15-Story Commerce Lane High-Rise Set To Go Before Planning Board

County planning staff are expected to recommend the approval of a plan to develop a 15-story residential high-rise at Old Georgetown Road and Commerce Lane in Bethesda at the March 14 meeting of the county Planning Board. According to a planning department memo:

• The redevelopment proposes the demolition of the existing two-story drive-through bank to replace it with a mixed-use, 143-foot-tall multi-family high-rise building in the Bethesda Metro Core District.
• The proposed development provides 140,345 square feet of residential property with an additional 5,000 square feet of commercial/non-residential space.
• The application proposes public space opposite the Clark building and the Bethesda Metro along Old Georgetown Road.

"The Applicant is proposing a mixed-use redevelopment with up to 120 multi-family residential units, including 12.5 [percent as] Moderately Priced Dwelling Units (MPDUs), 5,000 square feet of retail space, below-grade parking, and public use space and amenity space," the memo said. "The application proposes the 5.0 [Floor Area Ratio] allowed by the Zone. The building proposal is 15 stories, or 143 feet as measured from Commerce Lane. 

"The open public amenity plaza will create an appealing pedestrian experience with an intimate vest pocket park in an urban landscape. The park will include a highly designed plaza pavilion, high quality paving materials, creative lighting, a lush planting pallet, and an integrated bioretention system."

Read more about the proposed development on Bethesda Patch.

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Planning staff also is recommending approval, with conditions, a mixed-use development north of Father Hurley Boulevard/Ridge Road, between Crystal Rock Drive and Interstate 270 in Germantown, according to a department memo.

The project calls for: 1,097,800 square feet of office space; 91,400 square feet of retail space; a 243,240-square-foot hotel with 350 rooms, and 1,618 total residential units.

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Planning staff is expected to recommend approval, with conditions, a request for three lots for three, one-family residential units (one of which already exists), located at 15615 Riding Stable Road in Burtonsville, according to a department memo.

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The first work session for the Glenmont Sector Plan is scheduled, with a discussion for the board to provide guidance to staff. Possible topics in the discussion include land use, zoning and transportation, according to the meeting's agenda.

Read the full agenda for March 14 at the planning department's website.