As county planners grapple with figuring out how Bethesda should change over the next 20 years as part of their work to update the Bethesda sector plan, one question keeps occurring: how can the community add green space or parks to its downtown?
On Tuesday, Montgomery County Department of Parks director Michael Riley, who was named to the position in July, said park planners are prioritizing how to create urban parks in the county and are now focusing on Bethesda.
“The idea of adequate open space and green space is going to be a priority,” Riley said Tuesday during the planning department’s semi-annual update to the Montgomery County Council.
Downtown Bethesda has several public parks and civic spaces. However, much of the green space is located on the area’s perimeter, such as Caroline Freeland Park next to the Bethesda Library on Arlington Road, Elm Street Park behind 47th Street and Battery Lane Park off of Rugby Avenue. Planners say they’re exploring options to bring green space and expand parks in the downtown core.
Riley said residents in urban centers want three main park amenities—community gardens, dog parks and skate parks. “We’re going to look how we’re going to get those amenities in there,” he said.
Councilmember Roger Berliner, who represents Bethesda, said he’s eager to see the county make more progress in building urban parks.
“Oh, my goodness, we need more of them,” Berliner said. “We certainly need more of them in the midst of Bethesda.”
Planners are considering whether to eliminate a requirement that proposed projects include so-called “pocket parks.” You may be familiar with these small parks in Bethesda—such as the sculpture garden at Gallery Bethesda or the new seating area next to the Bainbridge Bethesda. Rather than require developers to construct a small park or civic space, planners are considering the idea of creating a fund that developers would contribute to. The county could then use the money to purchase land to create larger parks.
Berliner said he’s heard from developers who favor this idea.
Planners have previously released designs for expanded parks, including one in Woodmont Triangle and another that would serve as a buffer between Chevy Chase and Bethesda, that they’re evaluating as part of the Bethesda sector plan.
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