Holladay In for Bethesda

Development of Bethesda's Edgemoor district has been been surprisingly stop-start given its location between the Metro and a thriving town center. But the Holladay Corporation is throwing their hat in the ring, adding to the chorus of developers intending correct to that malady. Alongside projects such as 4917 Hampden Lane, Edgemoor at Arlington North and City Homes of Edgemoor, the self-referential Holladay at Edgemoor will deliver 48 condominiums to the intersection of Montgomery Lane and West Lane - dead center between Bethesda's two main retail areas and just a block from the Bethesda Metro.

Located on a flatiron-shaped, half-acre parcel next to the Chase at Bethesda, the six-story building project will occupy three lots that currently host three office space-converted colonial homes. Comprised mainly of conventional flats, Holladay will also build 4 two-story townhouses on the building’s east side, fronting along Montgomery Lane. Of the units contained in the 71,343 square foot development, 6 units have been earmarked for affordable housing. The residences will all sit atop a 77-space underground parking garage – a measure designed, no doubt, to relieve overcrowding in one of Montgomery County’s most parking-challenged areas. Holladay has taken on Bethesda-based architects, SK&I, to design the project.

The project comes in with especially low density for a Metro site, with 30% open space, and an approved maximum density of 2.5 FAR, the multiplier of buildable space relative to lot size. Of that, 10% will dedicated to publicly accessible areas, while the remaining 20% will go towards "active and passive recreation space" for residents.

The Holladay at Edgemoor was initially denied by the County Planning Board back in April, due to a zoning conflict with the neighboring Villages of Bethesda at the corner of Arlington Road and Edgemoor Lane. After a short round of retooling, the developer rectified their design and the project approved the following month. According to Sami Kirkdil of SK&I, construction is expected to commence in 2010.