GEICO campus, Brookdale Park trees facing the clearcut chainsaw in Friendship Heights

What would Warren Buffett do? Well, we know what the Montgomery County Council and Planning Board will do. The recent mega-downsizing of GEICO from its lush, longtime campus in the Friendship Heights area of Chevy Chase to a modest office in Bethesda is quickly leading to a massive redevelopment of that land long feared by neighbors. Central to the plans to building luxury apartments and townhomes on the site is the removal of almost all of the large trees from the 29-acre campus.

"This includes trees that are over 50 inches in diameter; some have been there for more than 100 years," the Little Falls Watershed Alliance warned in a email. "LFWA opposes this large scale destruction of the trees as well as many other elements of the plan that will have a negative impact on the environment." Developer EYA is also seeking permission to remove trees from Brookdale Park, the organization said. LFWA is encouraging residents to email the Planning Department and County Council, and ask them to preserve the trees.

Cheltenham Drive Bikeway plans advancing in Bethesda

Plans for the Cheltenham Drive Bikeway in downtown Bethesda are now scheduled to be reviewed by the Montgomery County Planning Board at their December 11, 2025 public meeting. The County Department of Transportation has filed a Mandatory Referral application with the Planning Department for one-way, separated bike lanes on both sides of Cheltenham, between Woodmont Avenue and Tilbury Street. Mandatory Referral means that commissioners cannot stop or reject the project, but only make recommendations and suggestions based upon public comment, staff advice, and their own expertise. This is standard procedure for government projects. Residents or other stakeholders with questions regarding this project may call Eli Glazier at the Planning Department at 301-495-4548.

Construction to begin next week on latest Little Falls Parkway road diet in Bethesda

Construction on yet another road diet for Little Falls Parkway between Arlington Road and Dorset Avenue in Bethesda is scheduled to begin "on or about" September 29, 2025. This is at least the third road diet project to be implemented on the parkway in the last decade, but only the first to be legally carried out. The Montgomery County Parks Department previously imposed road diets on the parkway illegally, by not receiving the required permission from the National Capital Planning Commission that has authority over the parkway, and by illegally using money from a trail fund that had not been allocated for a road diet by the Montgomery County Council. To date, no one has been arrested, fined, or otherwise disciplined for these illegal actions.

The new road diet will again reduce the portion of the parkway in question to one lane in each direction. This time, there will be a grass median between those lanes, instead of the reckless and dangerous configuration that has existed for about 3 years, where the opposing lanes were only separated by two yellow stripes of paint. A bike path will be constructed on part of the space left by the removed southbound lane. This past weekend, a digital signboard was placed on Arlington Road near the parkway (see photo above).

Highly controversial from the beginning, the Little Falls Parkway road diet scandal will leave a legacy of shame in Montgomery County government for decades to come. The Parks Department, Montgomery County Planning Board, and Montgomery County Council all ignored the wishes of the public on this matter. 73% of the residents who testified regarding the road diet opposed it; the County is steamrolling over them and moving ahead with it anyway. That gives you some idea of their commitment to "democracy."

Instead, the Council and their allies in government are privately high-fiving each other over their second monumental victory over a perceived invincible foe. Having defeated the once-feared Columbia Country Club to implement the Purple Line for their developer sugar daddies, they are now giddy at having defeated the powerful Kenwood neighborhood on the road diet issue. Now nothing can stand in their way, as the last remaining private powers in the county capable of inflicting financial or political repercussions are now perceived to have been rendered inert. 

And beyond the actual illegal actions that were taken on the earlier road diets, the shame of destroying an expensive public roadway - further crippling highway infrastructure capacity even while increasing the amount of development in the area - for radical, War-on-Cars ideology, is beyond criminal. Once again, one must wonder at what offense, at what illegality, the voters of Bethesda and Montgomery County might finally take action at the ballot box.

Residents of Bethesda condo building up in arms over Ridgewells expansion proposal

Photo of Ridgewells trash area taken by resident of
The Kenwood and submitted to the
Montgomery County Planning Department

Famed Washington D.C.-area catering company Ridgewells has proposed expanding its facility at 5525 Dorsey Lane in Bethesda to 18,805-square-feet. A filing with Montgomery County, which seeks to combine Ridgewells' current property with an adjacent parcel into a single lot, was to be reviewed by the Montgomery County Planning Board this morning at its Wheaton headquarters. However, that agenda item has been converted into an extension request, so that Ridgewells can have an additional two months to review and address complaints submitted by next-door neighbors living in The Kenwood condominium building at 5101 River Road. Planning staff are recommending approval of that extension request.

Virtually every letter, message, or voicemail received by the Montgomery County Planning Department on the proposed expansion cites the same problems: food and cooking odors seeping into the condo units, delivery traffic conflicting with parking and loading bay operations at The Kenwood and Macedonia Baptist Church, and a rodent invasion of The Kenwood that the corresponding residents blame on Ridgewells' trash disposal operations. One letter also mentions that bright lights on the Ridgewells building have forced all residents on the west side of the building to purchase blackout curtains.

"To summarize," one resident of The Kenwood writes, "living next to Ridgewells means the residents of the Kenwood Condo must endure 24/7 noise, truck traffic, food smells, enormous amounts of trash, rats and mice which are attracted to the trash overflow." "Ridgewells is assaulting us with food smells 24/7," another message states. "You cannot be serious in considering approval of them expanding their production into a buffer zone."

A former City of Dallas, Texas Planning Commissioner who moved into The Kenwood a year ago writes that he is "appalled at the multiple Code Violations and lack of enforcement in regard to the operation of a large food manufacturing and distribution center 50 feet away from a Multi Family Building of 300+ residents. From the moment I moved in a year ago, I began writing the Montgomery County government departments in regard to correcting Ridgewells' negligence." 

The former Texan notes that, despite a large sign posted along Clipper Lane between Ridgewells and The Kenwood declaring it a "Noise Sensitive Area" - where a 55dba sound limit must be observed during quiet hours, "all night long after returning from Washington parties the catering trucks are beeping in reverse and then hooked up to refrigeration generators that far exceed decibel standards and are deafening all night long." He also cites the large generators and rooftop fans that operate during the night without noise-reduction shielding, and urges they be relocated to the west side of Ridgewells' property.

Trash piled outside of Ridgewells on Clipper Lane, the former Dallas commissioner adds, "has caused a regular rat problem at The Kenwood Condominiums." He recommends trash operations also be moved to the west side of the catering facility.

This is indeed a clash of titans, as you have a legendary local business that is regularly called upon by the elite of Washington, D.C. for catering services, in conflict with residents of an upscale high-rise that was originally constructed in the late 1960s to serve as a luxury hotel. Two things to watch after the extension period, if it is granted today: First, will the Board approve the Ridgewells request to allow the larger facility, and if it does, is there a way that can be found to allow Ridgewells to expand while using that expansion to address the complaints from The Kenwood?

Bethesda transformer explosion a symptom of corrupt Montgomery County planning policy

KABOOM! Another Pepco electrical transformer exploded yesterday afternoon in downtown Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle, cutting off power to many residents and businesses in the area. This has become an unacceptably-regular occurrance downtown. Importantly, power grid issues have become frequent in the two areas of Bethesda that were upzoned since 2016, downtown Bethesda and Westbard, since those sector plans were passed. This is no coincidence, and is a clear example of what many opponents of those plans warned - that the growth allowed would outstrip the capacity of the local infrastructure, including utilities. Such gross negligence has impacted communities countywide, where County officials have failed to deliver even the new infrastructure that was included in sector plans, such as downtown Bethesda, Clarksburg, Damascus, Wheaton, Glenmont, and Watkins Mill.

Around 3:00 PM Friday, a massive explosion was heard - and seen - in front of 7944 Norfolk Avenue in Bethesda. One witness saw a bright flash, and noted that power lines on nearby blocks were shaking. The explosion was so big that Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services were dispatched to the scene, but according to witnesses, departed after finding no ongoing fire. Another nearby resident told me that the lights in their apartment blinked, but power remained on. Many others were not so lucky, as you can see in the Pepco outage map shown here.

In the close vicinity of the transformer explosion, the power outage darkened buildings along the north side of Cordell Avenue, and in the 7900 block of Norfolk Avenue. Those were only two of the affected streets. Not only was this an inconvenience for many residents in an age where everything - including working-from-home - relies upon Wi-Fi, but was a cost to the bottom line of business owners in the area, as well.

Along with frequent power outages and transformer explosions in downtown Bethesda, where thousands of new residential units have been approved and constructed under the 2017 Bethesda Downtown sector plan, the Westbard area has been impacted by ongoing brownouts and power outages. The latter began in 2017, which coincided with the redevelopment of the "Westwood Complex" properties that was approved a year earlier, in the Westbard sector plan.

During these sector plan processes, many residents expressed concerns about how the area's aging power grid, and water and sewage systems, would handle the addition of hundreds or thousands of new households. And if they, inevitably and logically, could not, who would pay for the eventually-necessary upgrades? Their concerns were laughed off by the Montgomery County Planning Department, County Planning Board, and County Council. Nobody living or running a business in the affected areas is laughing anymore.

We've also seen increased flooding during heavy rains in downtown Bethesda, Westbard, and White Flint, which County officials have tried to blame on "climate change." In fact, it is those very Planning staff members, Planning Commissioners, and County Councilmembers who are personally responsible for the flooding - which has been fatal, in some tragic cases - because they approved the massive development and reduction of green space that has increased runoff countywide.

All of these problems stem not simply from developer greed, but from County government not placing limits and protections on that greed in the planning process. You can't blame developers for seeking the moon, if they can get it - that's their job. It is the planners, Planning Commissioners, and County Councilmembers who are tasked with protecting their constituents.

Instead, we've seen planners and commissioners who represent development interests fully take over the planning process. And developers in the Montgomery County cartel have controlled a majority of County Council seats since 2002, when they funded the "End Gridlock" slate. Today, we have a Council where all 11 members have taken varying degrees of money from developers. Not surprisingly, the Council's planning agenda has mirrored that of the developers who funded their victorious campaigns.

The approach can be summed up with a childish analogy. Developers - and the elected, appointed, and hired officials they support above and below the table - are skipping the vegetables, and going right to the chocolate cake every time. That all-sweets diet has understandably impacted the health and quality of life in our communities. Instead of doing the hard work of providing the infrastructure for the growth being proposed, our officials are simply approving all the growth, and not requiring those who are profiting from that growth to fund the infrastructure upgrades it requires.

Longtime residents know that developer-beholden officials have been a major factor in the economic, environmental, and quality-of-life decline over the first quarter of this century. Those engaged enough to pay attention can keep complaining about it - or we can actually do something about it. Here are just a few action items to consider:

1. Virtually every town, city, and county has an adequate public facilities ordinance. Montgomery County's is clearly in-adequate. It needs to be beefed up considerably. An APFO doesn't limit growth, it simply ensures that the private companies profiting from that growth pick up the tab for the infrastructure their new development demands: electric grid and sewer capacity upgrades, new classrooms, new social services, new police and fire facilities and equipment, etc. Right now, the majority of those costs - like the taxes the Council increasingly exempts developers from - are being pushed off onto the backs of residents in the form of higher property taxes and higher utility bills.

2. Stop the planning-to-profit revolving door. The Council should pass a law preventing planning staff and commissioners from accepting jobs with development companies and real estate law firms for at least 5 years after leaving their County position. 

3. Vote smarter. Do you vote somebody else's ballot on Election Day, a ballot that represents someone else's interests, instead of your own? Think about it. The rotten Apple Ballot represents the interests of the powerful teacher's union, which along with developers and other cartel members, is bankrupting the County finances. Endorsements by The Washington Post editorial board reflect the interests of developers, who not only purchase massive amounts of ads in the Post every week, but have actually bought multiple properties from the Post itself, which has profited from those real estate transactions. The Post, in effect, is engaged in property development itself.

Instead, vote YOUR ballot, that represents YOUR interests. The interests of you, your children and grandchildren, your neighborhood, your business. 

Do your research. Find out which candidates are funded by developers, and pay attention to which candidates are calling for responsible growth, and which are calling for unlimited growth unsupported by new infrastructure. The developer-funded candidates can often be identified by their use of terms like "abundance," "housing now," "missing middle," "inclusionary zoning," "redlining," "attainable housing," "social justice," "activity centers," "resilience," "growth corridors," "mix of housing," "Thrive 2050," "a variety of housing types," "equity," "duplexes," "triplexes," "quadplexes," and "parking minimums." That final phrase is utilized in calling for those parking minimums to be done away with to expand developer profits, not the enforcement of such adequate parking space requirements.

Remember, the County Council not only determines who sits on the Planning Board, but also controls the budget of the Planning Department. So, while it cannot regulate who is hired by the department or the policies it puts in front of the Board for approval, it can defund the Planning Department if it pushes policies that are contrary to the public interest.

4. Public financing reform. Currently, developer contributions to those Council candidates using the County's "public" financing system get matched by you, the taxpayer. Does that sound fair to you?

Corrupt users and supporters of the current "public" financing system will tout the "small contributions" that are fueling their campaigns with "people power." What they won't tell you, is that a massive number of those "small contributions" are coming from developers, development attorneys, and their family members. This is a huge advantage, as those candidates can take a great haul in checks from those development interests, and then they receive a matching amount from the pot of taxpayer money that has been budgeted for "public" financing.

Real public financing not only would not allow such outsize developer involvement, but would give every participating candidate at least some respectable amount of money to campaign with, instead of rewarding corrupt candidates who are backed by deep-pocketed development interests with six-figure payouts from the taxpayer. The current system represents a brilliant move by developers and their puppet candidates to force you to fund their campaigns.

Westbard Square site plan changes before Planning Board today

Revised site plan with remaining retail space
shown in red

UPDATE - May 16, 2025, 7:32 AM: A correction has been made to the article regarding the number of parking spaces proposed in the amendment; while the number of residential parking spaces would be unchanged, the number of retail parking spaces for public use is being reduced.

Several significant changes proposed by the developer of a future apartment building at Westbard Square in Bethesda will be reviewed by the Montgomery County Planning Board this afternoon, May 15, 2025. Applicant Greystar Development East, LLC is seeking to delete nearly 20,000-square-feet of previously-approved retail space from the ground floor of the building, and to drop plans for an underground parking garage in favor of an above-grade parking garage that it promises will be hidden by the apartments around it. The jettisoned retail space, should the Board approve that change, will be replaced by street level townhome-style apartments.

Many questioned the level of demand for retail at this location during the 2016 Westbard sector plan process. They have been vindicated by the proposed elimination of almost 20,000 SF of retail from the development. In fact, representatives for Greystar at a community meeting last year predicted that the Westbard Avenue storefronts it seeks to axe would be "vacant" if the Board were to force the company to retain them in the plan.

The amount of residential parking spaces - 261 - will not be changed if the new garage proposal is accepted by the Board. That garage will be accessible to the public, with spaces designated for retail customers, and others for residents of the building. However, the number of those retail parking spaces for the public would be reduced by 30, in relation to the reduction in retail space.

Other changes proposed would modify building elevations, and changes to the locations of electrical transformers, loading dock access, and garage access. You can read the staff report regarding all of the proposed changes here. Planning staff are recommending approval of the site plan amendment.

Planning extension sought for new Bethesda Row apartment building

Federal Realty is seeking an extension from the Montgomery County Planning Board for the review of the Preliminary and Site Plans for a proposed new apartment building at 7070 Arlington Road at Bethesda Row. The plans were both scheduled to be reviewed during the board's April 24, 2025 meeting. Federal Realty, which owns Bethesda Row, is asking for a two-month extension until June 26. The board will consider the extension request at its meeting tomorrow, Thursday, April 10, 2025. Planning staff are recommending approval of the request.

Attorney Patricia Harris says the reason for the request is that the Preliminary Plan that was submitted last December cannot be certified by Montgomery County without a noise analysis. That analysis is currently being completed. Once the noise analysis is submitted to the County, it will take about two months for the Preliminary Plan to then be certified, Harris says. 

If approved, the reverse-L-shaped apartment building would replace Uncle Julio's, several storefronts on Arlington Road next to Uncle Julio's, and a large portion of the parking lot behind the existing stores and restaurants on the south side of Bethesda Avenue (i.e. the Apple Store, Levain Bakery, etc.). The 100' tall structure would have retail and restaurant space in its ground floor, as well as a vehicle pass-through tunnel for deliveries, moving vans, and ride-sharing vehicles. Theoretically, then, Uncle Julio's could lease a ground floor space and return in the new building.

Renderings courtesy Federal Realty/Hickok Cole

Montgomery County's highway robbery

The Montgomery County Planning Board is on the verge of sending the County Council a draft of the latest Master Plan of Highways and Transitways (soon to be called the Master Plan of Walkways and Bikeways, if planners get any more woke) that will do many terrible things, chief among which is permanently removing any chance of building the long-delayed M-83 MidCounty Highway Extended from Montgomery Village Avenue to Clarksburg. If approved by the Board at its meeting this Thursday, April 10, and the Council at a later date, it will be the realization of a long-held fever dream by the War-on-Cars folks who suffer from Highway Derangement Syndrome, virtually all of whom have motored to their Kill M-83 meetings in the very cars they claim you need to get out of. It will also be a theft and reckless disposal of one of the most valuable public holdings government can possess: a transportation right-of-way.

Passage of this Master Plan will drive the stake through the heart of M-83, and confirm that once again County officials were lying through their teeth when they promised all stakeholders and residents of the Upcounty that they would deliver the infrastructure needed to support the massive housing development they had proposed for rural Clarksburg and Damascus. As we all know, all of the new housing was approved and constructed. But none of the supporting elements were. 

No M-83 Highway. No Corridor Cities Transitway light rail. And no high-wage jobs. All of these items were mandatory, but the Council didn't deliver a single one.

Now the Council is poised to throw away something that, frankly, is not theirs to discard. The highway project, and its right-of-way, belong to the taxpayers of Montgomery County. Planners are giddy to note in the Master Plan materials online that the County may not only remove the highway from the plan, but give the land away for free to the Councilmembers' developer sugar daddies. They've done this many times before, giving away public rights-of-way to developers via a "Declaration of No Further Need" abandonment.

A right-of-way is simply too valuable to waste. The Council is free to go down in history as the deranged and corrupt elected officials responsible for worsening traffic congestion, increased emissions from cars idling in traffic jams, and increased response times for police and fire calls by canceling an essential highway. It won't be the first time, as the Council already canceled the equally-long-planned new Potomac River crossing, the Northwest Freeway, the North Central Freeway, the Rockville Freeway, the Montrose Parkway East, and the Northern Parkway.

But a right-of-way is not theirs to give away. They have a responsibility to preserve it in total. No one can predict the needs of the future. Whether it is a road, or a railway, or some form of transportation or use we haven't even imagined yet, these are the scenarios for which smart governments obtain rights-of-way at great cost. Believe it or not, Montgomery County long ago had smart government.

This Master Plan draft represents a double betrayal of the public trust, first and foremost the trust of residents in Clarksburg, Damascus, and Goshen. People bought houses in Clarksburg and Damascus with the expectation of the M-83 and CCT providing viable options for commuting to the Shady Grove Metro station and beyond. Only to find the Planning Board and County Council pulling the rug out from under them after they had taken on their mortgage, and paid all the hefty fees and taxes to the County. But it is also the latest betrayal by the Council of one of its chief charges, stewardship of County assets and resources, which include planned highways and expensively-obtained rights-of-way. Canceling the M-83 is, quite simply, highway robbery.

Montgomery County planning sneaky speed limit cut on Josiah Henson Parkway

The Montgomery County Planning Board is on the verge of approving a War on Cars draft of the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways at its meeting this Thursday, April 10, 2025. Removal of the M-83 Highway (Midcounty Highway Extended) is the centerpiece of the document. Opponents of the highway have successfully blocked its construction for decades, but anti-highway officials on the Planning Board and County Council are seeking to take matters a deranged step further by removing any possibility of its construction, despite it being the most-essential piece of infrastructure to support the growth upcounty that has already been approved and realized over the last twenty years. Also buried within the document are thousands of speed limit reductions to 20 or 25 MPH, even on major state highways.

Just one of many egregious speed limit cuts proposed is on Josiah Henson Parkway, between the "Western edge of downtown White Flint" and E. Jefferson Street, and from E. Jefferson Street to Towne Road. The change would lower the speed limit from 40 MPH to 25 MPH. In addition, the street classification of Josiah Henson Parkway (a.k.a. Montrose Parkway) would be changed from "parkway" to "Downtown Boulevard."

If this sounds familiar, it's because it has already happened elsewhere in the County. Developers seeking to demolish homes, churches, and country clubs along major state highways, and replace them with urban apartment towers, were successful in politicizing the Maryland State Highway Administration during the Larry Hogan administration. Formerly staunch advocates of sound traffic engineering best practices, MDSHA became a political playtoy amenable to any request from local officials beholden to development interests. This led to major speed limit cuts on highways like Georgia Avenue and River Road.

Josiah Henson Parkway is a County road, and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation was politicized even earlier this century than MDSHA was. The speed limit drop and street reclassification request for the parkway is being made (surprise!) on behalf of developers who are seeking to redevelop the land around it. This is yet another abuse of the system in Montgomery County. Not only was our master plan highway system never completed, but we have a continual effort to further cripple the congested roadways that somehow got built. Taxpayers were charged a fortune to build Josiah Henson Parkway, a mere shadow of the Rockville Freeway that was originally intended to use this right-of-way between Falls Road in Potomac and the InterCounty Connector in Silver Spring. Further impeding the (already-compromised) vehicle throughput function of the road we paid for, to facilitate private developer profits, is an abuse, theft, and misuse of public property.

The revision of the master plan of highways is a massive compendium of many such abuses. Most of the public will be unaware of the changes proposed until the new speed limit signs are installed. The document is fully "woke," to be sure. And while planners are smugly proud of their newfound power to ram things through over any public objection - a.k.a. dictatorship - they are most proud of the document's "Racial Equity and Social Justice Statement," which pretty much tells you how insane and out-of-touch-with-reality planning and governing in Montgomery County have become.

Montgomery County willing to mortgage Upcounty's future to kill M-83 Highway

More than half a decade ago, the Montgomery County Council again nixed plans to build the M-83 Midcounty Highway Extended that has long been in the County's master plan. The highway was one of two major infrastructure projects that were essential to the major growth proposed for the Upcounty area, and Clarksburg in particular. When Clarksburg was allowed to grow more than 800% in population earlier this century, its new residents were promised the M-83 Highway, and a Corridor Cities Transitway light rail system that would connect the proposed new growth centers between Rockville and Clarksburg to the Shady Grove Metro station. In the end, however, all of the growth was allowed to occur, and developers reaped their massive profits - but the promised highway and light rail were never built. That display of naked greed by our developer-controlled County Council wasn't enough - now the Council and Planning Board want to remove the M-83 from the master plan altogether, so it can never be built.

Such a move would be a dereliction of duty by the public officials charged with ensuring adequate infrastructure to maintain a functioning transportation system. Montgomery County doesn't have that even today. Imagine what traffic will be like in another decade with leaders who continue to block completion of our master plan highway system.

As a quick review of the correspondence received by the Planning Board ahead of two public meetings and a November public hearing on changes to the master plan reveals, it isn't residents who are asking for the M-83 to be removed from the plan. In fact, the only letter from an actual Upcounty resident on the question is asking the Planning Board to keep the M-83 in the plan. Those who are asking to have the highway removed are the same handful of tiny groups who have tried to block construction of the highway at every turn. M-83 wasn't even up for discussion, until these groups met privately with Montgomery County Planning Department officials earlier this year.

Our anti-highway, war-on-cars Planning Board is all too eager to indulge this ultra-minority request. Shockingly, so is the "leadership" of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation. The same MCDOT that once determined that Alternative 9a - the master plan alignment of M-83 - should be constructed, until the Council politically interfered with the department, overruling sound traffic engineering practices with radical ideology.

Montgomery County officials continue to rule against the wishes of their own Upcounty constituents. You know, the folks who pay their salaries, and keep the lights on at the County Council and Planning Department. 

You would think the Planning Department and County Council would at least feel a stinging sense of shame at their disastrous record on growth in the Upcounty.

Think again.

Longtime residents will well remember the talking points planners and Councilmembers alike sold us as they rammed through sector plans for new growth centers like "Science City," Watkins Mill, Damascus, and Clarksburg. There would be job centers right in these areas, so many new residents wouldn't have to drive down I-270 to Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia! There would be vibrant town centers in Clarksburg and Watkins Mill! There would be a library in Clarksburg! There would be an M-83 Highway between Montgomery Village Avenue and Ridge Road, which - given that we knew the vast majority of new Upcounty residents would commute by car - would divert much of the new Clarksburg, Germantown, and Damascus traffic from I-270, MD 355, and little old Brink Road onto a modern parkway that also would include a major new bicycle link! And for those who could be convinced to board a convenient rail transit alternative, there would be a Corridor Cities light rail system!

None of it ever happened. Not one bit of it.

And no politician paid the price. Even in the myriad of scandals surrounding Clarksburg alone, the Council and Planning Department let Derick Berlage be the lone fall guy. Now, after collecting twenty years' worth of fat checks from their developer sugar daddies, they want to kick Upcounty residents where it hurts one more time, really hard.

They'll probably get away with it. Again. The Council is pretty open about the fact that there simply aren't enough votes in the Upcounty to pose a risk to the holders of the At-Large Council seats in the next election year. And the individual Upcounty Council districts have been severely gerrymandered, to ensure that the residents of the various growth areas like Clarksburg, Damascus, and Germantown can't unite to knock out any one Councilmember come election time. They have repeatedly thumbed their nose at Upcounty residents, and privately call County taxpayers "suckers" and "losers."

Getting away with murder doesn't make it right, however. The Planning Department, Planning Board, and County Council will continue to augment and solidify their legacy of shame, failure, embarrassment, reckless irresponsibility, and dereliction of duty. They'll continue to let a handful of special interests, and their developer sugar daddies, block economic growth and progress at every turn. 

We've seen the results of the failure to build the M-83 Highway, the new Potomac River crossing of I-370 to the Dulles area in Virginia, the Rockville Freeway, the Northwest Freeway, the North-Central Freeway, and the Northern Parkway in Montgomery County. Residents sitting in traffic. Higher shipping prices. Job creation and business growth numbers at or near the bottom in the D.C. region. And a failure to attract a single new major corporate headquarters in over a quarter century.

Heckuva job, Brownie!!

MCDOT files mandatory referral for Lot 44 redevelopment in Bethesda

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation Parking Division has filed a mandatory referral for the disposition of Public Parking Lot 44 at 4704 West Virginia Avenue in downtown Bethesda with the Montgomery County Planning Department. An apartment building with up to 59 units, 15% of which would be Moderately-Priced Dwelling Units (MPDUs), structured parking, and dedication of 6000 SF for the Eastern Greenway public park has been proposed for the site. 

A public hearing on the referral before the Planning Board is tentatively scheduled for September 12, 2024. "Mandatory referral" means that the Planning Board commissioners can advise the County about the proposal, but cannot block it, a privilege given to development, land use, or land acquisition/sale proposals submitted by any level of government to the Planning Board. Commissioners can reject a mandatory referral, but the government can simply ignore that decision and proceed.

7126 Wisconsin high-rise plan revised to accommodate neighbor The Seasons in Bethesda

Developer Foulger-Pratt has revised the design of its planned high-rise at 7126 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda, in response to concerns from next-door neighbor The Seasons. The wing of the building that is to be adjacent to The Seasons, which is also a high-rise apartment building, will now be 10' back from the property line on the second-through-sixth floors. A corresponding change has been made to the same wing on the Miller Avenue side of the building. 

Bethesda Avenue design "before"

Bethesda Avenue design "after"

Foulger-Pratt's attorney, Heather Dlhopolsky, writes in a letter to the Montgomery County Planning Department that it is "the Applicant's understanding that the representatives of The Seasons are now supportive of the project and its accompanying revisions." The changes have reduced the total gross floor area of the project, and will therefore reduce the amount of the required Park Impact Payment to Montgomery County. With windows now facing west on the affected lower floors, the new design is also more pedestrian-friendly under the "eyes on the street" theory.

Miller Avenue "before"

Miller Avenue "after"

7126 Wisconsin Avenue incorporates several lots, including the current or former homes of Vace Italian Delicatessen, Starbucks, Lance's Beer & Wine, Carroll Community Bank and Capital One Bank. When completed, it will hold up to 335 residential units, up to 9000-square-feet of retail space, and underground parking. The project revisions will be reviewed by the Bethesda Design Advisory Panel today, and - tentatively - by the Montgomery County Planning Board at its March 7, 2024 meeting.

Renderings courtesy SK+I Architecture/Architect: Andy Czajkowski

Bethesda Jewelry Exchange/Old Georgetown Grille redevelopment heading to Planning Board Dec. 14

Sketch and Preliminary plans for a high-rise development that will replace the Old Georgetown Grille, Bethesda Florist and the old Jewelry Exchange building are headed to the Montgomery County Planning Board for approval December 14, 2023 at 9:20 AM. Developer Stonebridge is proposing a 175' tall apartment tower with 240 residential units, and 6000-square feet of retail and restaurant space on the ground floor. It would provide the minimum 15% Moderately-Priced Dwelling Units required by Montgomery County, and will place loading dock and parking access on the St. Elmo Avenue side of the lot, which consists of 7749 Old Georgetown Road, 7747 Old Georgetown Road, 4934 St. Elmo Avenue and 4940 St. Elmo Avenue.

A 143-space parking garage will be located under the building, fewer spaces than the minimum ordinarily required by Montgomery County. Bicycle lanes will be placed alongside the building on St. Elmo Avenue, as recommended in the 2017 Bethesda Downtown Plan. Planning staff are recommending approval of the Sketch and Preliminary plans.

Montgomery County planners recommend against converting downtown Bethesda one-way streets to two-way

The 2017 Bethesda Downtown Plan included a recommendation in the plan to consider converting one-way streets in downtown Bethesda to accommodate two-way traffic. A new Montgomery County Planning Department report is recommending keeping those road segments for one-way traffic only, and adding separated bike lanes. The report follows completion of a formal study of the proposal, and will be presented to the Planning Board at its September 14, 2023 meeting at 2:00 PM.

The proposal for the conversion of one-way streets was promoted as a way to reduce traffic speeds, and make those streets more pedestrian-and-business-friendly. As such, it had support from not only pedestrian safety advocates, but also from the business community. At the time, Jad Donohoe of The Donohoe Companies and then-Vice-Chair of the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board said the conversion of one-way streets would be "a good thing for building owners, merchants, and pedestrians." The streets under consideration for conversion were Woodmont Avenue between Old Georgetown Road and Hampden Lane, Montgomery Lane between Woodmont and Wisconsin Avenues, Montgomery Avenue between Wisconsin and East-West Highway, and East-West Highway between Montgomery Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue.

After contracting with Mead & Hunt to conduct a traffic study of the streets in question, planning staff have settled on Alternative 3a, a one-way "couplet road diet" with separated bike lanes. This will maintain the existing one-way configuration for automobile traffic, while allowing completion of the downtown Bethesda bikeway. The Mead & Hunt study found that two-way configurations of these streets with road diet and Complete Streets elements incorporated (no alternative was considered that did not include a road diet for the two-way configuration), or with incorporation of a bus-only lane, failed to accommodate traffic volumes. 

Planners found that Alternative 3a would not cause traffic operation failure. Maintaining one-way automobile traffic would also make the timing and operation of pedestrian and cyclist signals and movements safer and easier. Pre-COVID-19 traffic volume numbers were used in the study, as planners allowed for the potential that 2019 traffic levels will be reached again in the future.

Permanent closure of Westbard Avenue at River Road on July 27 Planning Board agenda

The Montgomery County Planning Board will review and comment on a petition by the "5500 Westbard Avenue Block Civic Association" to permanently close the existing vehicular access to and from River Road at the end of that block of Westbard tomorrow, Thursday, July 27, 2023 at 10:00 AM. That closure was recommended in the 2016 Westbard sector plan after residents of the block expressed concern about existing and future cut-through traffic, including trucks seeking to avoid the tight right turns from River onto Ridgefield Road. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing on the closure request on August 29, 2023, according to the Montgomery County Planning Department. That meeting's location was not disclosed.

While the proposed permanent closure would prohibit vehicular access to and from River Road from the 5500 block of Westbard, it would retain access by pedestrians and cyclists. The physical barrier to vehicular traffic would also have to mountable by fire and rescue vehicles, as recommended in the sector plan. Montgomery County planning staff write that the closure will require construction of a turnaround "acceptable to" MCDOT and the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.

Staff are recommending delaying permanent closure of 5500 Westbard at River Road until the realigned Westbard Avenue connection to River Road, located on the former Ridgefield Road right-of-way at River, opens to the public this fall. At that time, staff suggest traffic studies be performed on travel patterns in the area under the new configuration. After study results are compiled, staff recommend the following options be considered for the 5500 Westbard/River intersection:

1."Permanent closure to motorists, except emergency vehicles while maintaining access for bicyclists, and pedestrians. This alternative should include a turnaround acceptable to Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) and Montgomery Department of Permitting Services (MCDPS) Fire and Rescue."

2. "Closing the median on River Road, which would prohibit left turns onto Westbard Avenue."

3. "Installing a larger directional island that ensures right-in/right-out traffic operations from and towards River Road support the signed left turn restrictions already in place."

4. "Closing northbound access onto River Road from Westbard Avenue altogether. This alternative should include a turnaround acceptable to MCDOT and MCDPS Fire and Rescue."

Staff recommend that the MCDOT study of these alternatives include the participation of the Maryland State Highway Administration, the Planning Department, and MCDPS Fire and Rescue and Stormwater Management.

Thursday's public hearing has appeared quickly, and with no notice to nearby residents in the community. It is also being held at the height of summer travel season. As such, it's not surprising that the staff report notes that "Staff has not received any public correspondence on the Right-of-Way Petition as of the date of this staff report." Well, that might be because the public was not made aware of this hearing, nor has MCDOT notified the community of the August 29 public hearing or its location, as of this morning.

Is Montgomery Parks' desperate quest for an award driving its illegal Little Falls Parkway actions in Bethesda?

The latest twist in the Little Falls Parkway road diet scandal in Bethesda is the Montgomery Parks department's apparent desperation to win an award from the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA). You may recall that the last major turn in the controversy was an FY-2024 budget resolution introduced by Montgomery County Councilmember Andrew Friedson (D - District 1) that forbid Montgomery Parks from constructing any permanent linear park using the two closed lanes of the parkway blocked off by the road diet. It was passed by the Council, but critically, the resolution's language did not require Montgomery Parks to remove the temporary road diet currently in place. As I correctly predicted at the time, Montgomery Parks has indeed left the road diet in place, and has no intention of removing it.

Montgomery Parks indicated it was rabidly motivated to bring back a revised linear park plan for approval from the Council at that May meeting. Among the speculation as to what is driving Montgomery Parks' fervor for a project overwhelmingly opposed by the surrounding community - ideology? helping a developer with future plans to redevelop the Washington Episcopal School and Bethesda Pool sites? securing a right-of-way for the future extension of the Purple Line to Westbard? - we can now add one more. The Little Falls Parkway Neighborhood Coalition has just sent a letter to Friedson alerting him to Montgomery Parks' desperate award quest, and its alleged falsification of its application materials for the award.

According to the coalition's letter to Friedson, Montgomery Parks and the Maryland National-Capital Planning Commission applied for the AAPRA award on March 3, 2023. This application was filed several weeks before a public hearing on the proposal to make the road diet permanent, and use the closed half of the parkway as a linear park. At this time, Montgomery Parks was attempting to win an award for a project it (supposedly) had no idea would even be approved by the public and Planning Board. The coalition questions whether the parallel quest for the award occurring through the March 30 public hearing and April 27 Planning Board vote to approve the permanent road diet/linear park proposal means the public process was actually just "a sham."

You'll recall that Planning Board staff quickly recommended approval of the road diet/park less than 24 hours after the March 30 public hearing, meaning that it made its recommendation without reviewing all of the submitted written and audiovisual materials from the evening before.

"In hindsight, the lack of transparency surrounding the Planning Board process now makes sense," the coalition writes in its letter to Friedson. "Everything was seemingly fixed to promote Parks view and to give Parks a chance for an award."

Montgomery Parks wasn't just lying to the public about the road diet plan, it turns out. It was also lying to the AAPRA in its application for the award. Not only was it seeking an award for a project that had not been approved and did not yet exist, but it was lying to either the public and/or the AAPRA about the number of visitors to the linear park that did not yet exist.

In its application for the award, Montgomery Parks wrote that because of its road diet and programming of "recreational opportunities" in the closed lanes, "50,146 walkers/bikers visited Little Falls Parkway in 2022." The coalition notes that when it filed a public information request regarding the number of pedestrians and cyclists who utilized the closed lanes, Montgomery Parks told them it did not have that statistic. Yet on March 3, it magically did have that number to include in its AAPRA award application. "Is this data authentic or was it illegally withheld from Montgomery County residents? It is either one or the other," the coalition writes in the letter to Friedson.

More lies? Montgomery Parks told the AAPRA that the Kenwood and Town of Somerset neighborhoods that surround the parkway segment in question have "a lot of multi-family housing." Not quite. The area is overwhelmingly dominated by single-family homes. 

Even after the approval of the Friedson resolution to block the construction of the linear park until a future approval by the Council, Montgomery Parks submitted more material to the AAPRA on May 25, 2024, and did not disclose that its linear park had been temporarily blocked 17 days earlier.

The coalition says it has notified the AAPRA of Montgomery Parks' falsifications on its award application materials. Montgomery Parks is currently a National Gold Medal Finalist for the award, the coalition has learned. "Montgomery Parks is not interested in winning the hearts and minds of the residents of Montgomery County, but only an award from an organization based in Washington state," the coalition writes. 

"The reason we are contacting you and the other Councilmembers now is to emphasize that Parks is acting contrary to Council oversight. The timeline here shows that Parks was determined to push through its reconfiguration of Little Falls Parkway even if it was unsafe so that it could be eligible to win a national award in 2023. Parks submitted its application with the above description of Little Falls Parkway to AAPRA on March 3. At the time, this issue had not even come before the Planning Board. Yet, Parks was confident enough to include the Little Falls Parkway project in its application. We are left with the uncomfortable thought that the process before the Planning Board was a sham. In hindsight, the lack of transparency surrounding the Planning Board process now makes sense. Everything was seemingly fixed to promote Parks view and to give Parks a chance for an award. 

"We are concerned that Parks will continue to pursue its Little Falls Parkway reconfiguration to justify an award even if it comes at the expense of public safety. At this point, with the motivations of Parks in question, the safest option would be for Little Falls Parkway to go back to the configuration that existed immediately prior to this vanity project. 

"The configuration for Little Falls Parkway we are suggesting is as follows: Two lanes of traffic with a median at least 15 feet wide between Hillandale and Arlington Roads and four lanes of traffic with the existing wide median between Hillandale Road and Dorset Avenue. 

"Of course, Parks can always propose an alternative, but this new revelation has shredded any legitimacy attached to the Planning Board’s approval of the current configuration of Little Falls Parkway. Until then, the configuration of Little Falls Parkway should not be left in limbo. We ask that the Council continue to exercise proper oversight of Parks and the Planning Board and require them to restore Little Falls Parkway to our suggested configuration, which was in place without any problems before Parks caught gold medal-fever.

"Finally, we wanted to update you on our efforts to partner with other stakeholders on Little Falls Parkway. After the Council vote, there were individual efforts to reach out to Parks to find common ground, but Parks declined our offers without explanation. We can only conclude that Parks would like to continue to force citizens to live with the current configuration of Little Falls Parkway for as long as possible so that the public becomes demoralized and loses interest."

To summarize, we now have yet another lawbreaking or unethical action in the trail of illegalities that have led to the Little Falls Parkway road diet. The road diet was implemented without any public process in 2017. It was constructed with money illegally taken from a trail maintenance fund. No appropriation of funds for a road diet was ever made by the County Council. And the road diet was implemented without the required approval of the National Capital Planning Commission, as mandated under federal law.

Artena Bethesda development lot assembly on Planning Board agenda for June 1

A number of long-delayed projects in downtown Bethesda continue to spring back to life as the month ends. The latest move on the Artena Bethesda mixed-use development at 8000 Wisconsin Avenue will be about 48 hours from now, on Thursday, June 1, 2023 at 9:00 AM. That's when the Montgomery County Planning Board will review and vote on a final record plat for the Artena site, which will assemble 7938-8000 Wisconsin (Saphire Cafe and Golden Needle tailoring shop), 8011 Woodmont Avenue (Sir Walter Raleigh Inn/Bruce Variety), and Montgomery County Public Parking Lot 43 on Woodmont. 

The parking lot is due to permanently close about a week after Thursday's Planning Board vote. Planning Board staff are recommending approval of the plat. The Artena Bethesda site plan has already been approved by Montgomery County. This is a formality, like the previous request for demolition permits, before work can finally begin on the project. But the public is allowed to testify at Thursday's public hearing.

8008 Wisconsin Avenue development back on (again!) in Bethesda

One of the longest-delayed redevelopment projects in downtown Bethesda is back on, potentially under new ownership. Toll Brothers is asking Montgomery County for an extension to the preliminary plan approval it received from the Planning Board several years ago for 8008 Wisconsin Avenue. The proposed two-year extension would allow groundbreaking to begin as late as October 16, 2025. That would be more than a full decade after local real estate giant Douglas Development first attempted to redevelop the property, which includes the former Ranger Surplus store and Bethesda Valet on Wisconsin Avenue, and Dunmor's (a.k.a. The Beer House) at 8013 Woodmont Avenue.

Required public notification sign
erected Monday at the site

Douglas Development was making a big push into downtown Bethesda around the middle of the last decade, acquiring several new properties. 8008 Wisconsin was one, and the potential crown jewel was a development that would have been on the former Exxon, Pines of Rome and Tommy Joe's properties along Wisconsin, Hampden Lane and Montgomery Lane. But after Montgomery County officials interfered, demanding Douglas give them a chunk of the property for a bus rapid transit right-of-way, the 8008 project stalled out amid protracted negotiations.

The extended delay apparently ended up deep-sixing the project, which included a restaurant on the Woodmont side. Douglas ultimately sold the property to Toll Brothers in 2016, and switched its focus to updating the Shops of Wisconsin (where it brought a Target store as a hedge against the possible future departure of Trader Joe's, an unavoidable rumor once a second Trader Joe's was revealed as the anchor tenant up the road at 7900 Wisconsin), acquiring smaller properties around town, and on the Exxon/Pines of Rome project. That last project, too, ended up falling through the cracks, joining 8008 Wisconsin in "development hell."

Despite two very impressive and successful Bethesda developments, Hampden Row and Amalyn, Toll Brothers was unable to bring 8008 Wisconsin to fruition. The existing structures on the site have become eyesores and targets for vandals and squatters in the ensuing years. Now, Toll Brothers says an unidentified developer is prepared to purchase the site from them, and immediately proceed to redevelop it under the approved plan. For that reason, it is seeking the extension, to facilitate that transaction.

The extension request will be reviewed by the Planning Board. It is not yet on any published Planning Board agenda. Toll Brothers' request comes as the also-delayed Artena Bethesda project is getting ready to break ground directly next door at 8000 Wisconsin.

Elrich asks Montgomery County Council to defund controversial Little Falls Parkway road diet

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has asked the Montgomery County Council to take away funding from the Montgomery Parks department, that the department intends to use to construct a controversial road diet on Little Falls Parkway in Bethesda. In a Sunday memo to Council President Evan Glass, and to members of the Council's Planning Housing and Parks committee, Elrich asked them to remove all funding in the Vision Zero and Life Cycle Asset Replacement funds that Parks has earmarked for the road diet. Elrich's directive followed the unprecedented approval of the road diet by the Montgomery County Planning Board last Thursday, over the objections of a majority of the community, Elrich, and the councilmember who represents the area, Andrew Friedson. In turn, Elrich is now employing the rarely-used power of the purse to overrule the Planning Board.

The success of Elrich's strategy to block the road diet will depend upon the willingness of a majority of councilmembers to support his request. Whether or not Elrich prevails, the move provides a powerful illustration of the message I've tried to drive home here for years: If you want to change the Planning Board, and restore the public's role in the planning process, you must elect Council members who will support the growth and zoning policies you want to be implemented. The Council appoints the Planning Board chair and commissioners, with the approval of the Executive.

But the Council's power to control planning decisions doesn't stop with the appointments. The Council also controls the funding for planning: it controls the purse for the Montgomery County Planning Department, the Planning Board, and Montgomery Parks. 

Friedson has not yet publicly indicated that he is inclined to cut the capital budget funds Elrich has requested. But, again, here is a great illustration of what I've been arguing for. Friedson could call the Planning Board before the PHP Committee and say, "You just ignored my letter to you, and the overwhelming opposition of my constituents to the road diet project. Now I'm cutting your funds. How do you like that? Want to keep ruling against the public? I'll keep cutting your budget."

If Friedson is smart, he will support Elrich's defunding request. But the larger point here is that if you elect an executive like Elrich, and then a majority on the Council who support responsible growth policies, you the voter can truly take back the reins of planning, zoning and growth. "You want to pass something like Thrive 2050? Well, how about I completely defund your department next year?"

Just as some on the Council who did not vote for Planning Board Commissioner James Hedrick supported him on the "revote" to rebuke Elrich for his veto of Hedrick, so should the Council now want to defund the road diet to rebuke the Planning Board and Montgomery Parks for their illegal use of funds. The Council never allocated funds for a road diet on Little Falls Parkway. Montgomery Parks has been illegally taking, and intends to continue taking, money that the Council allocated for other specific purposes, and use it for the road diet.

The illegal use of funds caps off the illegal nature of the road diet crusade from the beginning. Not only has Montgomery Parks never requested nor received a capital budget allocation for a Little Falls Parkway road diet, but it has never received the required official approval from the National Capital Planning Commission for its 2017 temporary road diet. Much less the permanent one. Any change in use of the parkway and associated parkland must be approved by the NCPC, under the federal Capper-Cramton Act of 1930.

Will Marc Elrich prevail? It's unclear, but the Council's response will show Bethesda and Chevy Chase residents which side they stand on. Elrich has made it clear he stands with the residents, 71% of whom opposed the road diet in recent testimony before the Planning Board. This is why Elrich continues to be elected, even when opponents spend tens of millions of dollars against him. He is one of the few elected officials who will stand up to the idea that an increasingly-tiny group of people, who represent developers and other special interests, are now going rule by fiat over the rest of us in the style of an authoritarian regime.

Little Falls Parkway permanent road diet illegally approved by Planning Board

The Montgomery County Planning Board voted to approve a permanent road diet for Little Falls Parkway between Arlington Road and Dorset Avenue yesterday. All of the commissioners voted in favor except for Shawn Bartley, who abstained. "I'm very torn on my decision here today," Bartley said just prior to the vote. The approval as it stands today is illegal, because the Board did not obtain the required approval of the National Capital Planning Commission before greenlighting the major change to the parkway. That approval is required under the Capper-Cramton Act of 1930, which gave federal jurisdiction over designated parkways in the Washington, D.C. region, including Little Falls Parkway. Montgomery Parks Director Mike Riley said his department intends to seek an after-the-fact approval from the NCPC before beginning construction on the project.

Commissioners who voted to approve did so in opposition to the expressed wishes of not only a majority of the residents in the communities surrounding the parkway, but over the objections of County Executive Marc Elrich; County Councilmember Andrew Friedson, who represents the area where the parkway is location in Bethesda-Chevy Chase; and the elected Mayor of the Town of Somerset, Jeffrey Slavin. While the Planning Board has increasingly voted against residents in recent years, it is virtually unprecedented for the Board to vote against three current elected officials. Slavin opposed the road diet, while Elrich and Friedson asked for the decision to be delayed. Elrich expressed strong skepticism that the road diet was a worthwhile project, particularly in light of the strong community opposition.

The Board vote has tripled-down on the illegality of the parkway road diet. Commissioners are already embroiled in a lawsuit filed by the Kenwood Citizens Association that centers on Montgomery Parks' failure to obtain approval for the temporary road diet from the NCPC. Now the Board has voted to approve a permanent road diet prior to receiving approval from the NCPC, and before resolution of the pending court case.

While the two actions taken on the road diet without NCPC approval represent two of the three illegal aspects of the project, the third illegality is the funding employed. Montgomery Parks did not seek or receive an appropriation of funds for the 2017 temporary road diet from the County Council. Instead, it illegally used money from a trail maintenance fund. That decision became even more controversial this year when residents noted that, while the temporary road diet was constructed, repairs and upgrades needed on the Capital Crescent Trail and Little Falls Trail have not been performed by Montgomery Parks.

Montgomery Parks once again has no intention of getting an official appropriation of funds for the permanent road diet. Riley told Planning Board Acting Chair Jeff Zyontz that Parks will instead illegally use money from a Vision Zero fund, and a Life Cycle Asset Replacement Fund. At a time when the County Council is debating a 10% property tax increase on residents, Montgomery Parks has been allowed to turn its budgeted resources into slush funds.

There are several fronts of intrigue ahead regarding the road diet project. Will the NCPC approve it? What will the outcome of Kenwood's lawsuit be? What will the traffic impact be, especially during rush hours?

And what is the Montgomery County cartel's Ahab-like obsession with urgently getting these two travel lanes away from the public really about? Is it to provide more buildable land for the redevelopment of the Washington Episcopal School campus and Bethesda Pool? Or is it a sneaky way to obtain a right-of-way for the Purple Line extension to Westbard, that will avoid the CCT route through Kenwood? Inquiring minds want to know!