The Montgomery County Council has authorized the Montgomery County Planning Department to develop a Minor Master Plan Amendment (MMPA) for the 2017 Bethesda Downtown Plan that will focus on implementation, specifically as it relates to the cap of the Bethesda Overlay Zone (BOZ).
Montgomery Planning will be in the community in the coming weeks to share information, answer questions, and hear your feedback about the Minor Master Plan Amendment:
- Sunday, May 19: Bethesda Farmers Market at Bethesda Elementary School
- Wednesday, May 29: Bethesda Connie Morella Library, 7400 Arlington Road, from 7-9 p.m.
- Saturday, June 1: Chevy Chase Town Hall Meeting Room, 4301 Willow Lane, from 11-1 p.m.
About the Bethesda Overlay Zone: The Bethesda Overlay Zone (BOZ) is intended to implement the recommendations of the Bethesda Downtown Plan as it relates to density, building heights, affordable housing, parks and open space and design. The BOZ sets a cap on development to ensure that total density in the Plan Area, including existing, approved and new development (including affordable housing), does not exceed 32.4 million square feet of gross floor area. Once development comes within 2 million square feet of the cap, the plan recommended that Montgomery Planning Department check in with the County Council to see if additional recommendations are needed to help implementation of public amenity and infrastructure recommendations like new parks and transportation-related improvements.
About the Minor Master Plan Amendment: A Minor Master Plan Amendment (MMPA) provides an update of an existing Master Plan or Sector Plan, with a narrower focus, either in terms of geography or the topics to be covered. These plans follow the same process steps as a Master Plan and Sector Plan, with community outreach, a public hearing, and the Planning Board and County Council’s review.
The MMPA will not re-open the entire 2017 plan. The existing zoning, parks, transportation, and other recommendations will remain unchanged while we explore how better to implement those recommendations. The Planning team is working closely with the Bethesda Downtown Plan Implementation Advisory Committee, a volunteer panel with representatives from the resident and real estate development communities on this update. With many opportunities to engage and provide comments, the current schedule anticipates a Planning Board Public Hearing later in the fall and County Council review in early 2025.
Courtesy Montgomery Planning