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ARLINGTON ROAD POST OFFICE PROPERTY REZONING REQUEST

By Jim Humphrey
Posted 12/12/2006
Viewed 9281 times

As you may have noticed, a sign has gone up on the Arlington Road Post Office property noting that a rezoning application is pending. Hearing Examiner Francoise Carrier has announced that a developer has applied for rezoning of the 2.5 acre Post Office parcel at 7001 Arlington Road from C-4 Commercial Zone into PD-44 Zone (Planned Development allowing 44 dwelling units per acre). This rezoning was recommended for the site in the 1994 Bethesda CBD Sector Plan, if the property which is owned by the Postal Service ever became available for redevelopment.

The text in the Arlington Road District section of the Sector Plan calls for a mix of retail and residential uses for the site, proposing a 4 floor retail/commercial building along Arlington Road stepping down to 3 story tall multi-family residential use toward the Trail to provide a transition to the Sacks Neighborhood residences on the east side of the Trail.

There are inconsistencies in the Plan regarding this site, however, because the Building Height Limits map legend on page 39 notes that a 4-floor commercial height is 50 feet, although the map shows the subject property height limit as 42 feet which is the height of 3 floors of commercial. Also, the illustratives in the Plan Appendix show both commercial and residential buildings as 4 floors in height.

I saw a rough sketch of a proposal a year ago, but I have not seen this application yet. It must include a development plan, a rough outline of the parameters that will be allowed for the project as a result of the rezoning (land use, maximum density and height allowed, and minimum setbacks and amount of open space required). Rezonings are approved by the County Council following a review and hearing by the Planning Board and one by a Hearing Examiner, too. (NOTE: This is an ex parte issue and any direct communication with individual members of the Planning Board, the Hearing Examiner, or Councilmembers outside the formal process is prohibited.)

There will be opportunities for the community to weigh in on the project when the rezoning is considered by the Planning Board and again by the Hearing Examiner, and further when the Site Plan comes before the Planning Board and the specifics of the project are considered for approval. And, the rezoning application and supporting documentation are matters of public record and available for inspection in the Office of Zoning and Administrative Hearings on the 2nd floor of the County Council Building in Rockville. I will keep you all informed of the dates for the upcoming hearings as well as the specifics of the development proposal once I have researched it. Thank you.
- Jim Humphrey
Co-Chair, Edgemoor Citizens Association Land Use and Development Committee
November 19, 2006

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