THE, MARYLAND HOUSE OF DE,LEGA'|ES

AuNepous, MeRvLeND 2r4or

June 25,2015

Mr. Casey Anderson, Chair

Montgomery County Planning Board
8787 Georgia Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Dear Mr. Anderson:

As the Montgomery County Planning Board revisits the Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan, we write to
offer our strong support for preserving the Bethesda Metro Plaza, a major community gathering area and
open space, for public use. Similar to the success of Veterans Plaza in downtown Silver Spring or the
Highline in New York City, we believe that a large, open green space would help enhance downtown
Bethesda - attracting more residents and families and providing a gathering space for our neighbors. We
also want to voice our concem about the appearance that the Planning Staff is proposing to change what
was designated by the current Master Plan as alarge public open and community gathering space into
something very different without clearly informing the public of their intentions and without the normal
public dialogue for which the County's planning efforts are widely heralded.
We can all agree that the preient space on top of the Metro Plaza is underutilized - steps and raised
planters break up the space and make it difficult to navigate, a lack of commercial business on the ground
floors of the surrounding buildings fails to draw in passersby - and the list goes on. Currently, there are
several plazas hidden from the street in Bethesda, including the Bethesda Place (Pancake House) plaza
and the plaza above Edgemoor garage that continue to go unnoticed and unused by the community. We
are concerned that a high rise building on top of the Metro Plaza would take away much of the current
space available for gatherings and "hide" the remaining open gathering space from street view.
Across Montgomery County, successful and active urban public spaces are easily visible and accessible
from the street, and like the Rockville Town Center and Silver Spring Plaza, downtown Bethesda needs
an expansive gathering space for large community events. Metro Plaza is an ideal location and likely our
last chance at a vast greenspace in downtown Bethesda. We envision a warrn, memorable and attractive
park in heart of our city that would serve as a community amenity and "back yard" for our growing
number of apartment and condo residents.
Bethesda Metro Park is an opportunity for residents, workers and visitors to have a visible and usable
green park for farmer's markets, outdoor movies, and more. As Bethesda grows, the importance of green
space for public gathering grows too. Unfortunately, opportunities in Downtown Bethesda for creating
and preserving expansive outdoor gathering spaces are limited, and we urge you to preserve the space as

originally intended

for large public gatherings.

We look forward to working with you to ensure that downtown Bethesda remains a vibrant place to live,
work, and play for decades to come. Thank you for youf careful consideration of this matter.
Sincere best regards,

&t( h*k

Delegate C. William Frick

K\-0'!-\
CrtaA.aL
Delegate Ariana Kelly

Dishict

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District

cc:

Marye Wells-Harley, Montgomery County Planning Board

Norman Droyfuss, Montgomery County,Planning Board
Natali Fani-Gonzalez, Montgomery County Planning Board
AmyPresley, Montgomery County Planning Board

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