Over the past week, residents and stakeholders in and around the Friendship Heights area shared their thoughts on a new planning document in the works for Montgomery County’s southernmost urban community. Many residents who attended public hearings voiced concerns about the plan’s zoning recommendations that would allow for taller buildings, while others welcomed the proposals with hope they would bring housing and economic vitality to the community.

On Monday, the Montgomery County Planning Board held the second of its public hearings on an update to the Friendship Heights Sector Plan at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center in downtown Bethesda. More than 40 people signed up to testify at Monday’s meeting. The first public hearing was held Sept. 10 at the board’s headquarters in Wheaton. 

Related stories:

• Opponents of Friendship Heights development take their cause to the street 
• Friendship Heights redevelopment clears key hurdle with Montgomery Co. approval 
• Metro will halt trains between Friendship Heights and North Bethesda this summer 

According to staff at the Montgomery Planning department, the sector plan aims to guide future development in the community. The last master plan was adopted for Friendship Heights in 1998.

Read more at BethesdaMagazine.com.

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