Montgomery Community Media

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett and County Council President Roger Berliner have written a letter to Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson asking for a delay in the Equity One sketch plan process, just weeks after the board approved the development plan (excluding the area believed to be a historic burial ground). In the letter dated March […]

Montgomery County planners say they share a church community’s concerns about a possible African-American burial site in the Westbard section of Bethesda near River Road. “We want to find out if there are human remains or burial shafts in the area that was historically a cemetery,” said Planning Director Gwen Wright in an interview with […]

Montgomery County police officers stopped traffic on River Road in Bethesda on Sunday afternoon so dozens of protesters who gathered at Macedonia Baptist Church could march across the road to a property the demonstrators say is the site of a historic African-American burial ground. The protesters carried signs that read, “Black Lives Matter,” “Black History […]

The company that is pushing a redevelopment plan for the Westbard neighborhood of Bethesda said it plans to pursue a contract for Earth-penetrating radar studies of an area believed to be the site of a former African-American cemetery. Because of the lack of action on the studies, the Macedonia Baptist Church plans a protest Sunday. […]

County Council President Roger Berliner wrote the county Planning Board on Wednesday asking for assurance that any action on a sketch plan for the Westbard redevelopment by Equity One “will not prejudice, pre-judge, or limit [the board’s] range of options” in dealing with an African-American cemetery that supposedly is under a building and parking lot […]

Here are five things to know today, June 1, in Montgomery County: 1.  It’s graduation day for Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and Quince Orchard High School today. 2. Equity One will be holding a required pre-submission meeting with the Westbard community as part of its sketch plan application with the Montgomery County Planning Department. 3.  The […]

The Montgomery County Council approved new zoning for the Westbard community of Bethesda on May 3rd. The vote was unanimous, 9-0, for the Westbard Sector Plan. “It has been, to say the least, a bumpy ride,” said Council Vice President Roger Berliner, who worked to reduce the density in the plan and who also found […]

Dozens of Bethesda residents protested outside the Council Office Building one week before the County Council scheduled a vote on the Westbard Sector Plan. The residents displayed signs that read, “Save Our Neigborhood,” and “Beautify not Densify,” as they took turns at the microphone sharing their thoughts on the current Westbard Sector Plan. They were […]

Dozens of residents who say they are trying to “Save Westbard,” rallied in front of the County Council Office Building on April 26, one week before the County Council is scheduled to vote on the Westbard Sector Plan. Council Vice President Roger Berliner has worked to reduce the density in the plan for this Bethesda […]

UPDATED On a rainy and cold Saturday morning, dozens of Bethesda residents held umbrellas and protest signs as they marched along Westbard Avenue. It was the second day in a row that many of them took to the streets to protest the Westbard Sector Plan. “Hey-hey, ho-ho! Density has got to go,” they chanted. “We […]