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Transportation and development concerns were at the top of the list for residents at a town hall-style meeting held Thursday by County Councilman Roger Berliner.

The meeting, held at Farmland Elementary School in North Bethesda, was billed as a "conversation" by Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Potomac, and meandered throughout District 1, from concerns over the expansion of the National Naval Medical Center to development in White Flint to the Purple Line in downtown Bethesda.

"I know this community well enough to know that if I wasn't doing a good enough job I'd hear from you," Berliner said.

District 1 covers Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac and North Bethesda, as well as smaller communities within that area.

For almost two hours, the 60 gathered residents listened as more than a dozen of their neighbors approached the lectern with a mix of anxiousness, optimism, and, for some, sadness.

After Chevy Chase resident Adele Medina was diagnosed with breast cancer, she would spend hours walking the Capital Crescent Trail in Bethesda, she told the group. If a light rail line were to be built next to the trail, as is proposed, Medina wondered about the health impact it could have.

"If there were a light rail there, it would change the peace and quiet of the area," she said. "While they're thinking of the economic and environmental impacts, they're not thinking of the health and mental health side of this issue."

Berliner said the area could accommodate both.

"It is a different experience," if the line is built, Berliner said, "but I say to you I don't think it would be a bad experience."

Residents came out in droves to debate the update of the White Flint Sector Plan, which could bring thousands of new residents to an already congested area.

"My concern is that Tuckerman Lane, Tilden Lane and Seven Locks Road are going to fill up from the people from these developments going from Rockville Pike to Montgomery Mall, said North Bethesda resident Barbara Gold.

Berliner said his main priority for the area is assuring that additional mass transportation, like rapid bus transit, is integral in any developer's plans.

Residents politely badgered Berliner about his stance on Suburban Hospital's expansion–he's reserving judgment until the County Executive makes a ruling–the proposed Woodmont East development in downtown Bethesda–the plans are much better now than they were a year ago– and traffic near the National Navy Medical Center–"Cedar Lane can not be this type of disaster."

Another conversation with Berliner is slated for 7 p.m., Nov. 12 at Chevy Chase Elementary School, 4015 Rosemary St., Chevy Chase. Berliner first launched the series of meetings last October, in keeping with his campaign promise for open dialogue with his constituents.