Bethesda Project Sparks Campaign
Residents Wield Pens to Defend a Park

By Miranda S. Spivack
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 8, 2007

Angry residents of several Bethesda neighborhoods are mounting a letter-writing campaign this week to persuade Montgomery County's planning board to include a patch of green space in a proposed 540,00-square-foot development next to the popular Capital Crescent Trail tunnel in downtown Bethesda.

The board is scheduled to consider today details of the plan by developers JBG Associates LLC, a joint venture of Chevy Chase-based JBG and Federal Realty Investment Trust of Rockville, to build a high-rise hotel, condominium and retail complex at the northeast corner of Woodmont and Bethesda avenues, across from the Barnes & Noble bookstore.

Three community groups last month asked the parks department, which the planning board oversees, to use part of the site for a public park. But the groups' proposal was rejected by the planning staff. Residents said they are frustrated that a decision was made by planning staff without first meeting with the residents. The planning board is expected to examine the idea of a park as part of its discussions today.

The developer, contacted this week, declined to comment through its spokesman Emil Hill, a senior vice president of the public relations firm Powell Tate. Last Thursday, about 50 residents were invited by planning and park staff to meet, although by then, the proposal for green space had been turned down by the staff.

The Greater Bethesda Chevy Chase Coalition, the Edgemoor Citizens Association and the East Bethesda Civic Association, made their proposal in a formal application for public open space, which was submitted on Oct. 17, said Pam Browning, a community activist and spokeswoman for the groups.

On Monday, the community's proposal got a boost when County Council member Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda) weighed in, sending to the planning agency his own proposal for "a green commons," complete with a rendering, which would require the developer to accept less density and provide more open space. Berliner said he decided to get involved now even though the project eventually will come to the council for a decision on the developer's request to acquire part of a public street.

"While Bethesda may be willing to embrace the new urbanism, I don't believe it is ready for Tokyo," he said. "It is about how we are going to define the community for generations to come."

The developer's concept, if approved by the planning board, will eliminate a green space across from Landmark's Bethesda Row Cinema and Gifford's ice cream shop, which has become an informal gathering spot for many residents.

The planning staff's report describes an alternative proposal from the developer for a "public plaza. . . . with water and art features" and the potential for "programmable seating to allow a more spontaneous response to user demands." The plaza would be built between two high-rise buildings that would be connected overhead.

The plaza concept doesn't satisfy the community groups, Browning said.

"There will be very little light, and it will be kind of a canyon without much light or air," Browning said.

Current plans for the project also would allow the developer to provide "enhancements" to a public park four blocks away and across Wisconsin Avenue from the proposed development, according to the staff report by Dolores Kinney and Josh Sloan. Development review chief Rose Krasnow said such off-site improvements are often used in urban areas where there is little available space to fix up. Developers are required to make some public improvements in exchange for winning development rights, she said.

Browning, who submitted the park application, said she thinks the site meets some of the criteria for designation as "Legacy Open Space, " a six-year-old county program. Land that is designated for the program must, among other things, increase access to public open space in densely populated areas.

Krasnow said that the planning staff doesn't think a park "is the best use of the land," and that the developer's proposal for an outdoor plaza "looks fascinating."

A report from the planning board staff turning down the community application says there is enough green space nearby.

''There are several large areas of green park space within a few blocks of this location that users of the [Capital Crescent Trail] and downtown can easily access," said the staff report.

The site is across the street from a proposed high-rise apartment and underground garage complex that will be built on the site of a heavily used parking lot across from Barnes & Noble and near many restaurants. The lot is slated for elimination during construction of that project. County officials also plan to close off part of Woodmont Avenue for more than a year of construction.

During construction of the proposed hotel, JBG Associates LLC had planned to close off some access to the Capital Crescent Trail, but recently agreed to keep it open.