Up to 1,600 Units and Space for the Arts: Strathmore Square to Move Forward

• December 11th 2017

by Nena Perry-Brown

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Earlier this year, Montgomery County approved a suite of new development guidelines for downtown Bethesda. Last week, the County Council unanimously passed an amendment to the Grosvenor-Strathmore Minor Master Plan, paving the way for large-scale development at the Metro station there.

The first project to take advantage of this new zoning will be Strathmore Square, a 14-acre mixed-use community proposed by Fivesquares Development that will be built atop the Metro station’s parking lot and the surrounding land. There will be up to 1,600 residential units with small-scale neighborhood-serving retail, a one-acre village green with art and performance space, and improved pedestrian and bicycle access. Of the residences, 15 percent will be set aside as moderately-priced dwelling units.

The first phase of the development will break ground in summer 2018, when the development team will begin expanding the Metro parking garage to replace the 412 parking spaces that will be lost. The individual buildings, which will each require separate approval from the County Planning Department, will likely begin breaking ground in 2019.

“Creating more housing at one of the last remaining Metro sites in Montgomery County will encourage Metro ridership, help ease traffic congestion on our roadways, and make our community an even more attractive place to live and work,” Fivesquares’ principal Ron Kaplan said in a statement.

News of the development moving forward comes over three years after WMATA selected Fivesquares to redevelop the Metro station. The developer launched a pop-up retail plaza this past summer, including incorporation of a decommissioned Metrorail car into a repurposed retail space.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/up_to_1600_units_and_space_for_the_arts_strathmore_square_to_move_forward/13354.