Plans for a new seven-story apartment building in Bethesda are nearing the end of the development review process.
This month, SJ Investment Corp. filed a site plan for the project with the Montgomery County Planning Board, generally the last step in the three-phase approval process.
The plans for the project are generally the same as earlier proposals. The developer intends to demolish two existing two-story homes at 4526 and 4530 Avondale St., and replace them with one residential building with 60 apartments.
The project would include up to 55,000 square feet of development, according to Planning Board documents. It would have an underground parking garage with about 22 spaces.
“A limited number of parking spaces will be required for this use due to its convenient location in the heart of the urban core with its numerous restaurants, shops, parks and other amenities and the availability of various transportation options in downtown Bethesda,” Planning Board documents say.
The site is about a quarter-mile from the Bethesda Metro station and is near a future Purple Line station. The development application also cites the availability of ride-for-hire services as a transportation option that residents are expected to use.
During a meeting last year to discuss the project with neighbors, project leaders said all of the units, including nine designated as affordable housing, will be studio or one-bedroom units.
As a result, developers do not anticipate the project will have a significant impact on nearby schools’ enrollment. Planning Board documents show the project will produce an estimated two new elementary students, one middle school student and one high school student.
The project is designed to “target a particular type of resident — individuals who seek to live near all the amenities that Downtown Bethesda has to offer but a more affordable price-point than many of the high-rise options coming on-line in the area.”
The new building will have a fitness room, a lounge, a rooftop amenity area and picnic areas.
A date for final consideration by the Planning Board has not been set, according to online records.
Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@bethesdda-remix.newspackstaging.com