Development Plans for County Owned Property
Press Release ID: 05-246
Media Contact: Mary Anderson 240-777-6534 ; Alisa Glassman, AIM 301-
648-0542
For Immediate Release: June 24, 2005
Duncan, Action in Montgomery Announce Affordable Housing Project in
Downtown Bethesda; Unveil Plan to Create More Affordable Units on
County-Owned Property; Major Development Includes Significant Minority
Participation
Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan and Action in Montgomery
(AIM) today announced plans to create more than 100 new units of
affordable housing on County-owned property, including at least 65 units
on a prime piece of real estate in downtown Bethesda. Duncan made the
announcement at a County-owned parking lot in Bethesda, the site of the
new affordable housing development, a project that is planned to include
1,300 underground parking spaces for public use, 40,000 square feet of
retail space, nearly 150 market-rate condominium townhouses and
apartments, intersection and pedestrian improvements, and enhanced
access to the Capital Crescent Trail, including trail use parking and a
bicycle drop-off area. "For years, we have been national leaders in
affordable housing and inclusionary zoning," Duncan said, referring to
the County's policy to not concentrate affordable housing in one area of
the County. "Today, we take a significant step forward in providing even
more affordable housing for working families."
The development team chosen for the Bethesda project (Parking Lot 31) is
PN Hoffman Construction and Development, Inc., a District-based company
that has built more than 20 mixed-use properties since 1993, and
Stonebridge Associates, a real estate development and consulting firm
based in Bethesda, Maryland. In addition, the development team will
include a 20 percent interest to be owned by minority investors. The
general contractor for the project will be a new entity formed by
Fairfax-based Centex Construction Company and Gilford Corporation, a
Small Business Administration 8(a), MBE (Maryland), LSDBE (District of
Columbia), and LDBE (Virginia) certified construction company based in
Beltsville, Maryland.
"As we looked to develop this prime piece of real estate, I made clear
that a substantial portion of the project needed to include affordable
housing units," Duncan said. "I also wanted to ensure that the team
selected to carry out this project included minority equity partners –
and I am pleased that we have achieved this goal."
In addition to announcing the Bethesda site, the County Executive also
announced the selection of Eakin/Youngentob to develop a 3.8 acre site
in Rockville as affordable housing. The site, located on Fleet Street
adjacent to the Council Office Building and Rockville City Hall, will
include 30 affordable housing units as part of the mixed-income project.
Arlington-based Eakin/Youngentob has been developing mixed income
projects in the Washington metropolitan area since 1993.
Duncan also signed executive orders transferring four County-owned
properties-- Jingle Lane in the Glenmont area of Silver Spring, Bowie
Mill Road in Derwood, and two in the Washington Grove area of
Gaithersburg—to the Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA)
for use or sale for affordable housing. A fifth site on Edson Lane in
North Bethesda will be transferred to DHCA in July. Requests for
development proposals (RFDP) for these parcels will go out over the
summer to develop these properties as affordable housing.
"The Council established our model MPDU program and our Housing
Initiative Fund and that's great," said Council President Tom Perez,
"but we need to think `outside the box' in facing the present and future
reality that this County is becoming harder and harder to afford to live
in."
"This is the momentum we need for an all-out effort to increase
affordable housing for Montgomery County families," said Councilmember
Steve Silverman, who initiated the effort to identify more
publicly-owned land for affordable housing.
"It is my firm conviction that one of God's calls is for all people to
have a place they can call home," said Reverend Pearl Selby, senior
pastor at Oak Grove A.M.E.-Zion Church and AIM member. "In addition to
being a pastor, I am also a realtor. The 100+ homes announced today
provide a ten percent down payment towards AIM's goal of 1000 new
workforce and affordable housing units. As a realtor, a ten percent down
payment is always a good sign."
|
