Last printed 4/2/2007 11:24 AM

White Flint Advisory Group Forum

February 27, 2007
Summary
M-NCPPC Auditorium 7:00-9:30 P.M.

Neighborhood 1

Bob Stoddard, Washington Real Estate Investment Trust

Regarding: 12250 Nebel Street and 5520 Randolph Road

Metro-oriented, smart growth project

Mixed-use: residential, retail, office or medical office, hotel or other commercial use
Pedestrian-friendly
Structured parking, possibly underground
Vertical design with sufficient density and floor area
Realignment of Nebel Street to the east adjacent to the tracks

Representative of Shulman Rogers

Regarding: Jolles property at 11720 Nebel Street

Request mixed-use potential instead of industrial

Necessary truck traffic for industrial uses will be disrupted near the new Town Center

Al Blumberg, Site Solutions, Inc.

Regarding: Montouri Property

Request high density residential or mixed-use; or

Possible density transfer option to save the existing woodland on property

Questions and Comments

1. Save the trees on the Montouri Property.

2. Traffic on MD 355 is a problem. How is it being addressed?

M-NCPPC staff responded that analysis of the traffic impacts of each scenario studied is
a part of the planning process.

3. Save the unique retail in the area. Do not allow it to be replaced by big box stores.

4. Analyze the I-4 and I-1 zones. What are the county impacts of losing industrial zoning?
Reducing industrial zoning may not be a good idea.

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Neighborhood 2

David Kitchens, Cooper Carry Architects for Lerner Enterprises

Regarding: White Flint Mall

Identify a district from the Grosvenor Metro Station to the White Flint Metro Station
Create a parking district with public/private parking garages
Advance a “park once and walk” concept
Provide new cross-streets
Create a linear park in the no-build area above the Metro tunnel
Compare White Flint to development at other Metro station areas in the region
Protect surrounding single-family neighborhoods
Unify related destinations within that district: Strathmore Arts Center and North
Bethesda Conference Center and Hotel

Perry Berman, Berman Enterprises for Jack Fitzgerald

Regarding: Jack Fitzgerald Auto Dealership – two properties

Create a campus that includes the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Accommodate the unique needs of car dealerships

Phil Perrine for Robert Eisinger, ProMark Real Estate

Regarding: Property north of White Flint Mall

Site currently has a four-story lab building, allow instead a mix of uses
Create new roads parallel to MD 355
Coordination in progress with other property owners on Huff Court

Questions and Comments

1. Are the property owners in Neighborhood 2 working together?

Answer: Discussions are underway.

2. Would single-family homes be taken for the proposed linear park along Rockville Pike?

Answer: No, the park would be 50 feet wide, the width of the clear area above the tunnel.

3. Provide a mix of heights along Rockville Pike and good design review.

4. How will the plan deal with the plans for the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) that
will combine the Walter Reed Army Medical Center with the National Naval Medical
Center in Bethesda?

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Answer: The staff is taking BRAC into account in its analysis of transportation in the
area.

5. What is planned for sidewalks? Will they be comfortable?

Answer: Planning includes sidewalks designed to make walking a more attractive option.

6. Will there be varied heights so as to avoid being like Crystal City?

Answer: The staff considers form and character in the plan update.

7. Will the White Flint team look at innovative ways to move traffic such as left turn
restrictions and jug handles?

Answer: The staff coordinates with the Department of Public Works and Transportation
(DPWT) and State Highway Administration, and considers a range of options to test.

8. Provide easier ways of shopping more conveniently along the retail corridor.

9. Create design solutions for the entire corridor of MD 355, especially the intersections.
Look at Dupont Circle.

10. Encourage developers to consider how to create a more functional MD 355.

11. Are there any proposals for White Flint Mall? How about a street grid?

Answer: 1) They are considering integration of a grid of streets to create a walkable

area that is connected to the surrounding community. 2) There is no specific proposal
showing shape and form.

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Neighborhood 3

Evan Goldman, Holladay Corporation

Regarding: Metro Pike Plaza, opposite the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Want mixed-use including neighborhood-serving retail, office, and residential

Want an 8-foot wide bike path along Woodglen Drive (extension of the Bethesda Trolley
Trail)
Request a 60-foot tall residential building over two-story retail
Want an office component above a retail base
Buildings will step down from the north nearest the Metro, to the south
Working with planning staff on the streetscape design for MD 355
Need adequate density to trigger redevelopment in White Flint
Will build new street connecting Rockville Pike and a new block of Woodglen Drive to
create smaller blocks, more opportunities to walk, and an alternate route to MD 355

John Kraus, JBG

Regarding: 11420 and 11428 Rockville Pike and 5640 and 5650 Nicholson Lane

Continue the White Flint Crossing concept

Add retail along Woodglen to enliven the street.
Build “green platforms” with tower buildings on top
Define the street edge with buildings with retail uses at street level
Build offices on MD 355 and residential along Nicholson Lane
Buildings 160-feet to 300-feet tall with retail at street level

Jody Kline for Miry and Alex Livnat

Regarding: Property on Hillery Way

Request zoning for 10-15 townhouses on a site currently zoned R-90

Will serve the need for more housing
Will create a transition between commercial and single-family residential
Allows significant tree save area on the property

Questions and Comments

1. Was the bike path along Woodglen Drive in the 1992 plan?

Answer: Yes, the proposed bike path will be 8 feet wide and run along the western side
of the roadway within the 60- to 70-foot right-of-way.

2. Can you explain why Woodglen Drive cuts through the property as shown on the
illustrative?

Answer: It needs to be a minimum distance from the intersection of Marinelli at MD 355

to allow room for cars to stack while waiting at the intersection.

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3. What about affordable housing?

Answer: Holladay has proposed 12.5 percent and JBG was approved for 15 percent at
White Flint Crossing.

4. How many stories is the 300-foot tall building proposed by JBG, plus bonus density they
propose? Is that equal to 37 stories?

Answer: John Kraus answered that it all depends on the floor-to-floor heights.

5. Will the green platform that JBG is proposing be useful and available to the public? Will
it be visible from street?

Answer: To be addressed during preparation of the plan.

6. With all the housing proposed for White Flint, are we looking at reducing parking
requirements for new development?

Answer: To be addressed during preparation of the plan.

7. Are we thinking about requiring/encouraging green buildings? Developers should think

about having the buildings achieve LEED Gold Standards, and maybe Platinum.

Response: Holladay is getting people on their staff to be LEED certified.

8. Consider porous pavement for the White Flint area for sidewalks, driveways, etc.

9. Holladay is looking at providing hydrogen filling stations in their garages and having flex
cars onsite.

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Neighborhood 4

Tim Dugan, Shulman Rogers for VOB Auto and Mike Nicolaus, Torti-Gallas for several
property owners
Regarding: Neighborhood 4 concept

New streets creating smaller blocks, and thus improved walkability

Woodglen Drive extended north to Old Georgetown and into the development
A new east-west street across Rockville Pike connected to the LCOR Main Street
A new street across Wall Park
Reconnect the original Old Georgetown Road at the Executive Boulevard intersection
Adding a traffic circle at the Old Georgetown Road/Executive Boulevard intersection
Improve pedestrian access across MD 355
A new entrance to Metro on the west side of MD 355
A new open space plan for the neighborhood
Replace the surface parking at Montgomery Aquatic Center (MAC)/Wall Park with an
urban park
MAC/Wall Park parking at shared public/private garage on VOB portion of block
Fully mixed-use for any new development
A new VOB dealership at the new traffic circle

Rod Lawrence, JBG

Regarding: The Montgomery County Conference Center/Bethesda North Marriott Hotel site
along Marinelli Road.

Add office uses along MD 355

Determine the future needs of the Conference Center
Need urban densities and mixed-use

Chris Weber, Federal Realty Investment Trust

Regarding: Mid-Pike Plaza Shopping Center

Add a secondary network of streets that will give alternatives to MD 355

Add a traffic circle
Create a base of street-oriented retail uses along the new Woodglen Drive
Add retail along MD 355 with residential above
Consider a grocery store in this quadrant

Todd Brown, Linowes and Blocher Law Offices, for Lenny Greenberg
Regarding: White Flint Station Shopping Center

Allow high-density office development

Use ground floor retail
Use the platform/tower concept

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Questions and Comments

1. More concerns about traffic, especially the cross-streets idea that the developers are
proposing.

2. Why build a road through the conference center to LCOR? Why not emphasize
Woodglen Drive (north/south) rather than east/west connections?

3. Make MD 355 more walkable. Provide more east/west walkable connections.

4. Are we building enough residential units so that traffic along MD 355 is reduced or
minimized?

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More than One Neighborhood

Natalie Goldberg (Advisory Group member for the Garrett Park Estates-White Flint Park
Citizens Association) representing herself.
Regarding: North Bethesda Transitway

Concern: Balance between development and transportation facilities.

Current Conditions:
• Existing gridlock on MD 355 unacceptable to community, and
• Although east-west connectivity is limited additional development is planned for White Flint,
Montgomery Mall, and Rock Spring Park

Master Plan Recommendation:

The North Bethesda Transitway was recommended in the 1992 North Bethesda/Garrett Park
Master Plan, stating:

“Provide a high capacity transit connection between the Grosvenor Metro Station and Rock
Spring Park, extending to Montgomery Mall and even further west to the neighboring multi-
family residential areas.”

Suggestions:
• The current focus is on connecting Grosvenor to Montgomery Mall. Need to consider how to
better connect Grosvenor to White Flint.
• Need some kind of rapid public transportation, light rail or bus rapid transit. Roads encourage
additional vehicles and regular buses just get held up in traffic.
• Look at the right-of-way issue.
• The Transitway Project is already in the Master Plan and County Priority List for transit.
Now need to tie development potential at White Flint to implementation of that
recommendation.

Barnaby Zall – Area Resident

Regarding: Lack of entertainment and leisure options in the plan area

Presented video: It’s Friday Night, Let’s Go To White Flint!

Subject: White Flint needs to have more opportunities for entertainment and leisure, and needs
to be a destination like Rio or downtown Bethesda.

Scott Minton: Housing Opportunities Commission

Regarding: Need for affordable housing

Plan should provide incentives to create more affordable housing than the minimum required.

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Adjacent Areas

David Freistat/Allan Kronstadt

Regarding: the Kronstadt Industrial Properties on the east side of the CSX line (4816-4940
Boiling Brook Parkway), 4921 Wyaconda Road, and 11711 Parklawn Drive

Create safe pedestrian crossings of the railroad track

Add a Transit Center with relocated MARC station, cabs and Ride-on buses
Build a mixed-use village 10-15 years in the future

Jason Goldblatt for Richard Cohen, Willco Property

Regarding: Property on Executive Boulevard, west of Mid Pike Plaza, includes twelve (12) acres
north of Montrose Parkway within a number of different zones.

Include the area in the Sector Plan

Add a linear park along Montrose Parkway
Want to build office mixed with residential
Heights should step down east to west from high-rise to lower residential areas

Questions and Comments:

1. A civic association representative (1500 homes) to the east of Kronstadt’s site questioned
the Sector Plan boundary.

2. How far will form be evaluated in the plan? Will the new zones be more form-based than
the zones we use today?

3. If we are limited to the White Flint Sector Plan, how will staff look at the traffic? Staff
should look at a variety of public transit options, including shuttle connections.

4. What happened to the shuttle that used to run in White Flint?

Answer: Sande Brecker from DPWT explained that a Transportation Demand

Management agreement had required the shuttle for a set period of time. The
requirement had been met, so the shuttle, although popular, stopped.

5. How is the White Flint plan going to respond to traffic?

6. One Advisory Group member stated that it was unrealistic to expect people to walk to
Metro.