Development requires park impact payment of $5.59 million for park acquisition in downtown Bethesda
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Board, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), approved plans for the Marriott International headquarters to be constructed in downtown Bethesda. The new building, designed by Gensler of Washington, DC, will occupy a site at Wisconsin and Norfolk Avenues near the Bethesda Metro Station. The company is currently headquartered on Fernwood Road in Bethesda, near the intersection of Interstate 270 and the Capital Beltway.
Marriott’s sketch plan, preliminary plan and site plan applications were reviewed by Planning Department staff under the 2017 Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan and Bethesda Downtown Design Guidelines.
The development proposes up to 1.05 million square feet of hotel and office uses, requiring an allocation of 559,000 square feet from the Bethesda Overlay Zone and a payment of $5.59 million to the park impact payment (PIP) fund for park acquisition in downtown Bethesda.
The newly appointed Design Advisory Panel, which advises the Planning Board on new projects in downtown Bethesda, supports the design of the Marriott headquarters and approval of the requested Design Excellence public benefit points.
Marriott, the largest hotel company in the world, hopes to break ground on the project in 2018. The company’s decision to move 3,500 employees to downtown Bethesda was based on its desire to be near the many amenities offered nearby, access to a range of transportation options, the ability to build a state-of-the-art workplace and an incentive package from the state.