Montgomery Pearl development back on in downtown Bethesda

The Montgomery Pearl project is back on in downtown Bethesda. A proposed redevelopment of several adjoining properties on Montgomery Avenue and Pearl Street, it was previously floated around 2018. Promark Development, LLC, has now revived the project. Comprised of 4540, 4424, 4400, 4340 and 4338 Montgomery Avenue, and 7300 Pearl Street, the new development would include residential buildings with ground floor retail. A "health and wellness club" would also be part of the project.

Promark has also proposed to create a connection between the Capital Crescent Trail and the public space in the new development, and to convert the portion of Pearl Street adjacent to the site into a shared street for pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles. A four-level underground parking garage would serve residential, retail, and health club uses. The maximum building height of 145' would step down at the rear of the property, where it approaches the Purple Line and East Bethesda residential neighborhood.

Images courtesy Promark Development

7300 Pearl St. for sale; future Pearl District redevelopment opportunity in Bethesda (Photos)

An office building at 7300 Pearl Street is for sale, and the seller is showing two potential redevelopment possibilities in the online property listing. One is not much larger than the current structure.

A second scenario shows a more modern office building, but only four stories tall.

But holding onto the property until the Montgomery County Council passes an updated Bethesda Downtown Master Plan could be profitable. The plan envisions a revitalization of the area, which it dubs the "Pearl District", and recommends higher density and mixed-use for most properties there.

This particular property is only 2.5 blocks from the Bethesda Metro station. Given the struggles of the new office building a block away at 4500 East-West Highway in Montgomery County's moribund economic development climate, one wouldn't be surprised if a developer would prefer mixed-use residential on this site.

Photos courtesy Jackson Prentice Real Estate Services, LLC

LANDOWNERS HAVE IDEAS FOR BETHESDA'S FUTURE PEARL DISTRICT (PHOTOS)

Three property owners have shared potential ideas for redeveloping their land in what planners are calling the Pearl District of downtown Bethesda. The future Pearl District is in the area between East-West Highway, Wisconsin Avenue and the Capital Crescent Trail.

Two adjacent landowners are considering partnering on a single, mixed-use project. 4422 East-West Highway and 4425 Montgomery Avenue would be combined into a single, 27000 SF plot addressed as 4422 East-West. Ground floor retail would be topped with residential and commercial space. The 7-story development would be included in the area's Parking District, but also include on-site, underground parking. There would also be public space on the site.

4422 East-West Highway concept

A second project at 4300 East-West Highway would combine several smaller plots into a single Bethesda Gateway residential building.

Images via Montgomery County Planning Department

BETHESDA CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: 4500 EAST-WEST HIGHWAY OFFICE BUILDING

4500 East-West Highway, a gleaming new Class A office building in what some are calling the future "Pearl District" of downtown Bethesda, is nearing completion. One minor detail - the building still has no tenants, reflecting more upon the moribund office space market in Montgomery County than on the building itself. Viewed from different angles, the glass facade has a very modern look, while other sides of the building echo some of the more traditional office towers of the downtown area. Carr Properties redeveloped this former home of the Bethesda McDonald's, and the project is being constructed by Bethesda's own Clark Construction.

Click on photos to enlarge for greater detail: