County Councilmember Hans Riemer and Planning Department staff invite the public to learn more about making the Bethesda business district more accessible for walking and cycling
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, will hold a public meeting to review pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure recommendations in the Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan on Wednesday, January 11, 2017 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Room D of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center (4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, MD). RSVP’s are encouraged but not required.
RSVP for the Councilmember Riemer and Planning Department Pedestrian and Bicycle Infrastructure Meeting on January 11.
This community forum, Walking, Biking and the New Bethesda Sector Plan, is intended for those county residents interested in the Planning Board recommendations for making Downtown Bethesda more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. The discussion will focus on how these proposals for Bethesda are different from what is there today and what it will take to make the changes recommended in the new plan.
The event is co-sponsored by Councilmember Hans Riemer (At-Large) and the Planning Department. It is timed to take place prior to County Council deliberations about the Planning Board-approved draft of the Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan that will begin in mid-January.
Background on the Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan
Launched in 2014, the new Plan builds on the success of Downtown Bethesda by offering ways to strengthen its centers of activity – Bethesda Row, Wisconsin Avenue corridor, Woodmont Triangle and other established and emerging districts – over the next 20 years. One of its recommendations is a high-performance area that will incentivize more energy-efficient buildings, new parks, tree-lined streets and innovative storm water management. Making Bethesda into a truly sustainable downtown – economically, socially and environmentally – is the plan’s top priority.
Other goals of the plan focus on:
-A mix of housing options, including preservation of market-rate affordable apartments and new moderately priced dwelling units in exchange for development incentives.
-New and/or expanded civic greens at Veteran’s Park, Bethesda Farm Women’s Cooperative Market and Capital Crescent Trail.
-Economic competitiveness within the region based on new development, public amenities and proximity to transit, including Metrorail and the proposed Purple Line light rail.
The Plan serves as an amendment to the approved and adopted 1994 Bethesda Central Business District Sector Plan and the 2006 Woodmont Triangle Amendment to that Sector Plan.
View the Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan Planning Board Draft.
For questions or comments about the Bethesda plan, please email: bethesdadowntownplan@montgomeryplanning.org
About Councilmember Hans Riemer (At-Large)
Hans Riemer, elected to the County Council in 2010, represents one million Montgomery County residents as an At-Large Member. Hans serves as the Council’s Lead for Digital Government, where he is working to make county government smarter and services more efficient, and he serves on the Planning, Housing, and Economic Development Committee as well as the Government Operations & Fiscal Policy Committee.
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 147 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.