Metro has selected Houston-based developer Hines as lead developer for the transit agency’s planned 13.9-acre mixed-use development at the North Bethesda Metro station.
The multibuilding development will be anchored by the University of Maryland’s new Institute of Health Computing.
Planning for the North Bethesda Metro site development has been in the works for years. Last summer, Metro and Montgomery County signed a memorandum of understanding to establish infrastructure funding and economic incentives for the project. It includes a new north entrance to the Metro station.
“Where Metro goes, the community grows and gets around, and we’re really proud of that,” said Metro General Manager Randy Clarke.
No timeline for the project has been established. Last fall, six development teams submitted plans for the project. Hines was competitively chosen, in part, based on its experience with life sciences anchored mixed-use projects, Metro said in a statement.
Metro staff will begin negotiations on the joint development agreement and bring recommendations to Metro’s Board of Directors later this year.
As envisioned, the North Bethesda Metro development will include as many as three University of Maryland life sciences buildings and three residential buildings, including two high rises.
University of Maryland officials at an event announcing the developments plans said the work that takes place in the new school buildings will be at the forefront of the intersection between artificial intelligence and health care.
“We now have the opportunity to create a lighthouse for AI and life sciences that will keep our county, state and country at the same cutting edge of innovation for decades to come,” Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said.
The D.C.-area transit agency continues to actively develop available Metro site real estate holdings. As part of its 10-year plan for joint development projects, issued in 2022, Metro and development partners have completed six new developments in the D.C. region, totaling 1,500 residential units and 325,000 square-feet of office space.
Five other developments will be under construction by the end of this year, with an additional 1,300 residential units and 422,000 square-feet of office space.
Hines has completed more than two dozen projects in the D.C. area. It is currently a lead developer for The Parks at Walter Reed and for the redevelopment of the historic Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which will include 3.1 million square-feet of development, both new and reuse of historic buildings, on 66 acres.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
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