Development at Chevy Chase Lake, the site of a proposed Purple Line rail station, does not have to include skyscrapers packed next to each other to support a transit-oriented community, Montgomery County's top planner told Chevy Chase-area residents Saturday.

Initial recommendations by Montgomery County planning staff for Chevy Chase Lake support development on a smaller scale than proposed by the area's prime commercial land owner, Chevy Chase Land Co. The land company envisions buildings as tall as 19 stories that owners say are necessary to direct the county's growth to locations with public transportation.

"It's about moving people. It's not about maximizing density. Transit is about moving people," said Montgomery County Planning Director Rollin Stanley. "We have to manage our expectations of what transit can achieve -- it's not a silver bullet."

Close to 100 Chevy Chase-area residents packed Chevy Chase Village Hall Saturday morning for a presentation by county planners of their initial recommendations for the Chevy Chase Lake Sector Plan. Chevy Chase Lake is a mix of commercial property and residences along Connecticut Avenue, south of Jones Bridge Road, that is being considered for rezoning because it is the site of a proposed Purple Line station. The Purple Line project calls for a 16-mile light rail connecting New Carrollton and Bethesda.

The staff's initial recommendations call for a total of about 1 million square feet, or almost 23 acres, of the total 380-acre sector plan area to be rezoned for stores, offices and homes.

Those recommendations split rezoning into two phases: About 250,000 square feet of commercial space on Connecticut Avenue that has been approved for a shopping center to be rezoned from commercial to mixed use, which would allow the construction of residences. About 800,000 square feet surrounding the future shopping center and potential Purple Line station to be rezoned only when Purple Line construction begins.

The rezoning would not mean that all buildings would be built to their maximum height, 65 feet, or that all existing properties would be built up, said Elza Hisel-McCoy, the lead county planner for the project.

The 800,000 square feet proposed for rezoning in conjunction with Purple Line construction encompasses existing development, including Newdale Mews, a garden apartment community west of Connecticut Avenue, the Housing Opportunities Commission garden apartments and an office building, Hisel-McCoy said.

In comparison, the Chevy Chase Land Co.'s vision includes 3,000 residences, a 150-room hotel and buildings that could reach 19 stories.

The planning staff's recommendations could accommodate about a third of those residences, Hisel-McCoy said.

Some Chevy Chase residents said they are pleased with the staff's recommendations, which emphasize development that is compatible with the neighborhood.

"I'm very hopeful. I think it was well thought out and I appreciate that they listened to the community," said Carol Owens.

Others disagreed with Stanley and his staff and said their recommendations do not capitalize on the potential for housing near transit.

"I'm disappointed that it doesn't take advantage of the Purple Line," said Ben Ross, of Bethesda, who is the vice president of the Action Committee for Transit, a pro-transit group. Providing more housing and development in an area with high traffic congestion, such as Connecticut Avenue, could relieve traffic by pushing residents to public transportation, Ross said.

The initial recommendations will serve as a framework for the staff's draft sector plan, to be written this summer and brought to the planning board in the fall. The planning board's plan will then go on to the County Council for approval.

"Up to the time County Council votes, everything we've presented here is up for debate," Hisel-McCoy said.

sgantz@gazette.net