Demolition has begun on the site of the former headquarters of the county’s Park and Planning departments at 8787 Georgia Ave. in preparation for a new development project.
The county chose partners Bozzuto and StonebridgeCarras in 2013 for a two-part redevelopment effort that included this site, according to Devon Hastie, development manager for Bozzuto.
The first part, construction of a new office building for the county in Wheaton, has been completed. Park and Planning and other county agencies began moving into the building last fall.
Plans for the yet-to-be named development were first presented in 2017.
“The approved development, consisting of up to 413,821 square feet of development, will be a new, mixed-use development located at Spring Street and Georgia Avenue,” according to an FAQ from the Planning Department.
“The future development on the site will include up to 32,000 square feet of commercial space. . . up to 400 residential dwelling units, and associated below grade parking. The development will also include major improvements to pedestrian and bicycle circulation in the form of a through-block pedestrian mews and separated bicycle lanes,” the FAQ says.
“The project will provide a minimum of 18,653 square feet of open space (13.4 percent of the site area), which exceeds the 10 percent requirement for a development of this size,” according to the FAQ.
In addition, the developers will be required to plant two willow oaks of 4”–6” inches in diameter, and will plant 16 additional 3–4” inch diameter trees to provide shade in the development, along with other native trees and shrubs.
The project will be anchored by MOM’s Organic Market, which was announced last fall. According to Hastie, a marketing plan to pitch the site to potential additional tenants will launch this summer.
Photos by Mike Diegel