The Montgomery County Planning Board on Thursday approved the site plan for Bethesda Mews, a development of 29 single-family detached dwellings, three townhomes and two duplexes at the former site of the American College of Cardiology.
The Board quickly approved the plan, which would put a new neighborhood on the 10-acre site at the intersection of Old Georgetown and Alta Vista Roads. The development will include an extension of Camberley Avenue to Alta Vista, two recreation areas and a stormwater system improvement into the existing neighborhood.
The project, from D.C.-based real estate investment firm Streetscape Partners, will include moderately priced units for the townhomes and duplexes. One 9,000-square-foot area at the “grand entrance” to the community will include stone garden walls, benches, pathways, sitting areas and an archway. Streetscape was a partner in the Symphony Woods luxury townhome development near the Strathmore.
One change is the probable severe impact on a group of three more trees than originally planned. Streetscape will plant 55 trees, up from 52, as part of its forest mitigation plan. The development requires a school facility payment at both the middle school and high school level. It will be in the Walter Johnson High School cluster.
Allen Myers, president of the nearby Maple Leaf Citizens Association, said his group met a few times with the developer and had no issues.
“I think it’s going to be an enhancement to the neighborhood and I think the residents are, by and large, very happy,” Myers said.
Image via Montgomery County Planning Department
