The Montgomery County Planning Board is expected to review plans next week for the construction of a new county fire station in North Bethesda.
The project has been included in the county’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) since 2015 and construction is expected to begin in mid-2026, with completion in 2029, according to a County Council report.
The new station to be built at 11920 Chapman Ave. will be a few blocks away from the North Bethesda Metrorail station and near the Pike & Rose mixed-use development, Montrose Crossing shopping center and several multi-family apartment buildings.
The site is within council President Kate Stewart’s (D) district and she confirmed to Bethesda Today on Tuesday that the project is expected to continue moving forward. However, a difficult budget year could result in more delays to the project as the council discusses the full CIP in the coming months.
“We want to make sure that our fire department remains nimble and flexible to meet the community’s needs as we’re seeing different parts of our community be developed and populations shifting,” Stewart said.
According to Stewart, the White Flint Fire Station No. 23 project was initially included in the 2015-2020 CIP because the county was anticipating an increase in development and population density in the North Bethesda area, and therefore an increase in calls for service for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS). However, the county has since determined that calls for service in this area have not increased as anticipated a decade ago, partly because new residential buildings have fire suppression systems, she said.
“Most of the apartment buildings that have been built are newer buildings … with sprinklers in them. We are also seeing that the population that has moved in are people who are younger, and they tend to generate fewer [emergency services] calls than our older population,” Stewart said.
Despite a different outcome than expected, the county is still looking to move the project forward, Stewart said, noting that a number of housing projects for older residents are being planned for the area.
Councilmember Dawn Luedtke (D-Dist. 7), a member of the council’s Public Safety Committee, said Thursday in a statement emailed to Bethesda Today that she is pleased to see the project moving forward.
“Ensuring we have appropriate staffing and equipment for fire and rescue service calls is extremely important and a fundamental responsibility of our County,” Luedtke said. “We’ll continue to work with [Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service] to monitor service call levels, response times, and quality of service so that expanding communities like White Flint receive the high standard residents expect and deserve.”
According to planning documents, the proposed station will be a one-story building with five fire apparatus bays on the corner of Josiah Henson Parkway and Chapman Avenue. The station is also planned to serve as a police substation. In addition, according to the county Department of General Services’ project website, the station will include dormitories, private bunk space, administrative offices and meeting/training rooms.
Also included in the project is the purchase of a new Emergency Medical Services vehicle and the related EMS vehicle equipment.
By building the station, the county aims to supplement Rockville Fire Station No. 23 at 121 Rollins Ave., which has three bays and is “extremely undersized to meet the current response time requirements,” according to the 2025-2030 CIP.
The CIP also recommends relocating the Rockville fire station to the new station after it is built. However, county Fire Chief Corey Smedley told Bethesda Today on Thursday that the department is advocating to keep the station.
“We are working diligently to keep that Rockville station,” Smedley said. “It’s hard to keep up with the demand. [With] the growth that’s coming, it’s going to be an added challenge and we need to make sure that that station remains.”
“It will not only help the Bethesda area, but also the surrounding areas like Wheaton, like Rockville and others,” he added.
Increased costs, delays
On Monday, the council’s Public Safety Committee reviewed several amendments to the county’s 2025-2030 CIP regarding three county fire station renovation and construction projects, including the planned White Flint fire station.
The committee recommended the approval of a $6.9 million increase in the cost of the White Flint station project, which would bring the total to nearly $48.8 million, according to the council report. The cost increase stems from the council’s decision last year to defer the start of construction to fiscal year 2027, which begins on July 1, 2026, the report said. Now the council must vote whether to approve the increase.
“As long as the full council votes to keep it moving and takes that recommendation, then we anticipate around 2029 to be able to get completed with the construction and work toward occupying the structure,” Smedley said.
According to the report, the project was added to the county’s CIP with an original cost of $27.8 million. The project has been delayed for years due to “fiscal capacity,” the report states, although the design of the project began in October 2023 and was completed in December 2024.
In recent years, the council report said, council staff have been concerned about the delays due to increasing population density and business use and project cost increases. “While cost escalation stemming from delay is a true concern, a reevaluation of the project may afford the opportunity to pursue a less expensive option based on updated community needs,” the report said.
According to Stewart, delays also stem from redesigning the station to be more environmentally sustainable.
Planning documents state the proposed station will have solar panels incorporated into the roof, solar canopies over the station’s police parking lot and electric vehicle chargers for visitors and staff. In addition, the station will have electric chargers for fire and rescue and police vehicles to accommodate a future fleet conversion to electric vehicles.
On March 27, the county Planning Board is expected to review a mandatory referral and forest conservation plan for the construction of the new fire station. Montgomery Planning staff are recommending the board approve the referral and plan.
The council’s Public Safety Committee will review all MCFRS projects at 1:30 p.m. April 21, according to the office of councilmember and committee chair Sidney Katz.
