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.
17 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.
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