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Bethesda Market Park

Division: Park Development

 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 green 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 public/private partnership between the Montgomery County Department of Parks, Montgomery County Department of Transportation, State of Maryland, 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

October 24, 2019
Sketch plan approved by Montgomery Planning Board Planning Board meeting

 

Dates Events /Activities Locations
March 15, 2023, 6:30 p.m. Community Meeting #1 Jane E. Lawton Community

Recreation Center,
4301 Willow Lane,
Chevy Chase, Md., 20815

March 16, 2023, 7:00 p.m. Community Meeting #2 Bethesda Elementary School
7600 Arlington Road
Bethesda, Md., 20814
March 16 – April 16, 2023 Open Town Hall site to submit
public comments
Visit Open Town Hall to the take survey and let us know your ideas for a new park in downtown Bethesda. The comment period ends April 16, 2023.
May 24, 2023 Community Meeting # 3: Virtual  Zoom link to come

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

Last Updated: March 20, 2023