What is Planned for Bethesda?

Woodmont East is starting to take shape!
The Montgomery County Planning Board gave preliminary approvals last Thursday to the JBG Companies, which are now actively moving ahead in plans to develop Woodmont East. The last vacant parcel next to Bethesda Row is going to be host to a large-scale, mixed-use project which will include 208,579 square feet of office space in one tower, and 250 residential units and 9000 square feet of retail space in the other tower. Running between the two will be the much loved Capital Crescent Trail, which will remain open for, at the very least, most of the construction period.


“The trail will come right through the two of them,” said Matt Blocher of JBG. “As far as what happened at the hearing, [the approval] permits us to close the trail for up to five days at a time if there is significant construction procedures. At this point, we’re not sure if we'll need to close it, except for at the end of the job when we have to do the paving.”


Although the formal approval process is nearly completed, several key components need to be worked out before construction can proceed. The JBG Companies have not started to design the building beyond the site plan guidelines required by Montgomery County. Design and permitting is anywhere from 12 to 24 months, and then construction is 24 months.