Members of the Bethesda Fire Department board likely weren’t pleased Sunday to find a Washington Post story on the longstanding community opposition to their hopes for new zoning that could allow redevelopment at Fire Station 6.
Bethesda Fire Department First Vice President Nathan Finkelstein took particular exception.
In a letter sent Wednesday to Somerset Mayor Jeffrey Slavin, Finkelstein ripped Slavin for his criticism of the redevelopment option in the Washington Post story.
“Your quote in the Post that all comments are falling on deaf ears is outrageous at best and pathetically inaccurate at worst,” wrote Finkelstein, a lawyer who lives in Somerset and served on Somerset’s Council from 1995-2001. “We have held numerous meetings with the neighbors regarding the process that is going on. The concerns of all are being and will continue to be considered. However given the fact that no plan has yet been chosen, it is difficult to address all of the concerns expressed at this time.”
The Bethesda Fire Department, a nonprofit that owns the Fire Station 6 site at Wisconsin Avenue and Bradley Boulevard, is asking Montgomery County planners for new zoning that could one day lead to the construction of a new apartment building on the property in conjunction with a private developer that would help finance a new and more modern station.
When reached Thursday, Slavin said he considered Finkelstein a friend, but that “it’s unfortunate he is being so disrespectful.”
“They never really reached out to the community,” Slavin said. “Bascially, they’re making, in my opinion, a lot of decisions not based on facts or data.”
Finkelstein, when reached Thursday, said he personally discussed where the Fire Department was in the process at a Somerset Council meeting.
“We had emphasized to [Slavin] that this was in its very infancy stage,” Finkelstein said. “He’s giving the impression that we’re breaking ground tomorrow. We haven’t even decided whether we would do [redevelopment].”
The Planning Board is scheduled to discuss the property's zoning recommendation in one of its next two Bethesda Downtown Plan worksessions. The entire plan will have to be approved by the County Council.
The Bethesda Fire Department has talked about the possibility of an eight-story apartment building, which could be accommodated under the new zoning being proposed so far as part of the Planning Department’s Bethesda Downtown Plan.
Slavin and leaders of other single-family neighborhoods south of the site are worried the new apartment building would encroach on their neighborhoods. The existing Fire Station 6 backs up to Nottingham Drive, a street in the Chevy Chase West neighborhood with single-family homes.
Slavin told the Washington Post that the Fire Department board has been “very adversarial” and that “there are a lot of ways they could raise money rather than taking the easy way out and hooking up with a developer.”
In his letter to Slavin, Finkelstein emphasized that the Fire Department has not yet chosen to redevelop and other options, such as a major renovation or new standalone station funded by public dollars, are still on the table.
The Fire Department owns the station and raises money for some equipment and supplies, but it’s staffed by employees of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. Station 6 is approaching its 50th anniversary and Fire Department officials say it’s in need of an upgrade to keep up with a growing Bethesda area.
"Bethesda and Friendship Heights are no longer the sleepy communities of the past, but rather sprawling urban areas,” Finkelstein wrote to Slavin. “The need for excellent fire and rescue service will continue to be needed in the future at a level that is sufficient to satisfy the growing demand of our communities.
“Remember the life or house that the fire department saves may be yours or your neighbors,” Finkelstein continued in the letter. “I urge you to notify [Somerset] that your comments in the Post were inaccurate. As Mayor, you need to look out for the best interests of the Town and not as an advocate for those who choose not to face the reality of the situation.”
Neighborhood opposition to the development option was evident in June 2014, before the Fire Department even held a pair of public meetings discussing the process. At that time, Fire Department officials said neighbors, especially Chevy Chase West resident Naomi Spinrad, were spreading misleading information.
Slavin, a real estate broker and major philanthropist, is well known in county political circles.
Finkelstein told him in the letter: “I look forward to a retraction of your quotes.”
A venerable group of civic leaders called the Citizens Coordinating Committee on Friendship Heights recently asked the Fire Department if it could put a representative on the nonprofit’s board, just as other local civic associations and towns do.
The committee’s nominee for the board position was Slavin.
On Thursday, the Fire Department sent a memo to the committee declining the request to have a representative on the board.
Finkelstein said Thursday the request “came out of the blue.”
“They don’t have any standing to be on the board, according to our charter,” Finkelstein said. “We’re not trying to be adversarial. We’ve tried to emphasize to everyone that [redevelopment] is one of several options.”
