BETHESDA, MD - Grand Park Development obtained preliminary approval today on its proposal to bring 1,000 multi-family, high-rise units and 110,000 square feet of new shops and restaurants to a property just south of the successful Pike & Rose retail and residential community. Site plan review is the next step, following the approval yesterday of sketch and preliminary plans.
“We are so excited to be that much closer to putting a shovel in the ground,” said Bradley Deckelbaum, development director for Grand Park Development. “Grand Park will contribute to the urban vision of the Pike District and the much-needed connectivity and infrastructure improvements.”
Deckelbaum said the new, $400 million development will add momentum and energy to the Pike District, the thriving commercial corridor between the Grosvenor and Twinbrook Metro stations that launched with Pike & Rose, which is home to a slew of restaurants and such retail as L.L. Bean, REI and Sephora along with office space, condos, apartments, and a Canopy by Hilton.
Grand Park, which Deckelbaum anticipates will be built in three phases with a late 2020 start, is located on 5.9 acres along Old Georgetown Road at Executive Boulevard on the former site of the VOB automobile dealership.
Plans call for three separate buildings with heights ranging between 100 and 262 feet and the extension of Grand Park Avenue, the main thoroughfare in Pike & Rose. A network of sidewalks and bike paths will provide easy access and walkability in the Pike District and to the White Flint metro station.
Grand Park Development is also offering to dedicate a half-acre parcel on the east side of the development to Montgomery County Parks. This civic green will include passive and active green space and possibly a retail kiosk.
The new development paves the way for the “western workaround,” a new street grid and realignment that was programmed as part of the White Flint Master Plan. The road realignment is made possible through a land swap between the property owners and Montgomery County to allow for the road rerouting of Old Georgetown Road and Executive Boulevard.
The Grand Park development fits squarely within the county’s vision for the White Flint Master Plan, which calls for an urban, walkable core around the Metro station.