Parking Meters Coming To Chevy Chase, Friendship Heights

There will be no more free parking at a popular parking spot in Friendship Heights. This month and through June, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation will install parking meters just outside the GEICO corporate office, along the southbound side of Friendship Boulevard between Willard Avenue and Western Avenue. MCDOT will install meters in two other spots nearby, according to a county announcement over the weekend. Meters will be installed along northbound Wisconsin Avenue between Willard Avenue and Somerset Terrace. There will be no parking at the meters during rush hour. The same is true for Willard Avenue between Friendship Boulevard and Baltimore Avenue, where MCDOT will put in meters on the eastbound side of the road. All meters will allow up to two hours parking. Regional Services Center Director Ken Hartman said the meters will encourage more turnover in the spaces, hopefully improving parking availability. Hartman said last September that the meters for Friendship Heights were in the planning stage. The Chevy Chase Land Company, which owns the luxury shopping boutiques along the east side of Wisconsin Avenue, pushed for the meters in front of their property. Miti Figueredo, vice president of public affairs at the Land Company, said in September that the idea sprouted from conversations with security guards after the April 2013 smash-and-grab at the Cartier store (5471 Wisconsin Avenue). The security guards (many who operate in stores as off-duty police officers) said one reason the stores are a target is because thieves can easily pull up to the curb, steal pricey items and drive off. The meters might also bring more shoppers to the area. At least some of the revenue generated from the meters could go to the Friendship Heights Transportation Management District. The group that encourages the use of transit and alternative commuting options. The meters will cost $2 per hour, the same rate as curbside meters in downtown Bethesda. Photo via Chevy Chase Land Company