The ULI Washington Technical Assistance Panel will help shape plans for Rock Spring and White Flint 2 areas by suggesting ways of revitalizing their office parks
Silver Spring, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is partnering with the Washington, DC chapter of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to hold a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) from Tuesday, December 1 through Wednesday, December 2, 2015. The invitation-only event, titled “What’s Next for the Rock Spring Office Park and the Executive Boulevard Area in White Flint,” will be held at 6110 Executive Boulevard in Rockville.
The workshop will include site visits, roundtable discussions and presentations from a team of ULI experts, who will suggest ways of making two office parks in North Bethesda more economically competitive and vibrant.
The North Bethesda office districts are located less than two miles apart in the Rock Spring and Executive Boulevard areas. They are now being studied by the Planning Department as part of ongoing master planning efforts. The Rock Spring Master Plan and White Flint 2 Sector Plan will recommend new land uses and zoning, along with concepts for public facilities, open spaces and transportation.
The challenge set before the ULI experts is the high vacancy rate in these County office parks. The Rock Spring office park has a vacancy rate of nearly 22 percent and the Executive Boulevard office park within the White Flint 2 area has a vacancy rate of almost 33 percent. Each office park contains three completely empty buildings. A major tenant in Rock Spring, Marriott International, has announced tentative plans to relocate to a more walkable, transit-served and mixed-use setting.
The Planning Department submitted an application to ULI in October 2015 to hold the Technical Assistance Panel. The panel will be run by the local ULI chapter to address land use issues that require local knowledge to resolve.
The two-day workshop will end with a presentation of findings that will be posted to the White Flint 2 and Rock Spring plan webpages. A final report will be produced by ULI within three months of concluding the TAP and made available to the public.
The new Rock Spring Master Plan and White Flint 2 Sector Plan will guide and encourage the transformation of the office parks, and recommend facilities and policies needed to support this change.
For more information about the Rock Spring Master Plan, go to: https://www.montgomeryplanning.org/rockspring
For more information about the White Flint 2 Sector Plan, go to: https://www.montgomeryplanning.org/wf2
About The Montgomery County Planning Department
The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, aims to improve quality of life by conserving and enhancing the natural and built environment for current and future generations. The Planning Department creates great communities by developing master plans, reviewing applications for development and analyzing various types of information to help public officials plan for Montgomery County’s future. The Department comprises 140 staff members and provides recommendations, information, analysis and services to the Montgomery County Planning Board, the County Council, the County Executive, other government agencies and the general public. Visit www.montgomeryplanning.org.
About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute (ULI) provides leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Founded in 1936, the institute now has more than 38,000 members worldwide representing the entire spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines, working in private enterprise and public service. ULI Washington works to advance the mission of ULI in the greater Washington metropolitan area. With just under 2,000 members, ULI Washington is one of the largest district councils in the world.