We, the undersigned, oppose the Planning Board’s height and density recommendations for the ZOM Mid-Atlantic and the Garden Plaza Building sites. The Board’s recommended height of 75' for the ZOM property and 175’ height for the Garden Plaza Building go well beyond the Staff’s original recommendations of 40’ and 110’, respectively. The ZOM property and the Garden Plaza Building are both on Arlington Road across from the Bethesda Elementary School.

Arlington North is a transitional edge district. The ZOM property is on the outer edge of the Arlington North district, which is a transitional area between Bethesda’s downtown and the School and its surrounding single-family residential communities. Development on these sites should not overwhelm the existing development across from Arlington Road. We do not oppose reasonable redevelopment. The Staff’s recommendations for these sites are far more in keeping with our vision for our community and we ask the Board to reconsider its recommendations accordingly.