Three proposed Wisconsin Avenue development projects will go before the Montgomery County Downtown Design Advisory Panel this week.
Set to meet Wednesday at Montgomery County Planning Department headquarters in Silver Spring, the Design Advisory Panel (DAP) will consider sketch plans for projects at 7316 and 7800 Wisconsin Ave. and a site plan for a project at 8000 Wisconsin Ave. All three projects include construction of apartment buildings.
The DAP’s purpose is to provide advice and recommendations to “heighten design excellence” and improve quality of architecture in Bethesda, according to its website. The panel, which is part of the county Planning Department, is guided by the Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan.
The 7316 Wisconsin Ave. project, also called the Metro Tower project, would develop an apartment building to include ground-floor commercial space, underground parking and 390 residence units.
Metro Tower also proposes enlarging an existing public plaza that lies between the property and the One Bethesda Center Condominium to provide place-making and gathering space.
Because the tower would be one of the tallest in Bethesda and be “significantly visible from multiple vantage points,” the project has been designed as an “iconic building that will sit proudly on Wisconsin Avenue to provide a strong marker for this prominent pedestrian corner,” according to DAP documents.
The architect for the Metro Tower project is Torti Gallas + Partners Inc. of Silver Spring.
At 7800 Wisconsin, development plans call for construction of a high-rise apartment building at the current Union Hardware site.
The project’s concept plan includes facades that could accommodate balconies or murals.
The proposed 22-story building would have a maximum height of 225 feet and project plans include four levels of underground parking.
The architect for the 7800 Wisconsin project is SK+I Architecture of Bethesda.
The final project to be discussed Wednesday is at 8000 Wisconsin Ave., where developers propose 430,000 square feet of development, including an apartment building with up to 441 units.
Also included in plans submitted by Aksoylu Properties are retail space, underground parking and streetscape improvements.
On one side of the property is 7900 Wisconsin Ave., where a 17-story apartment complex is under construction by JBG Smith. On the other side is the property that Toll Bros. wants to redevelop with a condominium building. This project has been presented during previous DAP meetings, during which panel members suggested reducing “perceived bulk” of the building and creating a “shadow line separation from the previously approved project at 7900 Wisconsin Ave.
The project includes up to 111 moderately priced dwelling units (MPDU) available to people and families with low incomes and 330 “market rate” units, as well as 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. Developers in downtown Bethesda must dedicate at least 15 percent of their residential units to moderately priced housing. To be eligible for MPDUs, a family of four must have an annual income of less than $82,000.
