Four homes isolated by Beach Drive and the Capital Beltway near the border between Chevy Chase and Kensington could be demolished to make way for 16 townhomes under a development proposal being considered by the Montgomery County Planning Board.
County planners have recommended approving the project, which would rezone the 1.41-acre property from a designation allowing detached residential homes to the new Townhouse Floating Zone that allows up to 12 dwelling units per acre, which was approved as part of the county zoning code update that went into effect in October.
The new community, to be called Creekside, is being proposed by Chevy Chase-based Nova-Habitat Inc. The townhouses would be built off of Kensington Parkway on land in Chevy Chase next to the outer loop of I-495 near the Connecticut Avenue exit. The planning board is scheduled to review the project during its meeting Thursday.
In their recommendation, county planners wrote that the site is largely isolated from the nearby Rolling Hills community due to the separation caused by the Beltway. However, planners wrote the new homes could impact the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School cluster and estimated the development would add about six new students to local schools.
They also noted that the surrounding area provides plenty of transportation options, such as the Kensington MARC Station, Medical Center Metro station, the future Connecticut Avenue Purple Line station and bike trails connecting to major employment centers including The National Institutes of Health and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda.
Some of the townhomes would back up to Rock Creek Park, while others would back up to the Beltway, according to the proposal. Those closer to the park are expected to be three stories with rooftop terraces, while those closer to the Beltway are planned to be four stories with rooftop terraces that look out over the other townhomes across the street toward the park.
Planners haven’t received any comments from the community about the project, according to their review of the project. The developer is asking the county to abandon a portion of Glenmoor Drive, which currently serves the four single-family homes, so it can replace the county road with a private street.
The single family homes currently at 3619-3623 Glenmoor Drive, Chevy Chase, would be demolished to make way for 16 new townhomes under the proposal. Credit: Google Maps
