Plans for a towering 20-story apartment building in the heart of downtown Silver Spring were pitched this month by Tennessee-based GBT Realty Corp. The project proposes building the 450-unit residential building atop Ellsworth Place, a five-story shopping center home to Michael’s, Dave & Busters and T.J. Maxx among other stores and eateries.
GBT purchased Ellsworth Place, located at 8661 Colesville Road, for $92 million in 2018. The property was originally developed in the 1990s as City Place Mall and was constructed with the idea of building an office building addition atop the mall, which never came to fruition.
The transit-centered development project has many steps ahead of it before it is approved by the Planning Board, such as community outreach and multiple filings with Montgomery Planning. [Washington Business Journal]
Development boom in Bethesda has more than 23 projects in motion
Development projects are proliferating throughout the downtown Bethesda area. Many of the projects are in various stages of development and construction. Urban Turf compiled a list of the most recent projects and buildings under construction including:
- 4861 Battery Lane, a 453-unit apartment building pitched to replace an existing multifamily building at the site;
- 8015 Old Georgetown Road, a 297-unit apartment building replacing the Christ Lutheran Church that is expected to be delivered later this year;
- Hampden East at 4719 Hampden Lane, a 262-foot-tall mixed-use building with 150 residential units, 330,000 square feet of office space and 10,000 square feet of street-level retail space.
- Novel Bethesda, a 31-story, 450-unit residential development set to replace the 7-Eleven at 7820 Wisconsin Ave. Amenities include an infinity pool and sky deck.
Attend two housing strategies listening sessions with Montgomery Planning
Have ideas, comments, or feedback on ways to grow the local housing supply and meet the county’s future housing needs? Share them with the Montgomery County Planning Board at two listening sessions on Mar. 21, virtually or in person at the planning department’s Wheaton headquarters, 2425 Reedie Dr.
Sign up to provide comments at this link. Community members can also provide written comments to the board ahead of the listening session via email.
“Montgomery County is expected to keep growing at a steady pace over the next 30 years and it’s important that all voices are heard as we continue to collaborate on strategies that ease the housing crunch and give people more choices to find homes that are the right sizes, locations, and price points for their needs and preferences,” board Chair Artie Harris said in a news release. [Montgomery Planning]