Housing development approved for North Bethesda office park

Project to contribute to residential transformation of Rock Spring area

January 20, 2025 5:11 p.m.

A 386-unit housing development proposed for construction in a North Bethesda office park near Westfield Montgomery mall will move ahead now that the Montgomery County Planning Board has unanimously approved preliminary, site and forest conservation plans for the project.

The NRP Group, a national development company based in Ohio with a mid-Atlantic headquarters in the county, is behind the plans approved Thursday for the Democracy Center project on Rockledge Drive. In May, the planning board approved sketch plans for the project that initially proposed up to 393 units. The project also includes a 1.3-acre privately owned public park and an on-site parking garage, according to planning documents.

The proposed seven-story multifamily building would be built in the Rock Spring area near Rockledge Drive, Fernwood Road and Westlake Terrace. The area is an office park with several large buildings including the headquarters for global defense technology firm Lockheed Martin. Rock Spring is also the former location of Marriott International headquarters, which relocated to downtown Bethesda in September 2022. That site is on track to become a large senior living community called The Grandview.

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The plans for the residential building fit with county planners’ vision of transforming the Rock Spring area into a mixed-use neighborhood. According to planning documents, other housing projects are in the works or have been constructed in the area, including the Montgomery Row Townhomes.

Josh Wooldridge, NRP Group’s senior vice president of development, told board members Thursday that while planning housing projects is similar to solving a puzzle like a Rubik’s Cube, the company’s project was more complex due to its office park location.

“I urge staff and Planning to keep an open mind when considering these projects in the future as these types of sites are likely to be almost our entire source of new housing projects going forward,” Wildridge said. “Less than a decade ago Rock Spring was still the premier employment center in the county. It’s amazing how quickly things can change.”

Board Commissioner Josh Linden also noted the office park’s future as a home for county residents.

“This neighborhood is going to be totally transformed … hopefully relatively soon,” Linden said. “It’s going to go a long way with potentially several thousands of residents coming in the next five to 10 years. So, a lot of changes but hopefully positive changes in creating a much more walkable area in this part of the county.”

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Of the 386 residential units proposed for the development, 15%, or 41 units, will be moderately priced dwelling units (MPDUs) as required by county rules, planning documents state.

“I love that you’re committing to move forward with this project. … It’s a large number of units, which we definitely need more housing. We’ve been preaching that,” Board Chair Artie Harris told the developers.

During Thursday’s meeting, planners and developers did not discuss the timeline for the project or when they expected the development to be complete.

Privately owned public park

Next to the residential building, developers are planning to create a public park with a variety of amenities. Plans include Bocce courts, game tables, multi-purpose courts for basketball or racket sports, a picnic area, an open lawn, a terraced garden and nature-based play areas, planning documents said.

According to county planner Amy Lindsey, the park portion of the development will be privately owned by the developer but open to the public, and its construction is planned to be coordinated with the Montgomery County Parks department.

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Planning Board Vice Chair Mitra Pedoeem questioned developers on the lack of proposed parking and a restroom for the park.

“It is a public park and should be available and welcoming to all people,” Pedoeem said.

In response, county planners explained that within the 2017 Rock Spring Sector Plan, the area was envisioned to be a more residential and walkable neighborhood.

Lindsey also noted that people who work in nearby offices or who will live in future residential communities in the area also would be able to access the park without the need for parking.

Soo Lee-Cho, a principal at the Bregman, Berbert, Schwartz and Gilday law firm based in Bethesda, which is representing the developer, defended the lack of parking for the park.

“It is not a regional facility. It was to really meet the need of the desires of the Rock Spring Sector Plan to create more active recreational use that is neighborhood-focused,” she said. “I think the work culture is evolving. Even the workforce has a need to have outdoor time during the day or even immediately after work to take some time and play pickleball.”

Lee-Cho also said developers considered the possibility of adding a restroom at the park but ultimately decided not to citing the developers’ concerns over insurance liability, maintenance, and security.

“That’s a huge lift, they’re maintaining a public park,” Lee-Cho said. “Not every park has a public restroom and there’s a reason. It becomes a burden that’s tremendously difficult to bear. And it’s one that a single apartment building – it’s just too much.”

Road diet on Rockledge Drive

The development plans also call for reducing the number of traffic lanes on Rockledge Drive from four to two on the stretch of road that would run in front the upcoming residential building and neighboring office buildings. Bike lanes would replace the removed lanes on both sides of the road, according to planning documents.

Pedoeem noted the proposed road diet also would remove parking spaces for the park.

“I was thinking that some of the [park] users, they could park along Rockledge but you’re going to reduce it to two lanes, it’s not public use because they cannot even park on Rockledge,” Pedoeem said. “That is a public amenity that is not accessible [to the] public.”

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