Getting to Bethesda's Medical Center

Most Bethesda residents have given little thought to crossing Wisconsin Avenue from Metro to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. But those that have get that inchworm-on-the-road feeling, and now that the facility is due to swell with thousands of new workers, urban planners are trying to do something about it. To that end, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will hold a public information session on Tuesday to discuss potential options to improve pedestrian interface with the 7 lanes of autobahn just north of downtown Bethesda. Thanks to a federal BRAC decision to close the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and consolidate it at Bethesda's National Naval Medical Center, Montgomery County officials and the surrounding community have been working together to prepare for the influx of 2,500 employees and half a million (annual) visitors and patients expected to frequent the new location beginning in September 2011. Tuesday's meeting will include information on proposed options to provide more efficient transit options. The state had tasked Metro with completing the study after it received $20 million DOD grant to improve transit access to the medical center. In July of 2009, WMATA released an environmental impact study that detailed several options for moving people safely and efficiently from the Metro across Rt. 355. 

The study looked at options including an improved intersection, a shallow pedestrian tunnel, deep elevators and a below-ground mezzanine, a combo of shallow tunnel and deep elevator and even an elevated pedestrian bridge.According to MCDOT Deputy Director Edgar Gonzalez, shortly after the Metro study the County applied for a share of the $1.5 billion in TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) funds, including options like pedestrian and bike crossings. To prepare for that award, MCDOT has undertaken its own environmental impact study, exploring a variety of options that, unlike the Metro study, are not restricted solely to pedestrian access. Gonzalez said the study has examined a range of options from pedestrian, to pedestrian and bikes, to having emergency vehicles connect between the NIH and Navy Medical. Some local groups and residents have made serious and public accusations against MCDOT claiming secretive government plans and auto access via an underpass, but Gonzalez insists that claims of a 4-lane auto underpass are "totally inaccurate" and that the very idea of a "secret plan is stretching it." You can find out for yourself at the meeting on tonight at 6:30 PM. The meeting will be at the Bethesda Chevy Chase Regional Services Center at 4805 Edgemoor Lane.

Bethesda real estate and development news

Walter Reed Update...Kinda, Sorta

In a dramatic press conference this morning in a very mushy and vacant lot on Georgia Avenue, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty announced that the District is going to start working on a plan and that at some time in the future the District may or may not announce that plan, which involves land the District may or may not actually own at some point. So went the press conference on the District efforts to develop a reuse plan for the surplus 62.5 acres, not allotted to the GSA or Department of State, on southern half of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC). The WRAMC is expected to close in 2011. Though Fenty opened up the floor to press questions, a rare event at most such announcements, he might as well have had a magic ball on hand to give responses.

In accordance with the Base Closure Community Redevelopment and Homeless Assistance Act, the District of Columbia - which acts as the Local Redevelopment Authority at Walter Reed - is seeking notices of interest (NOI) for the surplus property. There will be a public meeting tonight at Fort Stevens Recreation Center at 7 PM and a workshop about the base closure planning process, a site tour, and land-use constraints on November 13, 2009 at the WRAMC.

Located between two major artery roads, Georgia Avenue and 16th Street, the property includes substantial frontage on Georgie Avenue and is a prime location for development. To give officials a little wiggle room, Fenty said the District's goal of securing the land is "not guaranteed, but it's looking good." Councilmember Muriel Bowser, Ward 4, said it would be"premature" to make any guesses about the future use of the land, but added that officials were looking to "integrate" the property back into the community, which has a need for green space, recreation, quality retail, parking and office space. "With 62 acres...that's a lot of possibility." Though officials were hesitant to give specific details, the press release from the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development suggested the final plans would call for mixed-use development.

The initiative to obtain the property from the federal government began in 2005 when the Defense Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) Commission announced the closing of the Medical Center, itself a source of much controversy for it mismanagement of patient care. Since the 2005 announcement DC officials have been finessing members of Congress and the Defense Department to win their support for the District's plan to buy the property. Fenty was an early proponent when he was still a Ward 4 Council member. Fenty described the redevelopment as an "incredible opportunity" for the Brightwood neighborhood and the city, adding that the DC government would "work very closely with the community and our federal partners in the months ahead."

Yes, this deal involves a lot of property and yes, federal policies on land use and disposition are certainly tricky, but the Mayor could have just left such a vague announcement for a press release. We can only hope that over the next 12 months the "plan" for the reuse gets more specific than the magic-ball-like update we got today.

Andrews Air Force Base BRACing for Growth

As DCMud reported last year, the Andrews Business & Community Alliance (ABCA), has been incubating plans for 7 million s.f. of new development around Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George's County, in an attempt to expand the $1.2 billion in annual economic benefit the base brings to the county.

Andrews Air Force Base is part of the 2005 national BRAC (Base Closure and Realignment Commission) process that was used by the Department of Defense to streamline operations and reorganize bases to increase operational readiness, taking the strategic decisions out of the hands of provincial legislators. The BRAC program handed a net increase of personnel to Andrews, and the county is making plans to benefit from that increase.

At Andrews, BRAC will create 800 new military positions that will be in place by January of 2011. According to James Estepp, Director of Operations, Greater Prince George's Business Roundtable and the Andrews Business & Community Alliance, the realignment will lead to a net increase of 3,000 military and civilian assigned jobs. ABCA is a group of members of the surrounding business, community-service, and faith-based organizations who work to support "the mission at Andrews Air Force Base while fostering successful economic and community relations."

ABCA plans for a development to surround the base as the increase in personnel begins, including over 5 million s.f. of office space, 2 million s.f. of retail, and over 15,000 residential units to accommodate the population increase caused by the new employees, their families, and the additional businesses drawn to the area. The base proper is 5,000 acres, the land around it is owned by multiple individuals and corporations, a coordinated development effort of all the land is not yet assured.

“Our original idea was a vision and we are working on increasing our membership (in the alliance) to make that vision happen. There will be multiple developers in play because of the land, where it is, and how it is owned. We are talking about 5,000 acres. We are certainly drumming up support,” Estepp said.

He added that there would not be any major steps forward within the year because of the BRAC time frame. “BRAC isn’t law until 2011, so federal, state and local politicians will not be under pressure to move until closer to the deadline.”

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has authorized the creation of state “BRAC zones” for which areas in Maryland can apply to get matching state funds for infrastructure work around military bases. According to Estepp, this benefits the Alliance's plans as it provides incentives to the county for infrastructure for businesses moving near the base. The municipality would apply for such a zone.

Andrews is bound by Route 4, Branch Avenue, Old Alexandria Ferry Road and Allentown Road. Part of the Alliance’s plan involves extending Metro’s Green Line to the base.

Both Anne Arundel and Montgomery Counties are involved in the BRAC processes, moving jobs to Fort Meade and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda.