bethesda. Through a shell company, the firm has acquired the Violin House of Weaver, located at 4706 Highland Avenue. The sale price was $1,840,752, according to real estate records.

The house was actually built
in 1927; the Weaver violin business
is what the "Since 1898" refers to

What is the plan for this property, which outwardly has the appearance of a single-family home, but sits adjacent to commercial uses and Delicia's Carryout? It's notable that the shell company is called Tilbury, LLC. Tilbury Street is the first cross-street on Highland east of Wisconsin Avenue. Equally-notable: the Bethesda Downtown Plan draft encourages demolition of the entire block, offering heights of 90' at the edge of a new greenway along the west side of Tilbury.

This graphic in the Bethesda
Downtown Plan draft says
you'll only get the greenway if
you demo the whole block

When you consider that B.F. Saul already owns the commercial property along the 8100 block of Wisconsin, and remember the LLC is called "Tilbury," the whole-block scenario certainly seems possible. The exact heights and zoning allowed for such a redevelopment won't be finalized until the Montgomery County Council approves the final Bethesda Downtown Plan, however.

15 local governments & organizations call on MoCo Council to revise Bethesda Downtown sector plan

Fifteen Bethesda-area governments and organizations have delivered a joint letter to Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner, asking for major changes to the draft Bethesda Downtown sector plan. Chief among the requests sought are staging of the development permitted in the plan, heights and building designs more compatible with the communities surrounding the downtown, adding more parks and amenities, retaining fire and rescue stations as single-use public safety sites, improving transitions between new downtown development and adjacent neighborhoods, and the use of better and more-accurate data in formulating the plan.

The letter is also calling for not only the return of citizen advisory boards for master plans, but also a Design Review Advisory Panel with citizen representation, which would weigh in on building designs. Many residents have complained that their input no longer matters since those advisory bodies were replaced with week-long charettes.

Several elected officials signed the letter, including Scott Fosler, a former County Councilman and current Mayor of Chevy Chase; Jeffrey Slavin, Mayor of Somerset; Michael Denger, Chair of the Board of Managers of Chevy Chase Village; and William Brownlee, Chair of Section 3 of the Village of Chevy Chase.

Also signing were many civic associations, including the East Bethesda Citizens Association, Chevy Chase West Neighborhood Association, the Edgemoor Citizens Association, the Sacks Neighborhood Association, the Battery Park Citizens Association, the West Fernwood Citizens Association, the Citizens Coordinating Committee on Friendship Heights, residents of Middleton Lane, the 7420 Chevy Chase Drive condominium association, and the Bradley House condo association.

Rounding out the signatories was Mary Flynn, head of the Coalition of Bethesda Area Residents, the citizen group that has spearheaded the efforts to scale back the plan.

One notable detail that jumps out - 25 life members and former members of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad submitted a separate letter in which they endorse the Squad property and the Bethesda Fire Station 6 remaining as public safety facilities only. Rather than have new stations built by a developer who would also add residential units, they say station renovations and replacements should instead be co-funded by the County. Both stations are owned by their respective organizations, not the County.

Flynn said those signing the letter are optimistic that the high level of detail in their recommendations will lead the Council to take their concerns and proposals seriously. All told, the letter represents over 10,000 Bethesda households.

To read the full text of the letter, recommendations and attachments, click here.

Bethesda residents get expert advice as they contemplate incorporation

Tom Reynolds of the Maryland Municipal League,
Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman, five-term
Kensington Mayor Peter Fosselman, and
Katya Marin of the East Bethesda Citizens Association
listen as Mary Flynn (standing) of the
Coalition of Bethesda Area Residents speaks

Residents who feel the Montgomery County Council and Planning Board are unresponsive to their concerns over development, density and quality of life issues crowded into the auditorium at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School last night, to begin considering the possibility of incorporating Bethesda as a city. Co-hosted by the Coalition of Bethesda-Area Residents and the East Bethesda Citizens Association, the event was designed to facilitate discussion, rather than to decide whether to incorporate or not. "We are starting the dialogue tonight," CBAR founder and Town of Chevy Chase Vice Mayor Mary Flynn said at the outset of the meeting.

Invited to brief the audience on the incorporation process, and the pros and cons of municipal government, were Tom Reynolds, Director of Education Services for the Maryland Municipal League; Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman, and five-term Kensington Mayor Peter Fosselman. Also in attendance were County Councilmember Marc Elrich (D - At-large) and Delegate Marc Korman (D - District 16).

Ashman described the closer relationship between municipal leaders and their constituents as one advantage of incorporation. In contrast, under the County Council, "the closest person to downtown Bethesda lives up in Pike and Rose," Flynn noted. "They don't actually live here. They hear us, but it's not clear that they necessarily understand us."

Over an hour and forty-minutes of discussion, several key points became clear:

1. Incorporation would be an enormous and challenging undertaking.

The process of incorporating is "not intended to be easy," Reynolds said. While there are 157 municipalities in Maryland, only 5 of those have been able to incorporate since the current rules were established in 1954. All five were in Montgomery County - but all five also already had Special Taxing Districts established near the beginning of the 20th Century, so the County Council had already lost the 17% of income tax revenue each receives back annually. There is virtually no incentive for the Council to allow a referendum for Bethesda to incorporate, other than the threat that disgruntled residents will oust them in the next election.

2. The current County Council has to be voted out in 2018 no matter what direction the community decides to go.

The current Council has made it abundantly clear that its planning priorities and goals are radically different from those of its constituents. A unanimous Council vote to pass the highly-controversial Westbard sector plan last year continues to echo loudly in citizen revolts at the ballot box and at community meetings countywide. Similar issues stirred up anger in Chevy Chase, East Bethesda, Rockville, Lyttonsville, Aspen Hill and Damascus. Likewise, a majority on the Council oppose incorporation of new municipalities.

It is entirely possible for the community to change planning and growth policies in the 2018 Council election, which would eliminate the need to incorporate. Ensuring that candidates who reflect the priorities of residents are elected would not only prevent passage of plans like Westbard, but would also bring the Planning Board in line with the community as well - the Council handpicks the Planning Board.

If residents ultimately decided they wanted to incorporate, they would still need a new Council that had a 5-member majority who favor allowing communities to incorporate. A representative of the new voter advocacy group, MoCoVoters.org, said incorporation "won't succeed unless we get a new County Council."

3. Incorporation, and the second step of obtaining local planning authority from the state, would be a long-term process, too long to stop some of the urgent issues currently enraging County residents from happening.

Whatever decision is made regarding incorporation, it's clear that residents have to start organizing now for the 2018 Council elections.

4. Elimination of At-large Council seats, and a redistricting of nine seats to allow for closer and better geographical representation, are another shorter and easier route to major change without incorporation. 

Currently, the same Councilman who represents Bethesda also represents Poolesville.

5. There is strength in numbers no matter what approach is taken.

Anger in, and coordination among, many communities affected by recent Council decisions, already helped pass term limits in last year's election. Numbers would also be essential in any effort to incorporate. Reynolds suggested that the Council might be forced to be responsive to incorporation referendum requests if they receive simultaneous applications from multiple communities at once (i.e. Bethesda, Damascus, Lyttonsville, etc.). Last night's audience had many residents still angry over the Westbard disaster, and from as far as Damascus and Potomac. If five or six areas try to incorporate at once, Reynolds said, "I suspect the County would respond. That's part of the power" of unity.

Reynolds said last night's crowd was much larger than the community groups he ordinarily speaks to about incorporating. Ashman concurred: "The energy, the organization that you guys have put into this, I'm very impressed."

6. There are real advantages to incorporating.

Municipalities like Gaithersburg and Kensington are able to deliver a higher level of services to their residents than the County can. Being able to provide superior services to their residents, and having a closer relationship with them than the County Council can in a County of more than a million people, Ashman said, is "a glorious thing."

Fosselman said Kensington's ability to have its own snowplowing services is "a huge bonus in the wintertime." During last year's blizzard, Kensington's snow removal crews "worked around the clock," and in contrast to the County and State, kept the town's street's clear. He added that a municipality can also hire a city or town manager who can handle the day-to-day operations, while providing an additional point of contact for residents. Even having local control over street trees can have a positive impact on the quality of life, Fosselman suggested.

Providing top notch plowing, trash collection and other basic services "is more expensive, but it's worth it," said Fosselman. When purchasing a second home in Florida, he said, buying one in an incorporated area was a requirement for him.

7. There are real costs to incorporating.

Residents of an incorporated Bethesda could pay roughly an additional 16 cents per every $100 of assessed value of their property to fund those high-quality services, Ashman said. Acquiring land for a City Hall and other new municipal properties would be a very expensive proposition in Bethesda, he added. There is also an ongoing dispute between existing municipalities and the County regarding how much they should be reimbursed for the money they save the County through the services they provide, Ashman said.

8. An independent Bethesda would have to provide a lot of services.

The only slim advantage to the County in losing Bethesda to incorporation - and therefore one that could provide leverage in negotiations with the Council - would be if Bethesda took on a major chunk of services that Montgomery County now provides in the area,

9. The threat of incorporation may be a more effective tool than incorporation itself.

Holding the specter of incorporation over the Council's head - and the heads of those running for it in 2018 - could give residents some additional leverage in the arguments over development currently on the table. One resident who supported that notion said, "I want to be able to control my street," citing the many construction-related sidewalk closures in downtown Bethesda and poor stewardship of street trees. The fact is, virtually all of the issues people are angry about could be solved by simply putting the right people on the Council in 2018, without having to pay the higher taxes incorporation would involve - but we don't have to tell the Council that.

10. There are two ways to get control over planning and zoning.

Bethesda could get full planning authority such as Rockville and Gaithersburg currently enjoy. Or it could seek a lesser option, a hybrid approach under Article 28. With the latter option, a municipality's wishes on a planning decision can only be overridden by supermajority of the Council and Planning Board. Kensington and Takoma Park have taken that approach. Fosselman said that, to his knowledge, neither municipality has been overruled by either body in Montgomery County..

11. But there's no guarantee of getting either type, and Bethesda would have to incorporate just to find out if it can, through a second process at the state level.

"It's one thing to incorporate, but that doesn't guarantee you'll get zoning authority," Fosselman said. "So you'll have to be prepared to fight twice.

What now?

Reynolds had some advice if Bethesda is ready to take up that fight. The bid of Rollingwood in Chevy Chase flopped at the Council level about a decade ago, but Reynolds and Elrich made a compelling case that it didn't fail simply because the Council is anti-incorporation. Elrich said that he favors incorporation in general, but that Rollingwood made clear it was not going to offer services to residents, and was planning to simply give them a tax refund with their 17% reimbursement. Reynolds and Ashman agreed that Bethesda would have to show the County Council it will offer substantial services to its residents.

Second, Reynolds recalled, Rollingwood's proposed boundaries got too big. When they expanded beyond the core group of streets where sentiment for independence was high, the Council concluded that the level of overall resident support didn't meet the bar for moving forward. Of course, if any Rollingwood residents reading this would like to object to these assertions, please comment below the article. Reynolds said you would almost have to go block by block to measure support in Bethesda, and then exclude areas that oppose it from the proposed city's area, if possible.

Third, all five communities that successfully incorporated in recent decades had populations under 1000. The latter two points, on the one hand, portend failure for Bethesda, which would be a sizable city. On the other hand, we are witnessing an unprecedented level of discontent and revolt among residents against the Council.

"The 'smart growth' is the dumbest growth I've ever seen," said a resident of Wyngate since 1978.

Fosselman suggested residents pursuing incorporation consider working closely with the Bethesda Urban Partnership, as it already provides some services that a municipality would. He also counseled citizens to approach the Council about incorporation in a friendly, rather than confrontational manner. Katya Marin of the East Bethesda Citizens Association said that the only problem with that is that they have already tried to do so, and the Council has been unresponsive to resident concerns so far.

Reynolds said the Council wants its constituents to be happy. "If they wanted us to be happy, we wouldn't be here!" a resident shouted from the audience to applause.

Flynn said she wanted to clear up the misconception that incorporation is merely about wealthy "Bethesda keeping its money in its pockets." 83% of income tax revenue from Bethesda residents would still go to Montgomery County under the rules, she said, and the new city would have to provide substantial services to appease the county for the loss of the other 17%.

In related news, Flynn announced that County Council President Roger Berliner would receive a 10-page letter from CBAR and East Bethesda Citizens Association today, which will be made public early next week. It outlines residents' priorities for fixing the current draft of the Bethesda Downtown sector plan. Those include the use of staging, heights and building designs that are compatible with existing neighborhoods, adequate parks and amenities, public safety, use of accurate and comprehensive data on road and school capacity, and creating "appropriate transitions to neighborhoods" adjacent to the downtown area.

Citizen group incorporates as 501(c)4 to "get serious" on Bethesda downtown plan

The Coalition of Bethesda Area Residents (CBAR), a citizen group advocating to downsize the draft Bethesda Downtown sector plan while increasing parkland, announced Saturday that it has incorporated as a 501(c)4 non-profit. Its first goal, now that it has the ability to raise funds, is to hire a community organizer.

According to the group's founder, Mary Flynn, the community organizer will raise community awareness of what the implications of the current plan are for residents, engage and activate them to participate in the plan process, and use their input to achieve revisions to the draft plan.

CBAR is now soliciting donations, which are not tax-deductible, on a GoFundMe page. They have already raised $5640 of their $25,000 goal in only 48 hours, as of this writing.

"A lot of unhappy people" at Bethesda Downtown sector plan public hearing

The Montgomery County Council held the first of three public hearings on the Planning Board draft of the Bethesda Downtown sector plan last night. Dozens of residents, community leaders and property owners testified, and sought major and minor changes in the plan.

Infrastructure - traffic and school capacity in particular - remains the top concern for residents, especially those in the single-family home neighborhoods that border the plan area. Resident and public school teacher Sandra Arestra seemed to hit a particularly raw nerve with some of the most pro-density members of the Council with her very effective testimony.

Arestra confirmed what another Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School parent had previously determined - 50% of that school's students live in apartment buildings. That severely undercuts the argument that apartments don't generate many students. In fact, Bethesda Elementary School parent Melissa Groman testified that 37% of the bus stops on routes serving that school are in front of apartment or condo buildings. While new apartment development Flats 8300 is only 50% occupied, Groman said, there are already 10 children who live there attending Bethesda ES.

Several people mentioned the notoriously inaccurate forecasting of student generation at schools in Bethesda and countywide. Councilmember Roger Berliner told the audience that he had just had a 90 minute meeting with all kinds of officials from Montgomery County Public Schools earlier in the day. But guess what? He said that during the Westbard sector plan, and those discussions generated no new schools to serve that area.

Testifying in his capacity as a member of the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board, Donohoe Development Senior Vice President Jad Donohoe spoke to those concerns. Donohoe's testimony echoed what had been said the night before by residents of East Bethesda - that school overcrowding is so severe in the plan area, we have reached the point where land must be acquired. Specifically, Donohoe suggested, land contiguous to BCC HS should be purchased, as that school has run out of room to add any additional classrooms or athletic fields.

A PTA representative asked the Council to reject and rewrite the draft plan, and pointed out that when a delayed portable is finally delivered to overcrowded Bethesda ES, it will replace the kindergarten playground there.

Arestra said she is always told that MCPS, the Planning Board and the County Council work together to address school overcrowding issues. But, she said, she has now concluded, "I think it's fiction." Instead, she said, each entity wants to "blame one group, blame the other." In fact, just last night, councilmembers were saying it was the fault of MCPS, not theirs. Arestra suggested a moratorium on new development until school overcrowding is addressed, and updating the formula for school payments collected from developers. "It takes 14 years to educate a child," she said, "not a one-time payment."

Traffic was the other hot topic. Representatives of the Montgomery County political cartel who criticize my support for a new Potomac River crossing to provide direct access to Dulles Airport should talk to Paul Weidow, a resident and owner of Bethesda cybersecurity firm Plex Solutions. Weidow testified that he would like to lease a larger office space in downtown Bethesda, and hire 50 new employees.

But traffic congestion is threatening Weidow's business model and plans. His firm has high-level public and private clients. Weidow explained that his teams have black bags already packed, and need to be able to deploy immediately during a cyber attack on a client, for example. They have to get to places like the Pentagon, military bases, and to airports, to reach clients in a rapid fashion.

Weidow said it will also be hard to attract employees due to the traffic congestion, crowded schools (which are declining academically since 2010, I should point out), and lack of parks. The Capital Crescent Trail will no longer be a lunchtime escape to nature for his workers, he said, once Purple Line trains are running alongside it.

Francis Pitlick said the plan doesn't leave any room to add new lanes to Wisconsin Avenue, even as it will expand the number of cars using that major commuter route. Longtime Chevy Chase resident Martha Mohler concurred with her neighbor, noting that the State highway is relied on by commuters in the distant upcounty area and beyond. "The traffic situation is ridiculous," Mohler testified. "We are in a dangerous situation." Of the plans for growth east of Wisconsin Avenue, Mohler said, Bethesda is "freezing up" just from the growth already allowed by the 1994 sector plan. "What you're putting there at what you call 'the fringe' is absolutely absurd."

Mohler slammed the plan's incentives designed to tempt St. John's Church to demolish its building, and redevelop its land. "This is inappropriate," she said.

Chevy Chase West resident Maya Larson said she was struck by a car walking home from that church, despite having the right of way as a pedestrian. Her son was also struck by a car, she told the Council. Larson advised the Council to ensure the plan requires any new Fire Station 6 design to retain direct egress to Wisconsin Avenue, so that fire and rescue vehicles don't have to pass through traffic jams at the light on Bradley Boulevard.

44-year resident David Belkin repeated his challenge to the Council - try to drive north on Wisconsin Avenue out of Bethesda during the evening rush hour. "It is very horrible to go north on the Pike."

Chevy Chase Town Councilman Barney Rush, testifying as an individual, called it "astonishing" that the plan does not include turning County land like Parking Lot 24 into parks. Chris Leinberger, a professor who studies metropolitan areas, said Bethesda currently has the 2nd-least amount of parkland of the comparable towns he's examined. Donohoe urged the Council to set a timeframe for construction of new parks.

Property owners and their attorneys also weighed in on the document.

Attorney Steve Robins spoke on behalf of his client, Peel Properties. Robins asked the Council to give their property at 7220 Wisconsin Avenue the same density as the neighboring Apex Building site will have, because both are right at the future Purple Line station. He also sought a minimum 140' height for 4905 Del Ray Avenue, and 200' for 4520 East-West Highway.

Speaking on behalf of a second client, PNC Bank, Robins suggested the plan stipulate a 175' height for their 7530 Wisconsin (Benihana) property, on the condition that the adjacent properties on Wisconsin are assembled into one development.

Donohoe said his company would like 175' height instead of the recommended 145' for its 8280 Wisconsin Avenue gas station property at Battery Lane. That would be more compatible with the existing 8200 apartment tower next door, he said.

Promark Real Estate Services Director of Development Peter McLaughlin, whose firm has been a downtown Bethesda fixture since 1923, argued for his vision of the "Pearl District." Centered along Pearl Street, such a redevelopment would create "a third node of walkable retail" in Bethesda. The plan's current recommendations for height "are uncharacteristically low" for a site that is a short walk from Metro, McLaughlin said. That will require property owners to buy much more density in transfers from other properties, threatening the economic viability of the Pearl District plan, he said.

Doug Firstenberg of StonebridgeCarras pleaded for predictability in the rules, whatever they end up being. "The certainty of what we can do is critical" to economic development, Firstenberg said. His firm was one of the partners in the successful public-private redevelopment of Lot 31 near Bethesda Row.

Two properties whose owners were unable to participate in the sector plan process had advocates last night. The Donohoe Companies just acquired the 11-story office building at 4800 Montgomery Lane a mere 12 weeks ago, Donohoe reported. The previous owner, Donohoe told the Council, did not actively engage the Planning Department or Planning Board during the plan process. In light of its proximity to Metro and the future Purple Line, he said 225' would be a more-appropriate height for the property.

And Jimmy Traettino of the venerable Positano Ristorante Italiano, one of the longest-operating restaurants in downtown Bethesda, spoke on behalf of his mother, who owns the properties the restaurant sits on. She was unable to participate in the planning process due to her husband's death, he said. Traettino said the land's proximity to Metro, and other high-rises, warrants more height than the plan currently shows for the two plots.

Closing out the night, appropriately, was an East Bethesda resident who jokingly referred to her neighborhood as "Edgeless," in comparison to the politically-powerful Edgemoor community on the west side of town. "There are a lot of unhappy people here," she said. "There are thousands of people in Bethesda who are unhappy, and are thinking of leaving for the first time."

East Bethesda residents tell County Council they want "joint effort" as Bethesda Downtown Plan looms (Photos)

A night before the Montgomery County Council begins public hearings on the Bethesda Downtown sector plan draft, an overflow crowd told 3 of its members they want a more collaborative process than the Planning Board allowed. "We feel residents were not listened to at the Planning Board level," a community leader who did not wish to be identified told Councilmembers Roger Berliner (D-District 1), and At-large members Marc Elrich (D) and George Leventhal (D) as the meeting began at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. Many letters were sent to the Planning Board, she said, but those citizen concerns were never addressed.

The community is therefore seeking "more of a joint effort going forward." Good luck. All three councilmembers and all of their colleagues just voted to approve the Westbard sector plan, which jacked up allowed density and heights to urban levels in a single-family home, squarely suburban area. If they would do that there, what might they do for a similar, established neighborhood that is actually walking distance to Metro?

"Residents were not

listened to at the

Planning Board"

Resident frustrations were clear at the meeting, which was organized by the East Bethesda Citizens Association. But there were zingers directed from the front of the room, as well. Leventhal's perplexing insistence on turning the forum into an early County Executive candidate debate backfired, and he was rebuked by residents.

After listening to speeches of varying lengths by the elected officials, residents began to wonder when they would get the floor - that was the original point of the meeting, right? For Leventhal, the night seemed to be about scoring early points against his presumed rival in the 2018 County Executive race, Elrich.

Elrich, who received the most votes of any councilmember in the last election, was the only of the three to declare his support for the wish list the EBCA approved on September 28. That list asks the Council to:

• Ensure data used to justify the plan is accurate (the data in the Draft Plan currently is not)
• Authorize creation of a Citizens Advisory Committee, which used to be a required step in the sector plan process
• Reduce building heights near the edges of East Bethesda down to those given in the 1994 Bethesda Downtown plan, utilizing a "tent" concept stepping down from the highest heights around Metro
• Support a proposed Eastern Greenway, which would turn parking lots the County built between Wisconsin Avenue and East Bethesda homes into parks, and not in exchange for greater building heights near East Bethesda
• Restore a $25.81 Park Impact Payment tax that was originally proposed by planning staff
• Correct errors in the plan's borders, which have mistakenly drawn some residents' homes into the urban plan area
• Require delivery lanes/zones on the property at downtown Bethesda high-rises; some residents complained about trucks blocking traffic on Woodmont Avenue outside the Harris Teeter
• Add more green and open space to the plan

"I support all the stuff that you asked for," Elrich responded after a presentation to outline the proposals. He suggested sending the plan back to the Planning Board for major revisions, and creation of the Citizens Advisory Committee. "I find the whole [planning] process deeply troubling," Elrich said. There have been "too many controversial plans, too much anger," he added. "If you're generating this much anger, you need to examine the process."

Elrich pointed to Fairfax County's management of the new development in Tysons as a model. Fairfax has built in annual stops to the development process, he said, to ensure infrastructure is keeping up with the growth. "There's no linkage" of the two in Montgomery County, he said.

"My obligation is to the people who live here," Elrich concluded. Leventhal turned and began to attack Elrich at that point. "It's a great applause line," Leventhal said of Elrich's statement. Leventhal declared that the master plan process requires a long-range plan taking into account future growth. "We don't have any choice."

"I resent your continual mischaracterization of what I say," Elrich retorted. "You do this to me all the time." As Leventhal began to respond to Elrich, the room began to grumble. "My time is limited, and I worked hard to get here," a resident shouted from the back of the room. "It would be great if others could talk."

Realizing the bad optics, Leventhal broke off the bickering, and citizens were allowed to speak at last.

"You don't

listen to us"

Resident Kristin Mossbeck said she had noticed the Toll Brothers City Living Hampden Row condo project at Arlington Road and Hampden Lane, and noted how it stepped down low toward Edgemoor and was only a mid-rise building. "I thought, 'Wow, this is really nice.' How can they make money," she asked the councilmembers, while others say they need 290' to profit?"

Leventhal said he did not wish to respond to residents' questions, arguing it would extend the meeting too late. Elrich offered an answer, saying, "There's no evidence that [the zoning] in place has been an impediment to development here."

"You don't listen to us," one resident said. He challenged the councilmen to drive north on MD 355 during the evening rush hour. "I would like you guys to do it at 5:30 in the afternoon," he said to applause from the crowd. Resident Jean Weiss said she has "a diminished sense of confidence in my local government." Weiss said she had been relieved by the outcome of the 1994 plan process, which set more modest heights and preferable boundaries near East Bethesda. "Suddenly, the boundaries changed," she said of the new plan.

"I have a

diminished sense

of confidence in

my local

government"

Weiss listed some broken down amenities at downtown buildings, such as busted clocks and fountains that never turn on anymore. When inquiring with the property owners, she said, they told her it would be too difficult or costly to make the necessary repairs. "I don't understand that attitude," Weiss told the councilmen. In light of these broken promises to residents, she said, "no wonder you don't have [the public's] confidence."

Another resident asked Leventhal, essentially, what is the rush regarding this plan? Leventhal acknowledged, "I don't think there's a deadline."

"No wonder

you don't have

the public's

confidence"

One resident lamented that traffic on 355 has hemmed East Bethesda residents into their homes during the evening rush hour. "Gymnastics is not an option for my daughter," she said, because the activity is held on Nicholson Lane. "We can't get there. The infrastructure has failed."

You'll be told student generation rates at Bethesda Elementary School will decline in future years, she said. "There's no way" that will be the case, she added. "Hear! Hear!," shouted a man from the back of the room, as the crowd broke into applause.

Pants on

Fire

Leventhal asserted that existing single-family homes were to blame for school overcrowding. That earned him a razz and a low and sustained, "Nooooooooo," from the audience. It also earns him a Four Pinocchio/Pants on Fire rating from our Fact Check. In fact, it has been new development and an explosion of undocumented immigrant students which have driven school overcrowding countywide.

In the current age, with family sizes significantly smaller, it is absurd to claim that new families are somehow bringing more kids than ever before. Apartments and condos do generate students. 130 live in apartments feeding into Bethesda Elementary, which became overcrowded only 9 months after an addition was constructed (!!). 

"The 

infrastructure

has failed"

"I can absolutely tell you that they are" generating students, one Bethesda ES parent said of multifamily buildings. "The level of growth that we've seen has been tremendous," she said. Recounting how the school's TV studio, special needs room, and even closets have been turned into emergency classrooms, she said, "To see your child smushed into a classroom that was literally a closet - we're at the breaking point right now."

One BCC parent said that high school will be within about 100 students of the allowed maximum under County rules by 2020, despite an addition currently under construction. She said there has been discussion about having the County acquire two office buildings adjacent to BCC at East-West Highway and Pearl Street, to redevelop them as new athletic fields to be shared by BCC and Our Lady of Lourdes school.

"The Planning Board

stabbed us in the

back"

The lack of green space in the draft plan also drew criticism. "The developers have jumped on the smart growth bandwagon because it allows density," resident Tori Hall said. "We're building Manhattan without Central Park."

Another resident said she likes the scale of Bethesda Row, but doesn't like the draft plan's heights. She said downtown Bethesda will never have the upside of Manhattan, instead becoming "horrible."

"The Planning Board sort of stabbed us in the back," she said. "We are seriously on the wrong track. Since 2005, thing have gotten a lot worse." Interesting observation, since that's around the same time the bulk of today's council seized power. 

That appeared to jolt Leventhal into making more fantastical claims about growth, including one that he often deploys around election time.

"We are 

seriously on

the wrong

track"

"The reason we have traffic is that people want to live here," Leventhal asserted. FACT CHECK: False. The reason we have traffic, is that Mr. Leventhal and his colleagues have approved unlimited development with no infrastructure to support it, from Westbard to Clarksburg, and from Damascus to Science City. Multiple freeways and parkways were intentionally left unbuilt, and in many cases, deliberately removed from master plans.

One reason we sit in traffic so long heading north on 355 out of downtown Bethesda, is because the planned Northwest Freeway that would have run in a trench behind businesses on the east side of Wisconsin Avenue out to I-495 - with an interchange between Pooks Hill and Connecticut Avenue (look at the green strip around Elmhirst Parkway that leads to the Beltway) - was canceled decades ago. Now that traffic is funneled through city streets instead.

By the way, the bank-busting "BRAC" road improvements related to Walter Reed FAILED BIG TIME. Jones Bridge Road is backed up for blocks at Connecticut in the afternoon. One of the biggest boondoggles and wastes of taxpayer money in history, which could have been entirely avoided by digging out the buried off-ramp that leads directly into the Walter Reed/Naval Hospital site.

Leventhal's claim earns him another Four Pinocchios/Pants on Fire rating.

Then, Leventhal absolved himself and his colleagues of their responsibility for the mess we're in today with traffic and schools by claiming, "We're not developers. We don't build buildings." We just set the zoning code. That elicited a crying-foul "oooooooooooh" from the crowd, and a pained, "Ugh," exclamation.

"I feel

betrayed"

Berliner decided to try the false statement game then, claiming his recent update of the sidewalk closure law - which requires signs to be posted so citizens can theoretically report sidewalk closures - has solved the problem mentioned by one attendee, sidewalks closed during construction of buildings downtown. "Who the hell gave them permission to close off my sidewalk," asked the resident, who had experience in city management. FACT CHECK: Berliner's statement is false. There are several sidewalks closed for construction downtown at the moment, and they will remain closed for months or years. Claims that sidewalks can't close can be easily debunked by a simple walk around downtown (which the Council never does, having to be bused around like tourists during sector plan updates to learn about the County they get paid 6-figures to rule). Berliner's claim also earns a Four Pinocchio, Pants on Fire rating.

"Who the

hell gave them

permission?"

Leventhal had put aside his feud with Elrich long enough at this point, following up Elrich's report on Fairfax County limiting its smart growth walkshed to a half-mile from Metro for new residential. Leventhal erupted, complaining that he had had to listen to Elrich "wax rhapsodic all afternoon on Tysons."

"I feel betrayed by the process," a resident said, trying to switch back from County Executive Debate 2018 to the topic at hand. He cited the lack of delivery lanes for trucks at Flats 8300/Harris Teeter, and the lack of green space at The Lauren. And he said he cannot bring his children to "the park behind CVS. It's gross. Go to that park, and you'll see why I don't want to bring my children there. I feel betrayed."

"What we

experience on

a daily basis

does not give

us any trust

in you"

Berliner blamed the Planning Board, saying it "lost control." But wait a minute - Berliner and his colleagues hand-picked and approved every single commissioner on that Planning Board. They've made no move to recall or replace them, and even boosted the salary and tenure of its Chair, Casey Anderson. How do you blame your own people for "losing control?" That means the Council has lost control, and is feckless and impotent to take control of just about anything but your life choices and tax bill at this point. They're good at telling you what you can eat, or what your Chinese take-out box can be made of. Economic development, schools, traffic congestion and planning? Not so much.

"We're at the

breaking point 

now"

But don't try to convince the Council of that reality. "We are the ultimate planning authority," Berliner boasted. "You will be heard. You will be respected," he promised. Which should prompt hysterical laughter from anyone who just went through the Westbard sector plan process, in which residents were not only ignored entirely by the Council, but deprived of their legal process to such an extent that the plan is now in the courts to be hashed out. Another success for our uber-skilled Council!

"What we experience on a daily basis does not give us any trust in you," a resident told the councilmen in an appropriate close to the meeting.

Sign that's popping up
all over neighborhoods
bordering downtown

SunTrust reacquires 7500 Wisconsin property in Bethesda

SunTrust Banks, Inc. has bought back its former property at 7500 Wisconsin Avenue, at the main crossroads of downtown Bethesda. While the site has continued to host an operating bank branch, the corporation sold the property for $5.5 million in January 2008. SunTrust is taking a loss on the deal in the short term, as it had to pay $9.3 million to reacquire it a few weeks ago.

The property is within the upper left corner
of the lower red area indicated on this
map of heights near the Bethesda Metro
(via Montgomery County Planning Department)

The long-term investment picture is considerably brighter for the Atlanta-based corporation. 7500 Wisconsin falls within the area targeted for 200-290' tall buildings under the Bethesda Downtown sector plan likely to be approved by the Montgomery County Council.

Flatiron Building in
New York City
(via Google Maps)

7500 Wisconsin and adjacent
properties sit on a similar
triangular-shaped plot of
land at an urban crossroads

While the building is an iconic one in downtown Bethesda, it could be part of a highly-lucrative assembly and redevelopment in the future. I'm thinking something like the landmark Flatiron Building in New York. If redevelopment isn't in mind, why else would they blow $9 million on this?

MoCo Planning Board to discuss potential land acquisition for parks in downtown Bethesda in closed session

The Montgomery County Planning Board will adjourn into closed session for part of its December 10 meeting. They'll be discussing potential land acquisitions for parks in downtown Bethesda. This is related to the Bethesda Downtown sector plan process, which is nearing its end.

Leaders in Rockville are having similar discussions about whether to acquire land along Rockville Pike, to ensure there will be adequate park space in the implementation of the future Rockville PIke plan.

The general consensus among residents who testified on the draft Bethesda Downtown Plan was that more parks and public spaces were needed in the document's recommendations.

Bradley Shopping Center exploring future redevelopment options

Owners of the venerable Bradley Shopping Center in Bethesda are actively exploring options for redeveloping their property, their attorney Jody Kline said at last night's public hearing on the Bethesda Downtown sector plan. While Kline said they have no immediate plans to redevelop the site, they have retained Bethesda real estate firm Streetsense to study their options.

"We've found a niche there [with] neighborhood serving" retail, Kline said on behalf of the shopping center. Home to popular retailers like Strosniders Hardware, Bradley Care Drugs and Bradley Food and Beverage - to name only a few - the property sits near the edge of the area covered under the sector plan.

So far, Kline said, one option identified is to put residential above the stores, doubling the 51,000 SF site's density. But Kline argued the property must be allowed more density than the draft plan provides for to successfully redevelop. "The property can handle more density, and certainly more commercial density," Kline said.

It's unlikely the ultimate development would simply put residential above the existing retail footprint. That structure couldn't support additional floors above, and probably occupies barely half of the entire property. The county's new development guidelines emphasize structured or rear parking, and retail that fronts onto the street.

Many real estate observers, who have no stake in the property, have previously marveled at the potential development that could result if the shopping center joined its property with EuroMotorcars. Such a development would virtually rival Bethesda Row in size, and essentially adjoin it at Arlington Road and Bethesda Avenue. Neighbors behind the Roosevelt-era apartments behind the site would likely have something to say about the potential height and density of such a development, however.

I think what most community members would find important is - how many of those retailers will stay, or be "allowed" to stay in regard to rents, in any redevelopment of the property? That could be a big part of getting community buy-in for more density there.

Bethesda residents rally against Metro plaza building, road through Battery Lane park at Downtown Plan hearing

What height buildings should be on which streets continues to draw a wide variety of opinions. But Bethesda residents speaking at Wednesday's Bethesda Downtown sector plan hearings were pretty clear on two points - they don't want a new building on the plaza at the Bethesda Metro Center, and they don't want a new road paved through Battery Lane Park. Both proposals are recommended by Montgomery County planners in the current plan draft. The Montgomery County Planning Board took testimony from the public at two sessions yesterday.

Bob Eisenberg made a point that speaks to both the past and future uses of the Metro Center plaza, and downtown Bethesda in general. He noted that he and his family "all too often have to look outside of Bethesda" for larger scale events. Other than the Taste of Bethesda and several street festivals that are primarily arts-related, we've continued to lack a St. Patrick's Day parade and an Oktoberfest, for example. And in the past, the Metro plaza was used for larger gatherings such as Fourth of July fireworks, and a Christmas tree lighting. Eisenberg said he opposed "eliminating this key public space," and also chastised planners for including a specific footprint for a 29-story building on it. He noted that master plans don't typically include building footprints, and asked them to remove the footprint shown on page 97 of the draft.

Another downtown resident recalled the golden age of the plaza, as well. Once home to a food court, the plaza was ideal for "lunchtime enjoyment" by workers. He said the ideal plaza would be one that continued to have an open design. With insular plazas, he argued, you're "not sure you’re safe there." Ultimately, he said, "plazas make the development. The development is not going to make the plaza."

"When my friends come to visit Bethesda, I want them to see a vibrant park area," a third resident said. "I’d like to see Metro plaza return to what it was originally designed for," he said.

Bethesda resident Nellie Wild also opposed the building on the plaza, calling for "vibrant public open spaces," and "larger public spaces, not micro parks."

An issue that drew equally-strong emotions from residents was the proposal to run a new road through Battery Lane Park.

Sandra Purohit brought a petition signed by 70 downtown residents who oppose the park road plan. Her observation that, if roads enhanced parks, the green space along I-95 would be the most popular on the east coast, drew chuckles from the crowd. Speaking to the county officials' frequent calls to make Montgomery more friendly to young professionals, Purohit advised "If you’re looking for millennials, they’re in Battery Park." One commenter on this blog previously noted there is a bocce league popular with young people that uses the park.

Purohit noted that Bethesda residents are "progressive, [and] want to live in a place that reflects progressive views," including on the environment. Water quality in Bethesda streams is already "poor to fair" as it is, she said. "We don’t just need park acres, we need quality park acres," she argued.

Another 25-year resident of Battery Lane said she and 12 other residents also oppose the park road plan. She said many mature trees would be lost, and air quality would suffer. A road would represent "loss of a green, quiet oasis," she said. Battery Lane Park is a "well used park all hours of the day, she reported, noting that people “stroll through, they don’t hurry through, they’re not dodging traffic," as they would if a road was added.

Ana Maria Mutter, resident manager of Battery Gardens, concurred with her neighbors in opposition to the park plan.

A number of other resident and developer concerns were raised during the hearing.

Attorney Jody Kline said the plan as drafted would not facilitate the redevelopment his clients proposed for the north side of East-West Highway between Our Lady of Lourdes and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. Their vision for street frontage along East-West is threatened by less-than-sufficient density recommendations for their sites, Kline said.

Jad Donohoe of The Donohoe Companies, who is also Vice Chair of the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board and grew up in Bethesda, commended planners for their recommendation to convert one-way streets into two-way thoroughfares. The change would be "a good thing for building owners, merchants, and pedestrians," Donohoe said. He wasn't as positive about the plan's density recommendation for Donohoe's property at 7400 Wisconsin Avenue, the historic post office. Donohoe noted that the property is "directly atop Metro, but we haven’t received any increase in density in this plan." He also said there are insufficient incentives in the current plan draft for developers to utilize density transfers, which Donohoe has done in the past.

Joseph Allen of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association endorsed the plan's bike improvements, but said NIH and Walter Reed need better bike facilities for their large number of employees.

Deborah Ingram said the 250' building height proposed along Wisconsin from Waverly to Willow was incompatible with the established, single-family home residential neighborhoods behind them.

A resident who lives near the proposed park across from Bethesda Elementary School had several concerns about the plans for that site. She said adding seating would attract adults and loiterers to the park, and pose a threat to children. The plan to demolish a county-owned home right next to two other occupied homes would divide the neighborhood, she predicted. She also opposed plans to light the park for night use, arguing the park should close at dusk.

An environmental advocate who said she represented 20 people found the plan's environmental goals and recommendations lacking, with little enforcement mechanism to effect actual change. The new standards were "pretty much business as usual," she said. "Mere recommendations and business as usual will not” solve the problems, she declared.

Finally, a resident of Nottingham Drive in Chevy Chase West said she opposed the proposed redevelopment of the Bethesda Fire Department station that borders her neighborhood. "I feel strongly that Bethesda downtown should end at Bradley Boulevard. CR zoning…has vast uses, and would be inappropriate for this edge property."