Public hearing on Bethesda Minor Master Plan amendment spotlights split over removing development cap, parks and school capacity

The Montgomery County Council held a public hearing March 3 on the planning board's draft Bethesda Downtown Minor Master Plan Amendment, during which planning officials and supporters urged removal of the plan's development cap while residents, civic associations and nearby municipalities called for stronger safeguards on parks, schools and infrastructure.

The planning board, through its chair Artie Harris, recommended approval of the draft amendment, saying the changes "will improve predictability of the real estate development market, further progress toward new downtown parks, and enhance housing affordability." Harris said the draft would remove a development cap that has become "an obstacle to realizing the 2017 plan vision" for roughly 450 acres in Downtown Bethesda.

Supporters said eliminating or loosening the cap would expand housing supply, encourage private investment that can fund public amenities and avoid delays caused by piecemeal, project-by-project approvals. Jack Alexander and Amanda Farber, co-chairs of the Bethesda Downtown Implementation Advisory Committee, said the committee backs removal of the cap provided the…