Plan Approved For New Mixed-Use Development Containing Up To 500 Units and Over 100K SF of Retail Uses in Rockville

In May 2022 we let you know that Federal Realty proposed a plan to transform what they referred to as the underutilized site of the Federal Plaza West property located at 1776 E. Jefferson Street, North Bethesda, Maryland (many consider the area Rockville) into a “thriving mixed-use development containing up to 500 units, up to a total of 108,965 square feet of retail uses (103,965 square feet of existing to be retained, and up to 5,000 square feet new), a half-acre public open space, and street-scape improvements.” Last week, the Montgomery County Planning Board approved the plan.

The Property is currently known as Federal Plaza West, which includes approximately 135,446 square feet of retail, including the former location of a Planet Fitness gym, which will soon be the home of MoCo’s first DMV Iron Gym location, and other retailers located in a two/three story structure constructed along the Property’s shared property line with Lot 1. A Panera Bread pad site and associated surface parking is located in the southwest quadrant of the Property, according to project plans.

Per Montgomery Planning: The Property is located at 1776 East Jefferson Street in North Bethesda, Maryland at the southeast quadrant of Rollins Avenue and East Jefferson Street. The Property is more particularly identified as Lot P2, “Memco’s Addition to Montrose” Subdivision as recorded among the Land Records of Montgomery County, Maryland (the “Land Records”) at Plat No. 10407. The Property consists of 283,914 square feet (or 6.52 acres) of gross tract area. The Property is located within the boundaries of the 2018 Approved and Adopted White Flint Sector Plan 2 Sector Plan (the “Sector Plan”) and the Urban Design Guidelines for Rock Spring & White Flint 2.

The Property is part of the overall Federal Plaza Shopping Center. The vast majority of the retail uses associated with Federal Plaza are located on adjacent Lot 1, located to the east of the Property with frontage on Rockville Pike. A portion of the Federal Plaza retail is located in the existing retail structure located on Lot 2, but this retail fronts on Lot 1 and reads as part of the overall development on Lot 1.