Back in September we let you know that Lidl, a German international discount supermarket chain, was under contract to purchase the subject properties between Walter Johnson Road and Germantown Road and seeks to develop a 31,000 square foot Lidl Grocery Store with associated parking and open space areas. The application was accepted on December 15th of 2021 with future planning board action pending. Signs about potential development have been up since summer 2021.
The project site occupies approximately 2.8 acres of land on Walter Johnson Road between Bowman Mill Drive and Wisteria Drive, a few blocks northeast of the Germantown MARC Station. The site is a consolidation of several parcels of land. Currently, the site is partially wooded. The developed portion of the site houses an office building with a copy center on the ground floor and part of the parking lot for an adjacent credit union building.
Lidl has filed two applications. The proposed project consists of a 32,000-square foot grocery store and associated surface parking. It will have vehicular and pedestrian access from Walter Johnson Road, as well as an internal drive connecting to Bowman Mill Drive and Wisteria Drive. Lidl will also make improvements to the site frontage along Walter Johnson Road and Wisteria Drive including new sidewalks, a plaza with seating and a mural, extensive landscaping and historic resource signage.
Lidl, a German international discount supermarket chain, is under contract to purchase the subject properties between Walter Johnson Road and Germantown Road and seeks to develop a 31,000 square foot Lidl Grocery Store with associated parking and open space areas.
Prior to the Concept Plan Submission, a few months back, Lidl held three meetings with Upcounty Planning Staff to review various development schemes. The submitted plans reflect the input of Planning Staff to date.
A community meeting to discuss the preliminary plan is scheduled for Monday, September 27th. We’ll have more details on the meeting in the coming days.
A new Lidl mixed-use project has also been proposed for Rockville.
Below you’ll see more information about the Germantown site, courtesy of Montgomery Planning.
Existing Site Conditions
- The site is an assemblage of several properties and a portion of existing county right-of-way to be abandoned, as shown on the Concept Plan. The total developed (net site) area will be approximately 2.8 acres.
- The site is currently used as a copy center and office building. There is a three-story building on the property with a surface parking area. All existing improvements will be demolished.
- The site is bounded by the following uses:
o North:Mid-AtlanticFederalCreditUnion
o South:7-Eleven, GasStation, and Verizon Utility Building
o East: Walter Johnson Road (county road)
o West: Germantown Road (Maryland 355) - Several easements exist on the property related to utilities and access. The site also benefits from an off-site access easement to allow for ingress/egress to Wisteria Drive. Some of the existing utility easements will be abandoned to accommodate the new development.
- A portion of the site is within the boundaries of the Madelyn V. Waters Historic Site, although there are no certified historic resources present on the site.
