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Bethesda Market Park

 The future park is to the right of Elm Street Park, between 46th Street and Wisconsin Avenue. The northern Bethesda Market Park area, also known as Lot 24, is in between Willow Lane and Leland Street and shows a civic green space. To the south between Leland Street and Walsh Street is the southern Bethesda Market Park area also known as Lot 16, which shows a playground and dog park area.

Project Description

This project will creatively repurpose two surface parking lots into a vibrant, public park. Built on top of a new underground parking structure, the new park when combined with the adjacent Elm Street Urban Park, will provide approximately four acres of urban park space in downtown Bethesda. The new park will be located adjacent to the historic Bethesda Farm Women’s Market and will include an extensive array of active and social park amenities inviting multi-generational use.  

Background

The creation of the new urban park in downtown Bethesda fulfills the vision of the Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan which was approved and adopted in 2017.  It also meets the social, active and environmental stewardship goals of the 2022 Park Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan. The new park will be developed as a part of a public/private partnership between the Montgomery County Department of Parks, Montgomery County Department of Transportation, Town of Chevy Chase and Wisconsin Columbia Venture LLC., owners of the Bethesda Market project, co-developed by Bernstein Development Corporation and EYA Multifamily. A Sketch Plan for the overall development, #320190030, was approved by the Planning Board on October 24, 2019.  

Status/Project Update

The project is in the initial community engagement/preliminary planning phase.  It is anticipated that a site plan will be submitted for review and approval by the Planning Board in the late Summer of 2023. 

Calendar and Meeting Notes

Dates Events/Activities Locations
October 24, 2019 Sketch plan approved by Montgomery Planning Board See the meeting Planning Board meeting
March 15, 2023, 6:30 p.m. Community Meeting #1
Community Meeting notes March 15 (pdf)
Jane E. Lawton Community
Recreation Center,
4301 Willow Lane,
Chevy Chase, Md., 20815
March 16, 2023, 7:00 p.m. Community Meeting #2
Community Meeting notes March 16 (pdf)
Bethesda Elementary School
7600 Arlington Road
Bethesda, Md., 20814
March 16 – April 30, 2023 Solicit community input View the video presentation
POSTPONED Community Meeting # 3: Virtual

Parks will send out an announcement when a new date for the virtual meeting is scheduledSign up to receive updates on the project using this form. 

Project Manager:
Linda Komes, PLA, ASLA | Landscape Architect
Linda.Komes@MontgomeryParks.org

Last Updated: July 12, 2023