After Outcry in Bethesda, Developer Changes Plans

Map It:  Bethesda 

IN THE END, some sort of tall building will tower above the corner of Woodmont and Bethesda avenues on the southern edge of Bethesda's central business district. But there will likely be more open space around it, thanks to a letter-writing campaign by local residents.

After JBG Associates presented plans for the proposed 540,000 square-foot Woodmont East hotel and condominium high-rise building last year, neighbors were shocked to learn that plans included paving over the modest-sized green space adjacent to the Capital Crescent Trail's tunnel portal near the Landmark Bethesda Row theater complex.

Now, as The Post's Miranda S. Spivack reports, the developers have gone back to the drawing board and refined their plans:

The developer's original concept would have eliminated a green space across from Landmark's Bethesda Row Cinema and Gifford's ice cream shop, which has become an informal gathering spot. The development was to include a plaza between two high-rise buildings, which would have been connected overhead. The new concept puts the open space directly across the street from Barnes & Noble, which has its own small plaza and fountain in front. The two buildings still would be connected by an overhead bridge.

Concerns about the plan remain, however — including whether it provides enough space for plaza shoppers and hikers and bikers from the trail.

» "Bethesda Developer Rethinks Open Space" [WaPo]
» EARLIER: "Bethesda Project Sparks Campaign" [WaPo]