Community members are invited to testify at the Planning Board on the implementation-related recommendations of the 2017 Bethesda Downtown Plan
Wheaton, Md. – The Montgomery County Planning Board , part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) , will hold a public hearing for the Bethesda Downtown Plan Minor Master Plan Amendment on December 2 (at 6 p.m.). The public hearing was set after the Montgomery County Planning Department presented its Working Draft of the plan to the Planning Board at its meeting on October 24.
Read the Public Hearing draft of the plan and its attachments .
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The minor master plan amendment is a technical update that focuses on how to better implement the 2017 Bethesda Downtown Plan’s existing recommendations. The 2017 Plan has a 20-year vision to help downtown Bethesda continue to be a thriving urban center and highly desirable community. In fall 2023, total development in downtown reached the development level set by the Plan for revisiting the plan’s recommendations.
Key recommendations of the Bethesda Minor Master Plan Amendment:
- Removing a specific development level in the Bethesda Overlay Zone (BOZ) in favor of project-specific impact mitigation and improvements.
- Continuing transportation-related improvements and supporting ongoing efforts by Montgomery Planning, MCDOT, and MCDPS to improve pedestrian, bicycle, automobile, and transit movement.
- Adjusting the Park Impact Payment (PIP) rate and allowing developers flexibility on when the payments can be made.
- Incentivizing a new recreation center by encouraging public-private partnerships through a reduced PIP, providing potential additional building height, and prioritizing it as a public benefit.
- Extending existing incentives for higher percentages of Moderately Priced Dwelling Units (MPDUs) to projects with the minimum MPDUs, but with family-sized and/or deeply affordable units.
Community members are encouraged to sign up to testify at the public hearing either in-person or online via Microsoft Teams. Interested parties must sign up to testify by 12 noon two business days before the hearing. Written comments can also be shared with the via email. Written comments must reference the hearing date, the item, and a mailing address. Requests for translation or accessibility accommodation must be made at least five business days prior to the Planning Board meeting.
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More about the Bethesda Downtown Plan Minor Master Plan Amendment
The 2017 Bethesda Downtown Plan has a 20-year vision to help downtown Bethesda continue to be a thriving urban center and one of the county’s most desirable communities. The plan capped total development in downtown Bethesda at 32.4 million total square feet, based on a 2016 analysis of transportation infrastructure. Once total development came within 2 million square feet (approximately ten 200-unit apartment buildings) of the cap, the plan recommended that Montgomery Planning and the Planning Board revisit the recommendations to determine if more are needed to help implementation of public amenity and infrastructure recommendations like new parks and transportation-related improvements. In fall 2023, total development in downtown Bethesda reached the 2 million square-foot checkpoint. After public engagement and comment, Montgomery Planning staff and the Planning Board recommended that the County Council authorize the development of a minor master plan amendment.
The Bethesda Downtown Plan Minor Master Plan Amendment is limited in nature and will not re-open the entire 2017 Plan. The existing zoning, parks, transportation, and other recommendations will remain unchanged while we explore how better to implement those recommendations. The plan update focuses on implementation strategies for the following and related elements:
- Economic development
- Park development
- Transportation improvements
- Schools
- Affordable housing
- Community recreation center
Learn more about the 2017 Bethesda Downtown Plan’s implementation , including data and reports about development activity and more.
Community members are encouraged to stay updated on the minor master plan amendment by subscribing to our Bethesda e-newsletter .
For updates and link to press release, see here: https://montgomeryplanning.org/?p=59476