Mark N Posted Sun 1-13-08
Bethesda Green is a newly-formed group with the goals of “reducing the environmental footprint of the area, attracting environmentally-conscious consumers, and promoting an environmental ethic.” They’re holding their kickoff meeting Wednesday, January 23rd from 3:30 to 5 PM at the Bethesda Theatre, 7719 Wisconsin Avenue.
Refreshments will be served and there will be a chance to ask questions and network with political, business and community leaders after a short presentation.
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Tags: downtown
Allen M Posted Tue 1-1-08
A new parking plan starts tomorrow, January 2nd at the Bethesda Library:
Under the plan, library patrons using the parking lot will park in numbered spaces, then enter the space number at a kiosk inside the library. This will allow them to park free for two hours. Customers using the library for longer than two hours need only to re-enter the number of their space. There is no time limit on the number of hours library customers may park, as long as the space number is validated every two hours.
After the County Council voted to make parking free at all county libraries, the meters at the Bethesda Library were removed. This led to an influx of non-library users which resulted in a full lot most of the day. Hopefully the new plan will eliminate the freeloaders.
Tags: downtown, MoCo
Mark N Posted Tue 11-27-07
Montgomery Councilmember Roger Berliner is sponsoring a public forum on Woodmont East II, a proposed mixed-use development on the corner of Bethesda and Woodmont Avenues. The developers will present their revised plans. Members of the public will be invited to ask questions and express their views. The meeting will be held on Tuesday January 8th, 2008 between 7 and 9 PM at the BCC Regional Services Center, 4805 Edgemoor Lane.
Woodmont East is a proposed 539,825 square foot mixed-use development project (hotel, retail, and housing) located at the corner of Woodmont and Bethesda Avenues, extending to Elm Street. After concerns were expressed by community members, the Montgomery County Planning Board, and Councilmember Berliner, the project developers asked the Planning Board to defer action on the proposal until they had an opportunity to revise the plan. The presentation will reflect the project sponsor’s response to the concerns raised by the community.
Tags: development, downtown
Webmaster Posted Mon 11-26-07
Bethesda’s Winter Wonderland features fun-filled holiday festivities for families. Attendees can enjoy a professional choral concert, live ice sculpting presentation, holiday performances and a visit from Santa Claus. Saturday, December 8th from 1 to 4 PM in Veterans Park, at the corner of Norfolk and Woodmont Avenues.
Tags: downtown
Mark N Posted Fri 11-9-07
Yesterday Montgomery County Planning Board failed to approve the preliminary plan for the Woodmont East project. Apparently the developer, JBG Associates, has withdrawn the application for development on this site, at least for the time being.
After a day when both the Washington Post and Bethesda Gazette published articles that featured Councilmember Berliner’s proposal in favor of keeping the green space at Woodmont East, his office released this statement:
Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to preserve open space in the heart of Bethesda. After 3 ½ hours of effective testimony from the community and increasingly skeptical questions from the Board, the developers withdrew the application. As Chairman Hanson was reported to have said, this project needs to be totally reoriented – it should first focus on the public space and then build in a manner that enhances that space. It is my hope that the developers will choose to work with the community in a formal, collaborative process to produce a result that we can all be proud of.
The Washington Post article stated that “angry residents of several Bethesda neighborhoods are mounting a letter-writing campaign” and featured this conceptual drawing that Berliner’s office commissioned to show what the site might look like if green space was preserved.
Tags: development, downtown
Mark N Posted Tue 11-6-07
An ongoing battle has ensued over the little slice of open space at the intersection of Woodmont and Bethesda Avenues. (You know, where you sat and ate Giffords ice cream after the movie last summer?) The Mongomery County Planning Board has issued a report (PDF) recommending approval of a preliminary development plan for the north side of the intersection, a two and one half acre development that would include retail space, offices, 250 residential units and a 12-story hotel.
The project, officially known as Woodmont East II, has been opposed by a number of Bethesda civic associations and other residents, who have come together under the moniker Take Back Bethesda. A proposal to nominate Woodmont East for the Legacy Open Space program was turned down by the Planning Board, which is meeting November 8th to consider the matter.
Note that Woodmont East II is not the same as the Lot 31 development which is on the south side of the intersection and has already been approved, to break ground in 2008.
Recently, Councilmembers Roger Berliner and Marc Erlich have added their support for a new park at the Woodmont East location. David Lublin, who teaches government at AU, has posted a more in-depth summary and opinion of the issue on his blog Maryland Politics Watch. For more information on how to get involved, see this forwarded email thread on the Maplewood Listserv.
Tags: development, downtown
Mark N Posted Sun 11-4-07
There will be a Veterans Day celebration in downtown Bethesda Monday November 12th at Veteran’s Park. It runs from 10:30 to 11:30 at the intersection of Woodmont and Norfolk Avenues and is sponsored by the Bethesda Kiwanis.
Tags: downtown
Mark N Posted Wed 10-10-07
Work continues on the White Flint Sector Plan: The Gazette reports on the recent meeting between Planning Board members, developers, and residents.
Nearly 50 developers and residents packed the room Monday night to hear Planning Board members’ thoughts on how staff should craft the White Flint Sector Plan.
The draft, expected in December, will define future roads, schools and business and residential districts for the North Bethesda center.
‘‘This will be North Bethesda’s downtown,” said Margaret Rifkin, of the community planning division with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The area, she told the Planning Board, is well suited for a housing center and marketplace rather than a dense commerce center as found near the Bethesda or Silver Spring Metro Stations.
Tags: development, downtown
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