Some Proposed Projects in the New White Flint

    The Montgomery Planning Board asked property owners and developers to prepare proposals for use of land in a new White Flint under the "new urbanism" development theory. In March and April 2009, developers and property owners presented a dozen different proposed projects. Arranged north to south in the Sector, some of the proposals included:

Northern Part of the White Flint Sector:

"White Flint Gateway," Nebel & Randolph

Washington Real Estate Investment Trust, currently two shopping centers across Nebel with Golds' Gym and Offenbachers. These two tired strip centers currently have no green or permeable space, and the proposal would provide residential towers with retail and commercial space, enclosing green space with underground parking.

"Mid-Pike Plaza," Rockville Pike between Old Georgetown Rd and Montrose Pkwy.

Federal Realty Investment Trust, formerly "Korvette's Plaza," currently Toys R Us, G Street Fabrics, and Silver Diner. Mid-Pike Plaza is a prototypical suburban shopping center, with acres of asphalt parking in front, bordering Rockville Pike, and the retail stores in the back. The new proposal would fill the lot with integrated, mixed-use development, including a park in the northern area, and new through streets. The development will be built in phases, so that the existing stores and restaurants may stay open during construction.

"North Bethesda Center," Rockville Pike at Marinelli

LCOR, Inc., next to Metrorail Station, site of former golf driving range, currently Harris-Teeter supermarket. This development is already approved, and is being built in phases. A new residential tower, with a two-story Harris-Teeter market on the ground floor, has opened. The plan calls for additional office and residential towers, with a central street bridging the Metrorail tracks over the station. This is the view from Rockville Pike looking east:

(courtesy LCOR)

"Montouri Property," Nebel at Old Georgetown Rd.

Unused property across from Harris-Teeter supermarket, rejected northern site for MARC station, see after Page 11 in staff presentation in link. The owner has no current plans to develop the property, which is currently fallow, but offered this possibility to forestall placement of a new MARC commuter rail station on this property. On April 23, 2009, the Planning Board rejected this property as a MARC site, and it is unknown what will happen on this property. The small triangle across Nebel St. is currently filled with trees.

Middle of Sector:

"Conference Center Block," Marinelli and Executive Blvd.

JBG Companies, Marriott Hotel and Bethesda North Conference Center. The Conference Center block at the heart of the White Flint Sector has always figured prominently in development plans, although for many years it was a Metro parking lot (Metro parking has moved across the Pike to a new parking structure). There is an existing pedestrian tunnel crossing under Rockville Pike from the Metro station to this property. The Marriott hotel just opened a new tower wing, which was instantly filled to capacity. The Conference Center, operated with the hotel, features small and large conference space, as well as the largest ballroom and meeting facilities in the Sector. The proposed "Civic Green" park would be in the parking lot area to the north. This is a proposal for an "iconic" building across the street from the Metro station, with a tall series of towers and a lower office complex; JBG has requested a height of more than 300' for this building. On May 21, 2009, the Planning Board voted to limit all building heights in the White Flint Sector to 300'. The Holladay property (see below) is between part of this property and the Pike.

"Eatzi's," Rockville Pike at Nicholson Lane

JBG Companies, formerly Eatzi's, currently new Staples. This narrow, oddly-shaped property sits at the busy intersection of Nicholson and the Pike, one of the centers of the Sector. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a federal agency, is just to the north, and a proposed development on Nicholson Lane is to the east. Eatzi's was a well-known retailer, with a variety of freshly-prepared foods offered for cooking at home, which abruptly closed. A Staples store has taken over much of the site. This is a "possibility" offered by JBG to show how the current strip center could be replaced with a "mixed-use," higher-density project.

"Metro Pike Plaza," Rockville Pike at Marinelli

Holladay Corp., currently McDonald's, Fedex, Stella's Bakery, see after Page 30 in the link. This development is already approved, but the developer may seek additional density. Holladay describes the site as "the very heart of White Flint" and "100 feet from the Metro" although it is across the Pike from the station. An argument for seeking more density is that the site is now, and will be increasingly in the future, surrounded by tall, dense buildings, so additional density would not be out of place, and would be consistent with clustering higher density close to the Metro station. One of the current tenants is tiny Stella's Bakery, which has earned a reputation throughout the area for fine baked goods. Holladay reported at one point that it expects Stella's to remain a tenant. Prospects for the McDonald's, which is one of the most popular retail establishments in White Flint even though it lacks a drive-through window, are not so bright, since there is community opposition to the low-income and homeless patrons (which is very surprising in Montgomery County, with its liberal and welcoming reputation). The Anthropologie store at the corner of Nicholson and the Pike is not part of this property and it is unclear what will happen on that property. Here is a view

Southern Part of the Sector:

"North Bethesda Marketplace," Rockville Pike and Woodglen, with new Executive Blvd, currently under construction.

     JBG Companies, currently under construction, with topping-out of tower expected August 2009. The development will include an extension of Executive Blvd from Woodglen to the Pike. One major tenant is Whole Foods, which will bring its store down from Congressional Plaza, further north on the Pike. This project, known as NoBeMa, has several phases; the first phase is the current construction on Rockville Pike. The second phase includes the buildings to the corner at Rockville Pike and Nicholson (Chili's). The third phase is to the west on the parking lot by the water tower at Woodglen and Nicholson. JBG, which concentrates its developments in areas served by Metrorail, describes connecting these areas by open walking spaces. Here is a picture of one area, known as the "Paseo," at the foot of the 289-foot mixed-use tower pictured below.

        The architect, Friend of White Flint member and member of the former White Flint Advisory Group, John Kraus, notes that this will be one of the most environmentally-friendly projects in Montgomery County, with a "green roof" and other features to boost its "Leadership in Environmental Engineering and Design" (LEED) rating.  

"White Flint Mall," Rockville Pike

Lerner/Tower Companies, currently White Flint Mall, proposed additional development. See after Page 40 in the link. The existing Mall complex will remain in place in this proposal, but will be expanded slightly to the west. The existing mall will be surrounded by new buildings, including a 26-story building at Rockville Pike and the new extension of Executive Blvd to meet Huff Court, with 20-, 17- and 15-story buildings further down the Pike. Along the southern and eastern sides, four-story residential buildings will be built by existing neighborhoods. Along the northern edge of the development, a series of 15-story buildings will border the new developments at White Flint Plaza and the Eisinger Properties.

"Studio Living Works," Nicholson Lane at Huff Ct.

Eisinger Properties, Promark Real Estate Services, currently laboratories. Proposed high-density, low and moderate income units, modular design, targetted at young new homeowners, workforce housing, and government employees. The developer has suggested a new form of very small, modular residential units (like the kind of place showcased in the Ikea design suggestions), and says that, despite the tiny dimensions (350 sq. ft. in some cases), its similar residences in Virginia and the District have been very popular.

"Nicholson Lane Properties," Nicholson Lane and Nicholson Court

Various owners and developers. Discussion of several smaller properties, Fitzgerald and other properties along Nicholson Lane and Nicholson Court. The owners along Nicholson Lane generally have smaller properties than those described above, and in some cases, the presentations were very limited. Some presentations can be found in March 19, 2009, Planning staff presentation. Here is a proposal for the "Corporate Gateway" property proposal to be developed by B.F. Saul Companies on one of the current Fitzgerald properties:

     Extending southeast from Nicholson Lane is Nicholson Court, currently a jumbled collection of industrial and retail uses, terminating in the Barwood Taxi lot. This is the area which the Planning Board just chose for a new MARC commuter rail station. Because of the distance from the Metro station, development density is limited in this area (see our Land Use page for an explanation), so the proposal to the Planning Board was for low-rise residential uses. Here is a proposal for this area including a view of the commuter rail station: