Project Connect: Accelerating Life Science at the North Bethesda Transit Oriented Development (the Project) will transform North Bethesda Metro station into a multimodal transportation hub featuring a comprehensive suite of investments that facilitate safer, more direct access to Metrorail and other local destinations for all. The Project investments will:
The Project investments are critical to increase transit rider capacity and improve station evacuation times for North Bethesda Metro Station; encourage modal shifts towards transit and active transportation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and support Vision Zero goals. These investments may also attract developer and business interest in creating a 1.9-million square feet mixed-use life sciences district atop North Bethesda Metro station, anchored by the University of Maryland—Institute for Health Computing (UM-IHC), focused on advanced computing and artificial intelligence that will deliver innovative economic development, affordable housing, and workforce opportunities. The Project could ultimately catalyze redevelopment of over 18 acres of vacant land surrounding North Bethesda Metro station and maximize transit ridership from 6 million square feet of existing residential and commercial uses within one-half mile of the new Metrorail entrance.
Montgomery County is a national leader in transit-oriented development, having grown two high-density regional activity centers at Bethesda and Silver Spring. North Bethesda could become the next success story and attract next generation industries needed to grow employment opportunities and compete nationally and internationally for workforce talent. Achieving this vision requires State and Federal assistance to transform suburban, vehicle-oriented infrastructure into a pedestrian-oriented and transit-oriented urban environment in anticipation of future FLASH BRT lines: the first major expansion of high-capacity transit services in the area since North Bethesda Metro station opened in 1984. These changes will create significant income, sales, and business taxes beyond the property tax benefits primarily collected locally.
Currently, there is only one Metrorail station entrance at the southern end of the open-air platform, which limits transit access from surrounding areas to the region's 128-mile 98-station urban rail system. The environment for walking and bicycling to transit is also unsafe and uncomfortable. Amenities, furniture, trees, and shade are lacking along the street frontage of Maryland State Route 355 (Rockville Pike) that runs parallel to the Metrorail platform, further depressing ridership potential. The 160-foot width and design of Rockville Pike, including channelized right turn lanes at the intersection with Old Georgetown Road, create pedestrian safety issues that are additional barriers to transit usage.
The Project’s core investment will add a second Metrorail entrance at the station’s northern end, which will reduce the walking distance to Metro for residents, employees, and visitors from nearby land uses including the 4 million square foot Pike & Rose mixed-use development, medical and dental offices, grocery stores, and other daily destinations. The second entrance will increase transit rider ingress and egress capacity at the station and will substantially improve platform evacuation times and evacuation times to points of safety. The second entrance will be designed with slabs and columns to support a potential 1.9-million square foot mixed-use building that can be constructed atop the Metrorail station, which may create $5.85 million in sales and business taxes revenues from development construction and approximately $339.78 million in property, income, and sale tax revenues over 30 years. The Project will invest in curbside pick-up and drop-off zones along the Old Georgetown Road and Rockville Pike frontages of the station, expanding Metrorail transit access beyond walking and biking distances. Additionally, the Project will include a transit plaza and a second central plaza between adjoining blocks, maximizing connectivity and the transit customer experience but also to help brand North Bethesda as a major regional commercial, entertainment, and cultural destination.
As part of this comprehensive suite of investments, the Project integrates with multimodal improvements by Montgomery County, which will work synergistically to improve the non-motorist experience between Metrorail transit and the surrounding community. These include intersection modifications for pedestrian safety at Rockville Pike and Old Georgetown Road, preparing Rockville Pike’s right-of-way for future FLASH BRT that is planned to operate in the median of Rockville Pike, wider sidewalks, new buffered bike lanes, and enhanced street landscaping and furniture along the arterial roads. These investments will be pivotal to support the technical and financial feasibility for mixed-use development but also to provide the type of urban environment that will ensure the UM-IHC campus at North Bethesda can recruit talented life sciences researchers and workers while attracting life sciences start-ups and rapidly-growing businesses to co-locate and collaborate with their facilities and programming.
Pending funding availability, the County expects to deliver this project in partnership with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) and Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) by 2029.
Project cost is approximately $47 million based on a recent engineering estimate (2024). The County is seeking a Federal grant through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Discretionary Grant program; other federal, state, local and private funding might be incorporated into the project funding structure.
The project schedule and funding structure are under development and will be updated as the project progresses.
Maricela Cordova, Assoc. AIA, DBIA, LEED GA, ENV SP Office of the Director Special Assistant to the Director, Strategic Projects Montgomery County Department of Transportation 101 Monroe Street, 10th Floor Rockville, MD 20850 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 240-777-7235