The redevelopment of a public surface parking lot in downtown Bethesda into a 12-story apartment building with up to 59 units is progressing following approval from Montgomery County planners.
Led by Broad Branch Partners of Washington, D.C., the project includes the creation of a public park, which will be integrated into the downtown Bethesda Eastern Greenway as part of the 2017 Bethesda Downtown Plan. The building will be situated near 4702 West Virginia Ave., east of Wisconsin Avenue.
On Thursday, the Montgomery County Planning Board approved the mandatory referral for transferring the 54-space parking lot, known as Lot 44, from the county to the developers for the construction of the Eastern Greenway public park.
Additionally, the board approved an amendment to increase the building’s density to 125,469 square feet of mixed-use development. Other approvals included a preliminary plan to divide the site into two lots (one for the building and one for the park), a site plan allowing the building height to rise from 70 to 114 feet, and a forest conservation plan.
These approvals align with Montgomery Planning’s Speed-to-Market initiative, aimed at streamlining the development approval process by consolidating planning and land-use approvals.
Jason Weinstein, principal at Broad Branch Partners, expressed hope to begin construction within a year. The project will also feature 99 parking spaces for tenants in a structured garage. Some board members raised concerns about the number of spaces, with Commissioner Josh Linden noting it seemed “a little excessive,” given the county’s goal for more pedestrian-friendly downtown areas.
In response, Weinstein explained that market research indicated a need for two parking spaces per unit, and the current proposal provides approximately 1.67 spaces per unit.
