A park, called Capital Crescent Civic Green, is planned in Bethesda

A new park may be on the way to Montgomery County, Maryland, along the future Capital Crescent Trail, as reported by WashCycle. The new space, located at 4801 Bethesda Avenue, would be called Capital Crescent Civic Green and would connect a trail tunnel to a protected bike lane on Bethesda Avenue.

In the Bethesda Downtown Plan, it reads:

“The Capital Crescent Civic Green is envisioned as the civic green for the Bethesda Row District and the western gateway of the Capital Crescent Trail. It will build on the success of the existing small plaza at the corner of Woodmont Avenue and Bethesda Avenue, and act as an outdoor civic center for the Bethesda Row District.

The Capital Crescent Trail Civic Green would provide an open space with a flexible lawn area. The green would accommodate community events and programming; be a meeting spot for moviegoers, cyclists, and restaurant patrons; and serve as a space for casual picnicking, reading, and sunbathing.”

Additional plans that come with this new project are for the park to offer a vertical public artwork and to facilitate pedestrian circulation to the nearby planned Purple Line Metro station and surrounding retail.

In an interview with Bethesda Magazine, board Chairman Casey Anderson described the park site as “the center of Bethesda, the heart of the downtown,” while County Council President Roger Berliner added that he also supports a public park there, saying, “That part of Bethesda is among the most vibrant parts of Bethesda, and there is a yearning for a public commons.”

WashCycle is quick to note, though, that the $8.5 million price tag for the 0.4-acre lot may be too high, even if there are plans to possibly increase the plot of land on the other side of Reed to 0.6 or 0.7 acres.

The park isn’t expected to begin construction until after the completion of the Purple Line station in 2022.

• Montgomery Council considering purchase to build Capital Crescent Civic Green [WashCycle]

• Bethesda Downtown Plan [Montgomery County Planning Board]

• County Parks System Looks To Buy Bethesda Property For Capital Crescent Public Park [Bethesda Magazine]