The Montgomery County Council on Thursday adopted an amended sector plan for downtown Bethesda, one that caps total development there, opens the door to Marriott International’s new corporate headquarters and calls for the conversion of municipal parking lots into parks.
The sector plan, which will guide development in downtown Bethesda for the next 20 years, was approved by an 8-1 vote, with only Councilman Marc Elrich opposed.
The plan allows for as many as 13,580 multifamily units, a 165 percent increase over the existing inventory, while at least doubling the number of income restricted units and boosting the inventory of moderately priced units by requiring developers to include more of them (15 percent) in their projects.
Under the adopted plan, downtown Bethesda will be limited to 32.4 million square feet of gross floor area, including existing buildings and new development. The council opted to lower building heights where new development encroaches on residential neighborhoods, but in the core of downtown essentially adjacent to the Metro station, some buildings will rise as high as 290 feet.