Condominium project for Bethesda approved

Construction downtown not likely to begin for another eight years

‘‘When you go down Arlington Road, you see libraries, parks and trees, things that attracted us here,” said Liz Gumenick, a resident of the Villages of Bethesda, a townhouse community just north of the project. ‘‘And I think those should be taken into consideration. I don’t think this properly incorporates the feel of the neighborhood.”

In 2001, a development plan for the same site was also approved, but since then the developer has bought more property around the site, allowing him to increase the proposed size of the complex. In 2001, the proposal was for the 28,000-square-foot site, but additional property increased the size of the lot to 38,000 square feet.

The 2001 plan was approved for 12 condominium units and 9,000 square feet of office space. The new plan calls for 31 units and no office space.

Randy Rothstein, the developer of the property, indicated that he has no intention of building anytime soon. Rothstein, who currently lives in Potomac, said he would like to live in downtown Bethesda when he retires. The condominium complex would serve as an investment, he said, but also a retirement home.

‘‘In terms of why go through this now,” Rothstein said, ‘‘There is a lot of development in downtown Bethesda now. While the environment is receptive, it seems like the right time to do it.”

An attorney for the project, Marty Hutt, said eight years from now may be a suitable timetable for the project to start. Residents were concerned about the delay — they thought the developer may be trying to ‘‘flip” the property — but board Chairman Royce Hanson said there’s no reason for concern.

‘‘They’re not going to do anything here for eight years, but that’s not unusual for a zoning plan,” he said.

In addition to the development plan, the board also approved a rezoning for part of the site, from a residential zone to a transit-residential zone, which is allowed for new projects within walking distance of Metro stations and makes way for additional density.

The building would start at three stories along Arlington Road, and then climb to four stories further back on the property. Underground parking is also included in the plan.

Jim Humphrey, planning and land use chairman for the Montgomery County Civic Federation, argued that the 1994 Bethesda Sector Plan capped the heights of buildings along Arlington Road at three stories, therefore making the four-story section of Edgemoor at Arlington North unfeasible.

Hanson, however, proposed a question in defense of the fourth-story.

‘‘Say you built a building all the way from Arlington Road to Woodmont Avenue,” where the sector plan allows for much higher buildings. ‘‘Would the whole building have to be three stories?”

Hutt said the developers, Armont Development Corporation LLC, and the Villages of Bethesda have begun to iron out some of their differences, including a cap on the building height and windows facing the Villages.

‘‘The concerns from the Villages of Bethesda have been heard, it seems, and once this is initiated, this is a project well worth the wait,” Commissioner Alison Bryant said.