A community group is calling on County Council members to safeguard building height limits on properties around their neighborhoods.
The Coalition of Bethesda Area Residents fought to prevent the Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan from allowing towering high-rises to go up on properties near their homes. They won several battles over height caps at these sites, but now the group is working to cement its victories.
CBAR last week sent council members a letter asking them not to permit developers in certain areas to get bonus height as a reward for exceeding affordable housing requirements. While CBAR members acknowledged the need for lower-cost homes in Bethesda, they said the council should also prioritize existing residents’ peace of mind.
“Compatible heights in the transition zones between the built-up core and single family homes is a legitimate community concern,” the June 30 letter stated.
The issue has surfaced as officials review the zoning text amendment that implements many portions of the downtown plan, the long-range growth document the council passed in May.
One of the plan’s goals is to create more low-cost housing in Bethesda, and it requires developers to make at least 15 percent of their residential units affordable. In most of the county, the affordable housing requirement only stands at 12.5 percent.
Going above and beyond this minimum generally earns a developer additional building height. However, CBAR members are asking the council to consider alternative incentives for properties that border existing homes.
“This isn’t just something that’s coming out of the blue that we’re squawking about,” CBAR founder Mary Flynn told Bethesda Beat Wednesday. “We’re really just trying to protect the interests of property owners who have been long established.”
County planners had suggested limiting height bonuses to properties inside a “high performance area” mapped around Bethesda’s core. CBAR offered its own proposed boundaries for consideration.
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Planning officials mapped out a "high performance area" in blue in downtown Bethesda (left). The image on the right depicts the area (outlined in red) where CBAR proposed allowing height bonuses, which would be restricted elsewhere. Credit: Montgomery County Planning Department and Coalition for Bethesda Area Residents.
However, the council’s Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee (PHED) last month resisted restricting height bonuses for affordable housing.
The matter is slated to come before the full council on Tuesday. Council President Roger Berliner said he disagrees with the PHED majority and plans to offer an amendment to place firm height caps on properties at Bethesda’s fringe.
CBARHeightBonuses2017-06-30 by Bethany on Scribd
