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Politics & Government

Planning Board Offers Approval with Conditions for Planned Westin Hotel Development

Board stated that plans meet majority of goals in Bethesda Sector Plan.

A planned redevelopment project with a mix of hotel, office and retail space along Wisconsin Avenue got a preliminary green light this week.

During the December 15 meeting of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC), the commission approved the preliminary and project plans for a mixed-use redevelopment including a hotel, office and retail space at 7740 Wisconsin Avenue, with conditions.

According to John Marcolin, Area 1 planner/coordinator for MNCPPC, the preliminary plan deals with how several plats will be combined into one large one, while the project plan is more about the physical aspects of the buildings and public spaces.

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The staff’s report found that the plans met “a majority of the recommendations and the intent of the overall goals of the [Bethesda] Sector Plan,” which envisions the Downtown Bethesda Metro Core District as a place that “has a choice of retail, restaurant, cultural programming open space and pathways. It should also include office uses with the potential for additional resident uses.”

The staff also found that the mixed-use plans were consistent with “Urban Form” goals such as the inclusion of ground floor restaurants/retail uses, active street frontages, plaza areas, pedestrian activity and cultural and artistic amenities like water features, landscaping and lighting elements.

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Bethesda Place owners continue to express concerns about the impact of the development’s building locations and design on their property. The amended plans also eliminated a proposed lay-by for pick up/drop off based on a Department of Transportation concern.

The final approval of the project plan is subject to a number of conditions including:

  •  Limiting the total size of the development, in terms of non-residential square footage and height;
  •  Providing a minimum number of square feet for on-site public usage and public amenities;
  •  Providing “activating elements” such as water, public art, landscaping, etc.
  •  Presenting the plaza design and public artwork to the art review panel for comment.

The preliminary plan is subject to approval based on 19 conditions set forth in the board’s report, addressing issues such as: specific ceilings on square footage, the preliminary forest conservation plan, ensuring that road improvement adhere to both the Master Plan and applicable road codes, storm water management, emergency vehicle access, a traffic mitigation agreement and the granting of an easement to allow for the future installation of a bike share station.

The next step in the process is for the developer to submit the site plan, which will offer specifics on the physical look of the project. “We should see this in March or April of next year,” said Marcolin.  

Stay tuned to Patch for further details on the site plans and future project development.

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