loading...

18 And Counting: The Downtown Bethesda Rundown

  • June 3rd

by UrbanTurf Staff

✉️ Want to forward this article? Click here.

If you drive through downtown Bethesda, it seems like there is a new project going up on every block, as several new residential developments are in various stages of construction. 

Below, UrbanTurf takes a look at the latest with the buildings in the works along this stretch of Wisconsin Avenue. If we missed a big one, just shoot us an email at editor(at)urbaturf.com. 

In case you missed them, here are the other rundowns we have published this year:


old-g.jpg

7749 Old Georgetown Road

Stonebridge is planning to redevelop the former Jewelry Exchange building at 7749 Old Georgetown Road (map) into a 17-story, 270-unit apartment building with 6,000 square feet of retail and up to 150 structured parking spaces. Stonebridge purchased the site, formerly home to the Jewelry Exchange, in late 2022 for $3.6 million. The project, designed by sk+i architectural design group, could break ground in early 2026. 


4861-battery-corner.jpg

4861 Battery Lane

A 12-story building with up to 453 new apartments has been pitched for 4861 Battery Lane (map), an area on the northern edge of Woodmont Triangle. The existing multi-family building at the address would be razed to make way for the new development. The project, designed by Architects Collaborative, would have multiple courtyards and amenity spaces, a roof recreation area, and a number of public pedestrian connections. Fifteen percent of the apartments would be moderately-priced dwelling units, and there would be underground parking for approximately 450 cars. 


lot-25.png

Lot 25

Monument Realty and Mosaic Realty Partners have redevelopment plans for a surface parking lot. 

The development team is proposing a new 235-unit residential development with a 90-foot wide public park and up to 145 public parking spaces at the site of county controlled surface parking lot 25 (map).

The new development will offer either live-work units or coworking space, and up to 20% of the apartments will be moderately-priced dwelling units. 


Broad Branch Partners and Mosaic Realty Partners have plans for a condo and townhouse development for a plot just east of Woodmont Triangle (map) adjacent to the project above. The project is designed by Torti Gallas Partners. 

The mixed-use development will have about 53 multi-family units, up to 15 live/work units, an approximately 7,000 square-foot public park, up to 99 structured parking spaces, and private amenities.


7340.jpeg

7340 Wisconsin Avenue 

Greystar is hoping to complete construction by the end of the year on a 301-unit apartment building with retail at the site of an abandoned Exxon station at 7340 Wisconsin Avenue (map). The development, designed by SK+I Architecture, will rise 26 stories, have 157 parking spaces, and 15% of the apartments will be moderately-price dwelling units (MPDUs). 


4901-battery.jpeg

4901 Battery Lane

Plans are in the works to replace a pair of apartment buildings at 4901 Battery Lane (map) with a 12-story building that would deliver 339 market-rate and 60 moderately-priced (MPDU) apartments. The building would provide 322 vehicular parking and 95 long-term bicycle spaces, and the unit mix would span from studio to two-bedrooms. WC Smith is the developer and SK+I Architecture is the designer.


Battery-Lane-C-green.jpeg

Battery Lane District

Brown Development is working toward redeveloping the six-building, 806-unit mid-century Battery Lane District, located on Battery Lane between Old Georgetown Road and Woodmont Avenue (map). Over the course of 10-15 years, the new development is expected to deliver 1,530 new units and up to 12,000 square feet of commercial space.

Twenty percent of the new units will be moderately priced (MPDUs), and each of the existing building sites will be redeveloped one at a time on a rolling basis. The development will also include improvements to the North Bethesda Trolley Trail. DNC Architects, Cooper Carry, and KGD Architecture will be the designers. 

For the first phase, Brown Development is partnering with Hensel Phelps on a 120-foot, 315-unit development. The new building, designed by WDG Architecture, will be located on Site C, which is currently home to 147 garden apartments.


The Artena

A new development has long been planned at 8000 Wisconsin Avenue (map). The project is expected to deliver 330 market-rate units and 111 MPDUs above 20,000 square feet of commercial space, along with 311 vehicular and 102 bicycle spaces. Aksoylu Properties is the developer; SK+I Architecture is the designer. 


8001 Wisconsin Avenue

A nine-story building with up to 350 apartments atop 15,000 square feet of retail is planned for the area bound by Wisconsin Avenue and Tilbury Street from Highland to West Virginia Avenues (map)

There would be at least 350 parking spaces, and the development would also require the county to abandon the alley that bisects the site. BF Saul is the developer; Torti Gallas + Partners is the design architect.


Hampden East

Washington Property Company (WPC) and Douglas Development eventually plan to replace the WPC headquarters at 4719 Hampden Lane (map) with a 262 foot-tall mixed-use building. The development would include 150 residential units (17.6% MPDUs) with 330,000 square feet of office above and up to 10,000 square feet of double-height retail below, potentially including an indoor/outdoor café at Hampden and East Lanes.

Deep setbacks between the residential and office floors would create outdoor amenity spaces, and the office tenants and residents would share a roof deck. There will also be up to 300 parking spaces on 3-4 below-grade levels. Shalom Baranes Associates is the architect. 


7820-wisc-corner.jpeg

7-Eleven Redevelopment

Crescent Communities has a 31-story, 450-unit residential development dubbed Novel Bethesda in the works at multiple addresses centered around 7820 Wisconsin Avenue (map), currently the site of a 7-Eleven. Crescent Communities is the contract purchaser for the sites and Design Collective is the project architect. 

The 23rd floor may be the centerpiece of the new development, as it includes a clubhouse, an infinity lap pool and a sky deck with sweeping views of the surrounding area. At the top of the building there will be a glass window wall.


Midas Redevelopment

A 90 foot-tall, 110-unit development is in the works that will replace the Midas auto shop at 4725 Cheltenham Drive (map). Eight of the units would be live/work units and 17 would be MPDUs; no parking will be provided aside from 53 long-term bicycle spaces. The majority of the unit mix is junior one-bedrooms. Community Three is the developer, Eric Colbert & Associates is the architect and Soltesz is the landscape architect.


4824 Edgemoor Lane

The plan at 4824 Edgemoor Lane (map) has changed from apartments to more of a apartment-hotel hybrid use. The developer is requesting changes that would result in a 111-unit building, of which 65 of the units would be used as hotel rooms.  As designed by Bonstra|Haresign, the project will provide below-grade space for 45 vehicles.


4405-east-west-render.jpeg

4405 East-West Highway

Transwestern is looking to redevelop the five-story, 65,000-square-foot office building at 4405 East-West Highway (map) into a 10-story, 350-unit residential project.

Approximately 15% of the units will be moderately-priced, there will be 193 parking spaces, and up to 12,000 square feet of "nonresidential uses will include either retail, child care or medical office use." 


hampden.jpeg

Hampden House

Construction continues at 7316 Wisconsin Avenue (map), where Saul Centers will deliver 311 market-rate units and 55 MPDUs above 11,000 square feet of commercial space in a 250 foot-tall building potentially by the end of the year. The project will have 233 vehicular and 96 bicycle parking spaces and will also nearly double the size of the adjacent public plaza. Torti Gallas + Partners is the architect. 


Farm Women's Cooperative Market

The development plans for the historic Farm Women's Cooperative Market at 7155 Wisconsin Avenue (map), where mixed-use development has long been on the boards, include moving the market building northward and restoring it, and add up to 585 units (15% MPDUs) and 35,305 square feet of non-residential space. EYA and Bernstein Management Corporation are helming the development; Cunningham Quill Architects is the designer. 


7126Wisconsin.png

7126 Wisconsin Avenue

A proposal from Foulger Pratt for a residential development at 7126 Wisconsin Avenue (map) includes 335 apartments and up to 9,000 square feet of restaurant/retail space. SK+I Architecture is the designer.


Bethesda Row Infill

Federal Realty is looking for an extension from the Montgomery County Planning Board to review plans for an L-shaped infill development behind Bethesda Row, at Bethesda Avenue and Arlington Road (map). The project would deliver 250 apartments above 14,000 square feet of retail; 17.6% of the units would be MPDUs.

As designed by Hickok Cole, many of the units would have balconies, and the retail would have folding garage doors. There would be an interior "private passageway" between the new construction and Bethesda Row, and there would be 242 parking spaces at- and below-grade and via a mechanized stacked system. There would also be a bike room on the ground floor and a roof deck with pergola.

See other articles related to: bethesda, bethesda development, downtown bethesda

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/18_and_counting_the_downtown_bethesda_rundown/23562.

DC Real Estate Guides

Short guides to navigating the DC-area real estate market

We've collected all our helpful guides for buying, selling and renting in and around Washington, DC in one place. Start browsing below!