On the east side of Westbard Avenue (home of the Bowlmor Bethesda and Park Bethesda apartments) planners recommended increasing the maximum height to 75 feet, an effort to put the density away from the single-family home neighborhoods to the west. Planners also made a change for the auto repair shops and other light industrial uses along Butler Road south of River Road, recommending no zoning changes. The proposed plan would allow up to 1,916 more residential units than what's allowed today, a 32,000-square-foot reduction in allowed retail space, 24,000-square foot increase in office space and a nearly 1 million-square-foot reduction in allowed industrial space. The 1,916 additional residential units is a full build-out projection, which rarely, if ever, happens in sector plans. Wright said the number includes the potential new residential units that could be built at the River Road Whole Foods site, which seems unlikely to redevelop any time soon as the grocery store has a long-term lease. Traffic, Roads Planners said replacing some retail and industrial uses with residential units is a way to reduce traffic congestion. Traffic studies the Planning Department and a consultant did last fall showed 80 percent of traffic on River Road is thru-traffic, likely from commuters traveling to and from the Beltway. "When you add more residents and you lower the jobs, you balance the road system," said planner Mike Garcia. 
The recommendations include requiring new development to reduce the amount of curb cuts on River Road. On an 1,800-foot section of River Road through Westbard, there are 20 curb cuts on the eastbound side of the road and 12 curb cuts on the westbound side of the road. That means 32 places where vehicles can turn, slowing down traffic and in some cases creating queues of vehicles backing up on to River Road. Garcia said anybody who develops property along River Road would be required to provide shared access points between parking lots. Planners said their tests and projections show none of Westbard's intersections would hit the failing intersection threshold of a 1,600 critical lane volume (CLV), even with full build out of the development allowed. The CLV measurement shows congestion at the point where the most vehicles pass through an intersection in the morning and afternoon rush hours. The 1,600 CLV threshold is set by the County Council, though some on the Council believe the number should be lower. The recommendations also include a new two-lane connector road with curbside parking lanes from Westbard Avenue to River Road that would run roughly where the American Plant property is today. Planners would also like to add 7-foot wide cycle tracks to each side of Westbard Avenue from River Road to Westbard Circle. The upgraded Westbard Avenue would retain its four lanes during rush hour. In non-rush hour times, the curbside lanes could be reserved for parking. On River Road, planners would like to see an 11-foot-wide, two-way cycle track on the north side of the road and an 8-foot wide, tree-lined median. They would also add a street-level crossing for Capital Crescent Trail users, who now must make the windy trip up and over a bridge. All of the upgrades on River Road and Westbard Avenue could be done within the existing right-of-way, planners said. Schools 
Planners suggested four options that could be used interchangeably to solve the area's existing school overcrowding issues: 1. MCPS reclaims former schools that are being leased out to others, such as the former Broomont Elementary School on Sangamore Road (now the Waldorf School) or the former Clara Barton Elementary School (now the Clara Barton Community Center). 2. MCPS adds on to existing schools. 3. Planners and MCPS work together to locate a new school site, potentially on the existing Little Falls Library site. (Attendees at the meeting jeered that suggestion.) 4. MCPS does a boundary change that puts any new residential development along Westbard Avenue in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Cluster, instead of the Walt Whitman High School Cluster. Unsurprisingly, the redistricting suggestion drew the harshest reaction from those at the meeting. Wright clarified that planners don't want to touch the political third rail of school boundary changes. The changes would apply not to any existing single-family home neighborhoods, but to new development and those who live in the existing apartments along Westbard Avenue. "We have the unique situation that the Westbard study area is literally on the boundary between Whitman and B-CC," Wright said. "There could be an opportunity to literally redistrict only the redevelopment area and not any of the existing residents. This is an unusual situation." Parks, Open Space 
Planners would still like to see improvements made along the Willett Branch Stream, now contained in a concrete storm drain. The recommendations include long- and short-term measures to help add more green space around the stream and encourage property owners to daylight the stream when it comes to redevelopment. Planners seemed to back away from the suggestion of moving the Little Falls Library to Equity One's planned redevelopment of Westwood Center, but they're still hoping the project will include an open town center. Planners suggested a new park along the Capital Crescent Trail south of River Road that could be programmed as a skate park and dog park. Planners said they heard from Westland Middle School students who said they'd like to see a skateboarding facility.
Planners Put Lower Building Heights, New Park, Bicycle Lanes In Westbard Plan
