MoCo Planning Board to consider plans for 3-building, mixed-use project in downtown Bethesda

Proposal for Pearl Street property calls for up to 590 apartments, public plaza and pocket park

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April 29, 2026 5:31 p.m. | Updated: April 29, 2026 5:43 p.m.

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The Montgomery County Planning Board is expected Thursday to review and consider whether to approve sketch plans for a proposed three-building, mixed-use development project in downtown Bethesda with up to 590 apartments, an urban plaza and a health and wellness club.

Rockville developers Promark Partners are behind the proposed development, according to planning documents detailing the project, which is dubbed Montgomery Pearl for its future location on Pearl Street.

The plans are centered on redeveloping a 3.8-acre site along Montgomery Avenue that’s home to the One Life Fitness building and two office buildings owned by Promark Partners, according to planning documents. One office building at 7300 Pearl St. is vacant and the other at 4424 Montgomery Ave. is 75% vacant, documents state.

Staff at Montgomery Planning are recommending that the board approve the developer’s sketch plan for the project, according to planning documents.

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In a statement of justification for its application, Promark Partners said the project would “result in a transformational redevelopment” for downtown Bethesda’s Pearl Street District. The developers also noted the project would advance the Downtown Bethesda Sector Plan’s vision for an “identifiable gateway” into downtown Bethesda, and “significantly elevate the visual quality of the built environment and public realm along Montgomery Lane.”

Promark Partners’ proposed development would also border the tracks of the upcoming Purple Line light-rail and the Capital Crescent Trail, which run parallel to Montgomery Avenue, according to planning documents. The proposed open spaces included in the project were designed to provide a connection to the trail, according to the developer’s application.

The Planning Board is expected to review a sketch plan for the project during its meeting held at 10 a.m. at the board’s headquarters at 2425 Reedie Drive in Wheaton. A portion of the meeting will be dedicated to a hearing on the plans during which members of the public who sign up can share feedback.

According to planning documents, Promark Partners hosted a public meeting on Oct. 7 on its plans, in accordance with county code, and planners have received two letters about the project. One letter written by Chevy Chase resident Janis Alcorn expressed concern about the development’s location and its impact on nearby traffic and asked planners to consider developing the site as a public park instead to “compensate for the lack of significant green space” in the downtown area.

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The second letter, written by Chevy Chase resident Logan Barclift, expressed support for the project because of its proximity to mass transit. Barclift noted that if there is no residential development near transit stations, “people who don’t want to have cars will be forced to have them and traffic will increase wherever they live.”

Plans for Montgomery Pearl also call for more than 12,700 square feet of open space consisting of an urban plaza, a small linear park adjacent to the Capital Crescent Trail and a terraced pocket park, planning documents said.

Sketch plans call for up to 590 residential units to be built across the development’s three buildings, with up to 89  – 15% — to be designated as moderately priced dwelling units (MPDU). In downtown Bethesda, developers are required by county law to designate 15% of residential units proposed in a new housing project as MPDUs.

The plans also include a 76,000-square-foot health and wellness club in one of the buildings and 2,000 square feet for ground-floor retail, according to planning documents. The proposed buildings range in height from 52 feet to 145 feet, documents state.

Developers have proposed that parking be offered with structured, underground and on-street parking options for residents, visitors and patrons, according to the planning documents. It is unclear how many parking spaces are proposed.

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Plans also call for the undergrounding of utilities and construction of a bike lane along Montgomery Avenue in front of the development. According to the documents, the total number of travel lanes on Montgomery Avenue would be reduced from three to two to accommodate the bike lane.

If the Planning Board approves the developer’s sketch plan, Promark Partners would have up to 36 months to submit a site plan for the project, documents indicate. A site plan provides greater detail about a proposed development, including its architectural features, unit count, parking areas and landscaping.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine