Editor’s note: This article, originally published at 6:25 p.m. on Jan. 21, 2025, was updated at 11:16 a.m. on Jan. 23, 2025, to add details about the project’s demolition schedule.
A 17-story mixed-use building with 270 apartments is set to be built on Old Georgetown Road in downtown Bethesda now that the Montgomery County Planning Board approved plans for the project.
Bethesda-based developer Stonebridge intends to construct the building in the Woodmont Triangle neighborhood at 7749 Old Georgetown Road, where the street intersects with St. Elmo Avenue, Arlington Road and Wilson Lane. The property is the home of the Old Georgetown Grille, which is slated to close by the end of 2025, according to the plans approved Thursday by the board.
In an interview with Bethesda Today, Doug Firstenberg, a principal at Stonebridge, described the proposed high-rise as a “gateway building” that he hoped future tenants would call home for a long time.
“This building is going to be seen from a long way away. And so, from our perspective, the gateway is when you drive and you’re a mile away, you’ll see the building,” Firstenberg said. “You’ll see [the building] as you come into Bethesda.”
He also noted the impact that the impending closure of Old Georgetown Grille would have on its customers.
“People have been going to the Old Georgetown Grille for a long time. … That restaurant is going to close when we start construction. So that’s a big change for people who’ve been going there for decades,” he said.
According to Firstenberg, demolition of the existing buildings and is slated for summer 2026.
The building’s ground floor will include 6,000 square feet of space dedicated to commercial and retail uses, according to planning documents.
During Thursday’s Planning Board’s meeting Thursday, Chair Artie Harris said he was “delighted” to see Stonebridge’s plans for a residential building in Bethesda and how the developer aims to “activate” the ground floor with retail space.
According to planning documents, 41, or 15%, of the building’s apartments will be classified as moderately priced dwelling units, as required by the county. All 270 residential units will be a mix of one-, two-, or three-bedroom apartments.
Firstenberg also noted developers are planning to offer “slightly larger” apartment units with more features for renters, such as including a full-size washer and dryer, a dining room and a mud room.
“We’re trying to give people the kind of things that someone would expect or want if they’re going to live in a building longer, just so they’d have more elbow room or breathing room,” he said.
With the board’s unanimous vote, all major approvals have been granted for the project. Stonebridge expects to begin designing the building in the early summer, Firstenberg said. He noted that it would likely be up to 18 months before construction crews break ground, but said he expected construction to begin in the second half of 2026.
By mid-2028, Firstenberg said the building’s first tenants may begin moving in.
In addition to the Old Georgetown Grille and offices located above it, the property is home to several one-story buildings housing the Bethesda Kickboxing Academy, Head2Toe Health & Aesthetics and the Bethesda Florist on St. Elmo Avenue and the Nazlymov Fencing studio on Old Georgetown Road. According to planning documents, the existing buildings and parking lots at the site will be demolished.
Firstenberg explained the project site is an assemblage of multiple parcels that allows Stonebridge the space to increase the height and size of its mixed-use building.
Board Commissioner James Hedrick said during Thursday’s meeting he wished the building would be taller than the proposed 175 feet height.
Plans for the building also include 145 parking spaces and 100 bicycle parking spaces in a below-ground garage and a bike lane in front of the building on St. Elmo Avenue.
Commissioner Josh Linden said Thursday that he appreciated the parking ratio of the number of spaces to units.
“I think that’s really good for downtown Bethesda. Of course my preference would be to go lower. But we’ll take a win when we get it,” Linden said.
According to planning documents, developers will also install a 5-foot-wide bicycle lane with a 2-foot buffer containing flex posts and bollards along the building frontage on St. Elmo Avenue. The 5-foot bike lane will continue to Norfolk Avenue but without the buffer.