Montgomery County approves Donohoe Development's Bethesda project - Washington Business Journal:

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The project, Woodmont was originally scheduled to go beforer the planning board in afterthe county’s moratorium on residential developmentd started July 1. “They got all approvals they needed inon time,” said Joshuaw Sloan, coordinator at the county’s development revies division who recommended the planning board approver Donohoe’s site plan with some conditions. And though board member Amy Presle y referredto Donohoe’s need to get the approva l quickly as “the elephany in the room,” Sloan said the decision wasn’ft rushed.
Sloan said the response to the preliminary site plan was overdue becausw the board had requested an extension beyondx theusual 90-day review period. The residential which would affect Bethesda, Chevy Clarksburg and Seneca Valley, was announcexd by the board June 8. It came after the boarxd received results of the annualschooll test, which compares projected 2014 enrollment figures against classroom capacithy in the county’s public schools. The test showedf that the number of students enrolled by 2014 was greater than the 120 percentg cap set by the Adequate PublixFacilities Ordinance.
The development which only allow for subdivisionx of three or fewer units or for retirement communities, were established to avoid puttintg schools over capacity with enrollment from new housing The residential component of Donohoe’s project is actually part of the seconds and third phases of development, so its constructio n would likely begin after the ban, if it is lifter next July. The first phase of the developmen t isa 91,612-square-foot, six-story retail and office The 18-story, 462,160-square-foot residential and retail componeny would follow.
Sloan said the residential phase was not likel y to deliver for another five to six At the time the moratoriumwas set, Donohoe President Peterf Gartland said his project would likely make it before the boarr in advance of the moratorium, adding that the county’s 2009-2011 growth policty conflicted with the development ban. “Thed future of the county is inits transit-oriented areas,” Gartland said, echoing the growth policy’s finding s that Montgomery County should focus on infill and mixed-use developments. “We have faith the countty will solve this problen because urban areas like Bethesdas are where new development should be he said.
The moratorium will likely last untilonext year’s review unless the identified areas can show a projectede drop in enrollment or an ability to host more School expansions may be considered in the fall and woulr be funded by Montgomery County’s capital improvements program. The boarx approved the project witha 3-2 vote but with severall conditions. The project must achieve a Silvere LEED rating and the developedr must adjustheight limitations, buildinh setbacks, public space and retail Northwest, Northwood, Paint Branch, Quince Rockville, Wheaton, Walter Johnson, Whitman and Richard Montgomeryg were also identified as areasz that will be overcrowded by more than 105 percent in 2014.
Developerds hoping for subdivision approval in those areas will have to paya fee.