Three-Building Development With Health And Wellness Component Pitched For Downtown Bethesda

• October 14th

by UrbanTurf Staff

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A mixed-use development has been pitched for the eastern edge of downtown Bethesda.

Montgomery Pearl, a project from Promark Development, would replace a series of aging office buildings along Montgomery Avenue and Pearl Street (map) with a contemporary complex combining residential, retail, and health club uses. 

At the heart of Montgomery Pearl’s design are three distinct but coordinated buildings—West, Central, and East. The buildings, designed by BKV Group, would blend glass, masonry, and textured panels along a facade with a number of setbacks, terraces, and balconies. The development will deliver new housing options ranging from studios to three-bedroom apartments, alongside double-height retail and a modern health and wellness club integrated into the Central building. There will also be four levels of underground parking.

As part of the development, Pearl Street, which currently ends in a dead zone at the Capital Crescent Trail, would be reimagined as a shared pedestrian-focused street featuring trees and outdoor seating. A staircase would create a new pedestrian link between the trail and the neighborhood, complemented by an urban plaza and terrace park designed as community gathering spaces. Along Montgomery Avenue, the proposal includes a widened 15-foot sidewalk, a protected bike lane, and street parking.

This is not the first time that ProMark has floated a development for these buildings. Back in 2018, the developer proposed a plan for a 145-foot-tall mixed-use building with ground-floor retail along a portion of Montgomery Avenue. 

The new proposal went before the Bethesda Downtown Design Advisory Panel in September.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/three-building_development_with_health_and_wellness_component_pitched/23962.