The Montgomery County Planning Board this week is set to approve the Westbard Sector Plan, a set of new zoning and land use guidelines for the area around River Road and Westbard Avenue in Bethesda that could allow redevelopment of an aging suburban-style shopping center.
The Planning Board is scheduled to hold its fourth and final work session on the plan during its Thursday meeting.
With proposed maximum allowable building heights of 60, 75 and 90 feet along Westbard Avenue and Ridgefield Road, the plan is likely to lead to the redevelopment of the Westwood Shopping Center and Westwood II Shopping Center by developer Equity One.
Current maximum allowable building heights in Westbard (left) compared to what's proposed with the new Westbard Sector Plan (right) via Planning Department
The developer amassed several nearby properties along Westbard Avenue with designs to transform the area into a low-rise retail town center with a new street grid, underground parking garages, a town home community and apartment and condo buildings.
In February, before county planners had gone before the Planning Board, Equity One revealed a conceptual design for the properties in which it envisioned building heights similar to what could be approved Thursday.
Equity One isn’t the only Westbard property owner with redevelopment plans. Capital Properties, the owner of the Park Bethesda apartment building on Westbard Avenue, hopes to build new apartments and town homes on surface parking lots on its property.
Over the 20- to 30-year expected life of the sector plan, most properties along River Road could redevelop to maximum heights of 75 feet, essentially allowing for six-floor retail or commercial buildings.
Most properties along Westbard Avenue and River Road are now zoned for maximum building heights of 35, 40 or 45 feet.
Related: More stories on the Westbard Sector Plan
The prospect of taller buildings and the loss of the Westwood Shopping Center led many residents to protest the idea of making any significant zoning changes.
When a public relations firm hired by Equity One asked residents to show their support of redevelopment by sending a prepared email to the Planning Board, residents against redevelopment started their own similar prepared email campaign.
If the Westbard Sector Plan is approved by the Planning Board Thursday, it will head to the County Council and county executive for review.
The County Council has tentatively scheduled a public hearing on the Planning Board draft of the plan for Jan. 26. After that, the council’s Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee will hold its own work sessions before the full council considers more changes and final approval.
