Chase Bank seeks sign variance for Wisconsin Avenue branch in Bethesda

J.P. Morgan Chase is requesting a sign variance from Montgomery County for a new sign it would like to install at its 7901 Wisconsin Avenue branch in downtown Bethesda. The sign proposed is 91.35-square-feet, illuminated, and will be attached to the Wisconsin Avenue facade of the bank facing west. It will read, "J.P. Morgan." The sign placement will be higher than 26' above ground level, which is what necessitates the variance.

Their application will be reviewed at a virtual meeting of the Montgomery County Sign Review Board on January 14, 2026 at 8:30 AM. A decision should quickly follow the review that morning. If you wish to join the meeting, or submit comments regarding the proposed sign, you must contact roger.waterstreet@montgomerycountymd.gov TODAY, January 9, 2026.

Signage at this branch has led to controversy before. Extremely bright blue signage and lighting cast a blue tint into apartment windows at the 8001 Woodmont development directly across Wisconsin, and raised the ire of some neighbors in East Bethesda. The bank then toned down the brightness.

Chase Bank nears opening on River Road in Bethesda (Photos)

The new Chase Bank branch at 5135 River Road in Bethesda is close to welcoming its first customers. Construction appears in the final phase, with furnishings and interior decoration being completed inside, and signage installed on the exterior. The former Bank of America/NationsBank/Maryland National Bank building has been being overhauled since this past spring. While most banks are shuttering branches, Chase is expanding rapidly in the Washington, D.C. region, with seven new locations about to open.

Chase Bank opening new branch on River Road in Bethesda

It's another bank for 5135 River Road in Bethesda. Chase Bank is opening a new branch in the building that was previously home to Bank of America. There has been extensive construction work to remodel the property. The Montgomery County Council continues to block any new fast food restaurants from opening in Bethesda, despite the prime location and drive-thru this site provided. Taco Bell or Chick-fil-A could have made a killing at this location.

Blue light special returns to Chase Bank in Bethesda

The controversial blue lights at Chase Bank were back on Monday evening in downtown Bethesda. In recent days, men were seen fixing or replacing the existing blue LED accent lighting on the building's facade. Those lights irritated some in the neighborhood when they were originally activated in 2019, leading to them being shut off for many months at the Wisconsin Avenue bank branch.

Sumner Place Chase Bank drive-thru ATM before MoCo Planning Board today

The proposed location of a
Chase Bank drive-thru ATM
is shown in yellow above

A freestanding drive-thru ATM proposed last fall for the new Chase Bank at the Shops at Sumner Place in Bethesda will be considered by the Montgomery County Planning Board today. It will be located on the Sentinel Drive edge of the lot, near where the United States Postal Service removed a longtime mailbox a few years ago. Chase Bank is in an in-line space some distance from the ATM site, near Safeway and Kicks Karate.

The ATM site plan includes landscaping, and will remove three parking spaces from the ample supply of parking at the former Little Falls Mall. In the review process, however, staff found that at least one tree the property owner had promised to plant in a previous project approval was never planted. Planting of that missing Zelkova tree has now been made a condition of the ATM approval.

A public meeting on the ATM proposal was held last September at the Little Falls Library. The Planning Department and applicant say they have received no objection from attendees nor the community at large to the ATM. Planning staff is recommending approval of the ATM. The meeting begins at 9:00 AM at 8787 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring.

Chase Bank coming to Montrose Crossing

A vacant bank was fenced off earlier this year at the Montrose Crossing shopping center. Now the identity of the new bank is known. Chase Bank will be opening here in 2020. Construction is now underway to modify the bank to J.P. Morgan Chase specifications.

Chase Bank tests controversial lights in downtown Bethesda (Photos)

On a damp and foggy evening in downtown Bethesda, Chase Bank conducted a new test of its controversial blue accent lighting on its new branch at 7901 Wisconsin Avenue. As you may recall, when the lights were first activated on August 21, they cast a blue light all over the neighborhood. By the next week, the lights were being discussed on local television, and the controversy led the bank to power down the display.

Last night, community members stood in front of the building as Chase Bank officials activated various lighting modes for their review. As you can see, the brightness was massively toned down from the initial display in August.

Chase Bank to Pike & Rose?

Chase Bank is aggressively expanding across the country, having already opened two branches in downtown Bethesda alone, with a third Bethesda location in the works. Now I'm hearing they will open a future branch at Pike & Rose, on a pad site along Prose Street.

Lights out at Chase Bank in Bethesda after complaints

The blue light special has ended at Chase Bank at 7901 Wisconsin Avenue. After receiving complaints about controversial blue LED lighting that projected far beyond their property since they were activated one week ago, the branch has temporarily deactivated them. While I think the lights were clearly turned up too high to comply with light pollution regulations, it will be disappointing if they cannot have some color at a lower intensity. For now, the area around the bank has returned to the funereal grey darkness now found on most Bethesda streets after dark in the post-nightlife era. 

How it looked for the last week

It was also wild to see the story I broke last Thursday go viral, with no attribution to my original scoop. The blue lights story even made it to WJLA-7 News, among others, but the source who discovered it was not cited in any of them.

Blue light special: New Chase Bank LEDs have neighborhood awash

Bethesda bank's new lights

tinting all buildings around it

The new Chase Bank branch at 7901 Wisconsin Avenue lit up a new set of LED accent lights last night in downtown Bethesda. Their trademark color left all neighboring buildings around it aglow. It could be described as "over the top."

With the collapse of nightlife in downtown Bethesda after the Montgomery County Council's disastrous "Nighttime Economy Task Force" initiative, and the rise of poorly-lit new buildings, I actually support where businesses are adding light and color to the shadowy blackness of our often-deserted streets. I know pedestrians walking alone at night are likely to welcome it. But one has to wonder what future residents of 7900 Wisconsin Avenue across the street may have to say about this blue blasting into their windows, and creeping around their drapes.

Chase Bank (at left) casts a blue
tint down and across Wisconsin
Avenue, as high as the top of the
new 7900 Wisconsin Avenue building

7900 Wisconsin is entirely lit up
by the Chase Bank lights