Project threatens to temporarily close Capital Crescent Trail

The proposed site is across the street from the Bethesda Barnes & Noble, on the corner of Woodmont and Bethesda avenues. The site would include nearly 540,000 square feet of mixed-use space, including a hotel, condominiums and retail.

More than 100 community members attended the forum, and many spoke about the Capital Crescent Trail, which runs directly through the project’s planned construction site. Most comments were about the developers’ plan to shut down a section of the trail — between the Air Rights Building tunnel to Woodmont Avenue — for up to three years during construction.

Developers have met with the trail’s board of directors three times and have created multiple options for rerouting the trail during construction, according to Pat Harris, an attorney for the project.

The most sensible plan, according to Harris, is routing the trail onto Bethesda Avenue, up and over Wisconsin Avenue, and reconnecting with the trail in Elm Street Park.

‘‘The entire project was designed so the trail would eventually come back through the property,” Harris said. ‘‘Bethesda Avenue provides a perfect alternative during the period of construction.”

Some community members disagreed.

‘‘You are saying it will be closed for three years, but that it’s no big deal, and to be patient,” said Phil Stewart, of Bethesda. ‘‘But those of us who live in Bethesda in the here and now think it is a big deal.”

Other community members, including Berliner, think the public-use space for the project is lacking.

The project plan for the development currently calls for a 21,000-square-foot plaza that includes seating, trees and the trail.

Berliner believes that a larger public plaza is needed.

‘‘I feel that this space has a very high public-use requirement where people can gather,” Berliner said to a round of applause from the room.

At least one community member echoed Berliner’s sentiments.

‘‘Everyone has said that this is the heart of Bethesda, but this is more like a hardening of the arteries,” said Steve Seidel of Bethesda. ‘‘If we lose this open space, we’ll never get it back.”

Berliner proposed a scaling back of the proposed hotel, which would sit along Woodmont Avenue, to accommodate the additional plaza size.

Complicating the process for Woodmont East is Lot 31, currently a parking lot located directly across Woodmont Avenue from the project. Lot 31 is scheduled to go before the Planning Board Thursday, and if approved would force the closure of a small stretch of Woodmont Avenue near the Woodmont East project.

‘‘If Lot 31 and this project happen at the same time, it’s not going to be a pretty picture,” Berliner said. ‘‘We are all going to have to live with the consequences.”

Woodmont East is also being designed to incorporate the Purple Line, if and when it comes to Bethesda. The end section of the project’s plaza would serve as an emergency holding area for trains needing service, Harris said.

Harris hopes to have the project plan for Woodmont East approved by the Planning Board in October or November, and is optimistic, despite public skepticism, about the project.

‘‘If everything goes as planned, we could have the first shovel in the ground by the first quarter of 2009,” she said.

Berliner added that if residents wanted their opinions to be considered by the Planning Board, they would have to submit them in writing to the board or testify at the project’s hearing, which would likely by in October or November.

The comments would be considered by the developers, Harris said, but she could not say whether any changes would be made.