Federal Realty is submitting applications for approval of a Preliminary Plan of Subdivision and Sketch Plan, for consideration by the Montgomery County Planning Board, for the property located at 1776 E. Jefferson Street, North Bethesda, Maryland (many consider the area Rockville). The Property is currently known as Federal Plaza West, which includes approximately 135,446 square feet of retail, including a Planet Fitness gym 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 the project plans, Federal Realty is proposing to transform this underutilized site 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. The orientation of the development along East Jefferson Street, combined with the implementation of the road diet (discussed within), will begin to transform this suburban-styled area of North Bethesda into a more urbanized, walkable community in furtherance of the County’s goals.
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.
A date for Planning Board consideration has not yet been set.
First reported by Caitlynn Peetz of Bethesda Beat. Featured photo courtesy of Montgomery Planning.
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