Montgomery Mall Plans to Liven Up Rock Spring with Mixed-Use Development

Mall developer Westfield is making plans to add a mixed-use development next to Montgomery Mall in the Rock Spring neighborhood of Bethesda.

Bordered by high-traffic roads, Rock Spring is mostly made up by office buildings. Office use has declined in recent years; for example, Marriott International is moving to downtown Bethesda. The Rock Spring community has expressed a desire to make the area more vibrant and walkable, Montgomery Planning spokesperson Bridget Schwiesow said.

Photo courtesy of Westfield Montgomery

The mixed-use development plans include 360 residential units and 170,000 square feet of retail built around a “woonerf,” a street that slows traffic to accommodate pedestrians and amenities.

Westfield Developers cannot proceed with plans for residential construction while the moratorium in the Ashburn Elementary School district remains in effect.

The moratorium serves to prevent further overflow at the school, which is already at overcapacity. It went into effect July 1 and lasts one year, after which the need for moratorium will be reassessed.

The developers expect to begin construction in 2019 and to complete the project in 2022.

After meeting with the Montgomery Mall Citizens Advisory Panel in April and holding an Open House in June to discuss development plans and receive feedback, developers stated on the Westfield website that they intend to “continue to work closely with the community to ensure we minimize any potential impact.”

Further questions and comments may be sent to montgomeryneighborhood@westfield.com.

About Marisa Fried

Marisa Fried graduated with an Associate's Degree in Communications from Montgomery College in May 2018. She is excited to have her first reporting job at Montgomery Community Media.

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