The Bethesda Purple Line station design once described as cramped and a potential eyesore suddenly isn’t all that bad, according to state transit officials.
The Maryland Transit Administration’s Mike Madden and Jamie Kendrick told the Council’s Transportation Committee on Tuesday that in the absence of county funding to incentivize the demolition of the Apex Building, the Bethesda Purple Line station will still “be designed very attractively.”
That’s a much different tune from what Madden told county planners last year, as the Planning Department and Planning Board were considering giving the Apex Building owner more density in exchange for razing the property. The redevelopment of the building (7272 Wisconsin Ave.) would’ve allowed the state to build a more roomy Bethesda Purple Line station in the tunnel below, plus a separate tunnel under Wisconsin Avenue for bicyclists.
Earlier this month, the County Council agreed with a recommendation from County Executive Isiah Leggett that a deal to provide additional money to incentivize redevelopment was too expensive. That decision was made in a closed session, though various reports have pegged the number at $68 million and $70 million dollars.
In meetings with county planners during the process, Madden also warned that without razing the building, there could be a 92-foot high fan tower required for the open area near the Bethesda Row Cinema to properly ventilate the station in case of a fire emergency.
He also warned that without razing the building, the station might require up to 100 feet of “tail tracks” to stretch into the open area (known as Woodmont Plaza).
Avoiding those features were two of the reasons the Planning Board and Council agreed to offer the owner of the Apex Building more density.
On Tuesday, with chances of actually razing the building appearing dim, Madden said the original station design won’t be cramped because architects have made the platform area wider, despite columns that will block some sections.
Kendrick and councilmembers expressed hope that the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (which owns the Apex Building) might come back to the table with a cheaper offer. Kendrick said it’s possible the MTA would be able to modify plans and seek changes once a private concessionaire is chosen to build the light rail system. But until then, the window on Apex Building redevelopment is closed.
“We wish we’d been able to get farther on the Apex Building,” Kendrick said. “We will continue to hold out hope that perhaps there is some path forward. Certainly, the path gets a lot more difficult once the rail is in the right of way.”
County officials are holding out hope that the ASHP will make another offer because the completed Bethesda Purple Line station would make it a lot more difficult to redevelop down the road.
Councilmember Roger Berliner asked Kendrick if the tracks described for Woodmont Plaza could be shortened. Kendrick said the private concessionaire could prefer to shorten the tail tracks to 70 feet, 20 feet or perhaps “keep it entirely in the station,” to reduce costs.
Councilmember George Leventhal said he was encouraged that the yet-to-be- picked private concessionaire might be able to modify some of the Bethesda Purple Line station plans.
He also said it was “disappointing to me how much information was blurted out,” from the closed Council session on the issue earlier this month.
He said he wouldn’t reveal how much money was asked of the county “because I think it’s breaking the law.”
