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A tract of land at one of the area's busiest intersections is on its way to becoming a housing development.
The county Planning Board recently granted preliminary approval for up to 200 houses to be built on the site once slated for the Golden Bear Golf Center at the northeast corner of the intersection of Norbeck Road and Georgia Avenue.
Plans for the property have changed dramatically over the past two decades.
Many still refer to the property as the Golden Bear Triangle because of an affiliation in the late 1990s with Jack Nicklaus' Golden Bear Golf Centers Inc., which had proposed a large golf facility for the site.
The Mid-Atlantic Golf Center occupies a portion of the site, with its driving range and miniature golf course.
"That will be replaced by this development, but it will continue to operate in the meantime," said Robert Harris of Holland and Knight of Bethesda, attorney for the applicant, which is listed as Georgia Group Ltd. Partnership and Mid-Atlantic Gold/Norbeck LLC.
Winchester Homes then purchased the property — a conglomeration of small, individually-owned parcels — and submitted an application for a much larger development to be built on 85 acres, but later backed out.
"Winchester made a market decision about a year and one-half ago and dropped out," said Richard Weaver, Planning Board reviewer. "The remaining property owners amended that application with less area."
Because some of the land was acquired for the construction of the Intercounty Connector (ICC) and some property owners opted not to sell their properties, the parcel for the proposed Greenbriar at Norbeck Crossing development is now comprised of 31 acres. The remainder of the so-called Golden Bear Triangle includes some 40 properties, most of which are less than 2 acres. Those properties would have to be assembled into larger parcels for development to occur.
At the May 21 hearing, the board granted preliminary approval for a mix of single-family attached, single-family detached, and apartments or condominiums, although the applicant had requested approval for 262 homes.
The site is, bounded by Georgia Avenue, Norbeck Road, the ICC right-of-way and East Norbeck Local Park across from Bailey's Lane, is zoned R-200/TDR-7, which allows for single-family, residential homes with a minimum lot size of approximately one-half acre.
The property is a Transfer Development Rights (TDR) receiving area, meaning a developer can build at a higher density for buying that right in exchange for landowners in the Agricultural Reserve building less on their property.
The Olney Master Plan identifies the property as appropriate for higher density given its proximity to transit, its lack of environmental and historic resources, and the availability of public sewer.
Access to the site is planned for two locations along Norbeck Road, one at Coolidge Avenue, a small street next to the Park-and-Ride lot and near the entrance to Leisure World, and the other at what is now the access road to the Park-and-Ride lot near Georgia Avenue and the existing golf facility.
The board is requiring one of the two access roads to be upgraded to a primary residential street before the additional homes are built.
The next step is site-plan approval, which will follow the framework set by the preliminary plan.
Weaver said he believes the Planning Board is really interested in a small neighborhood concept, featuring enclaves within the overall plan.
"The Planning Board is looking for neighborhoods within this development that are identifiable and based on location and type of units," he said. "The site plan will have to refine the small neighborhood concept that the Olney Master Plan envisioned."
As the site plan is developed, details such as trails, housing types and locations will be reviewed.
Harris said the property owners are pleased with the approval, but cautions that there is no timeframe for construction.
"This gives us the opportunity to proceed to the detailed stage such as landscaping and lighting, but it's too premature to say when that will take place," he said. "With the soft economy, things are pretty dormant, but at the same time, home sales are starting to turn around."
Harris said he believes the location of the property makes it desirable.
"It's a great location with good road capacity and a variety of bus routes that go to the Metro stations," he said.
The Greater Olney Civic Association (GOCA) sent a letter to the Planning Board in general support of the proposed development.
GOCA President Sharon Dooley said that she addressed concerns of locating the taller buildings towards the center of the property, as well as traffic, stormwater management, and traffic impact and mitigation.