Now littered with surface parking lots and strip malls North Bethesda is on the verge of becoming a true urban downtown; in fact, it’s staking claim to the tallest building in Montgomery County.

North Bethesda is an unincorporated area under control of Montgomery County, Maryland, lying between Randolph road along Route 355 and ending in the vicinity of White Flint Mall.

Although the North Bethesda area has not yet achieved the density, maturity and character of urban epicenters of Bethesda and Silver Spring, it has taller buildings already existing and underway.

For example, North Bethesda Market (NoBe) by The JBG companies will include a 289’ foot high-rise, taller than the 1960’s Mormon Temple in Kensington and the Washingtonian Tower in Gaithersburg (currently tallest occupied structure in the County). You know you’ve reached a development boom of epic proportions when a new tallest is crowned.

Around the way, North Bethesda Town Center by LCOR has already completed an 18 story residential complex that will include the areas first Harris Teeter opening soon.

TS-M

Responsible for this odd discrepancy is the Transit station-Mixed-Use (TS-M) zoning that’s spread throughout the North Bethesda area. This in contrast to the Central Business District (CBD) zoning found in downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring. The key difference: while Bethesda and Silver Spring have a strict height limit of 200’ feet, North Bethesda, through TS-M zoning has left height up to the planning staff and board.

By the way of “Point Towers” developers can build at a Floor Area Ratio of 3.0 and that ratio depends on the plot of land set aside for a high rise development.