White Flint View Provides Many Opportunitiesto Contributeto

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NAPLES COMMERCIAL LLC

February20, 2008VIA e-mail [email protected] (301) 495-1304Ms. MargaretK. RifkinThe MontgomeryCountyDepartment f PlanningThe Community-Based lanningDivision8787 GeorgiaAvenueSilver Spring,Maryland 20910Re: White Flint View (fonnerNoland Plumbing)5511 NicholsonLane,White Flint Industrial ParkWhite Flint SectorPlan StatusReportdatedJanuary24,2008

DearMargaret:This confirms our elephoneconversation f today.References made o the above-captionedstaff StatusReportas well as o our letter addressedo you datedAugust 10,2007. The staff StatusReportappearso recommend n FAR of 3 0-4.0 o the propertyacrossCitadelAvenue from our propertyand an FAR of 2.5 for ourproperty. Both of thepropertiesare approximatelyequidistant rom the White Flint Metro Station.Thisinconsistent ecommendation eemso be especially nomalous incewe dedicatednearly30% of our lot to the County or the construction f NicholsonLane.As a matterof principle, it seemso us that FAR shouldbe awarded o thoseproperties hat canmakeuseof it. Again, references made o our August, 2007 etter o

you. Market contactshaveadvisedus thatwe need o build largerunits and hus we requiremore FAR to accommodatemarketdemand.The housingwe haveplanned s high end andbalances icely with the varied housingplansof other nearbypropertyowners.Also, ourretail storefronts ndupscalemerchantswill contribute o a lively streetscapelong bothNicholsonLaneand Citadel Avenueand set he tone for the NicholsonLane Retail District.We are working closely with Perry Bennan and the 12 property owners comprisingthe Nicholson Lane Urban Village al}d the FAR we are seeking is in accord with thatgroup's plans. See Mr. Bennan's letter to Dr. Hanson dated January 31, 2008.We understandhat staff is undertakinga complete eview prior to issuing ts plan.

Kindly assist n the schedulingof a near-termmeetingwith the Chairmanand others oconsiderour request or at least he FAR recommendedor the property directly acrossCitadel Avenue rom ours on NicholsonLane. look forward to hearing rom you.Very

t-apJKapastin, General Counselcc: John A. Carter, Chief, via facsimile (301) 495-1310

4912 Del Ray AvenueBethesda,Maryland 20814(301) 657-9900ext.129FAX (301) 657-8412kap;@guantumco.net


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NAPLES COMMERCIAL LLC

August 10, 2007VIA FACSIMILE 301 495-1304and Via E-Mail Mar aret.RifldnMs. MargaretK. RifkinThe MontgomeryCounty Department f PlanningThe Community-Based lanning Division8787 GeorgiaAvenueSilver Spring,Maryland 20910-3760Re: White Flint Sector Plan -White Flint View(Noland Plumbing)5511 Nicholson Lane, White Flint Industrial ParkPreliminary Plan #120070380DearMargaret:

This is to bring you up to date on the statusof the White Flint View project as wellas o makea request or consideration f increasing he FAR of the site as part of the WhiteFlint SectorPlan efforts.On July 12, 2007, the Planning Board approved the Preliminary Plan, subject tonine (9) conditions, including a condition that the development be limited to a maximum of183 multiple-family dwelling units with a minimum 12.5% MPDUs and 29,500 square feetof general retail use, including sit-down restaurant use.The developments further summarized s ollows:

1. Gross ract area: 81,304square eet2. Proposed dedications (right of way: 19,644 square eet; priordedication: 10,249square eet)3. Net lot area:51,411square eet4. A maximumof 183 multi-family dwelling units5. Maximum FAR 2.4 (which translates nto 195,129square eet,basedupon a gross ract areaof 81,304square eet; 194,732squarefeet proposed)6. Retail square ootage:29,500 square eet (including 10,000squarefeet of restaurant, ssuming60% patronarea)7. Parking spaces (without reductions for proximity to Metro):required:498; provided: 5368. Building heightproposed:16 stories;173 feet (180 feet permitted)9. MPDUs: l~% of 183 = 28

4912 Del Ray AvenueBethesda,Maryland 20814(301) 657-9900 xt.129FAX (301) 657-8412kaoCQ2auantumco.net


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Ms. MargaretRifkinAugust 10, 2006Page2On August 3, 2007, Naples Commercial LLC executed and delivered a Deed ofDedication, in recordable form, to Montgomery County, dedicating, among other things,

19,651 of the parcel as a perpetual right of way easement for the Citadel Avenue CIPProject. The County just this week issued the Notice to Proceed for the construction of theextension of Citadel Avenue to Huff Court at Nicholson lane.White Flint View is within walking distanceof the Metro stationand is at the keyintersection f NicholsonLane and Huff Court/CitadelAvenueextended,not far from bothffiG's recently approved 22 story White Flint Crossing across Rockville Pike and theLCOR development.The current Sector Plan recommendsC-2 zoning for White FlintView, yet he Project s surrounded y recommended S-M development.On April 18, 2006, the County Council adoptedZoning Text AmendmentNo. 05-

12 as OrdinanceNo. 15-68,creatinga specialdevelopment rocedure n the C-2 zone for atransit-orientedmixed use development. his special development rocedurewas ntendedto be an ncentive or the roadway mprovementproject n conjunctionwith redevelopmentof the C-2 zonedNoland Plumbing (White Flint View) propertyso that residentialand non-residential uses that promote and serve transit ridership in a Metro Station Policy Areacould be sited here. ModeratelyPricedDwelling Units were requiredand a floor area atioof2.4 was establishedherefor, with a maximumheightof 180 eet.While we support the staff s current proposed Sector Plan, land use andtransportation recommendations; and, we believe, too, that the White Flint area should bedesignated as a new downtown, we continue to believe that the White Flint View Projectwith the associated construction of Citadel A venue represents a critical building block inthe transit-oriented development scheme for the area. In other words, we believe that WhiteFlint View deserves similar density considerations to projects already approved and thefuture Sector Plan recommendations for other properties in the surrounding area. Given theanticipated household and job growth in North Bethesda, more new apartments and for sale

units need to be built to accommodate such growth.Thus, joining the opinion of Fitzgerald Properties and others, we believe that Metrobus -"Block 11 ", including the White Flint View Project, should be given the sameredevelopment potential as that recommended for the LCOR block under the 1992 MasterPlan -FAR 3.0. Both blocks are very close to the Metro station area and can provide anexcellent integrated form of development. FAR 3.0 will also allow the creation of an

integrated super block campus that includes the long term joint use of the WashingtonMetropolitan Area Transit Authority's bus facility. A mixed street or pedestrian path can beconstructed along the middle of this block. New local streets, like Citadel Avenue, canconnect northward to LCOR's development and southward to the White Flint Mall.


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MargaretRifkinAugust 10, 2007Page3White Flint View provides many opportunities o contribute o the urban node in

North Bethesda. n addition o a housingopportunity, he property mproves he systemofpedestrianand bicycle connectivity hrough Citadel Avenue extended o the Metro stationand insureshigh quality design eatures n its development. The retail uses on the streetlevels of our project will enliven the area and also provide a more attractive pedestrianexperience or those raveling between he Metro and White Flint Mall.Seeking o create he best developmentwe can, we have consultedwith numerousresidentialdeveloperswith a view toward a joint development f the plannedmixed useofresidentialand retail. These esidentialexpertshave advisedus that the unit sizeswe hadplannedwithin the 2.4 FAR are oo small for the expectedmarket. Making a change o thesize units that potential buyers and rentersdesire would yield only 140 units, not the 183

units that are approved.Should only 140 units be constructed, ix of the 28 MPDUs wouldbe lost. Thus, we believe that the anomalyof FAR 2.4 for White Flint View vs. FAR 3.0for other similarly situatedpropertiesshould be corrected n your recommendationsor theSectorPlan update. (We recognize hat a conforming modification o the C-2 Zone SpecialDevelopmentProcedurewould be required or implementation, s we do not want o affectthe basic C-2 Zone.)Thank you for considering our request. We would like to meet with your team todiscuss these ssues whenever you feel it is appropriate.

Very truly yours,

@Marc "Kap" Kapastin, General Counsel# 4720811_v2

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White Flint View Provides Many Opportunitiesto Contributeto