Two semi-vacant office buildings in downtown Bethesda will make way for a 26-story, 250-unit residential tower after the Montgomery County Planning Board voted unanimously to approve the project.

The board approved the plan at its Friday, Sept. 11 hearing, Bethesda Magazine reported. The buildings at 4719 Hampden Lane and 4720 Montgomery Lane will be demolished and replaced with a residential building reaching up to 262 feet, according to the Montgomery Planning staff report.

The project sits near the Bethesda Metro station and the future Purple Line station. It is the second office-to-residential conversion approved in downtown Bethesda in three months, following the 29-story Bethesda Crescent tower at Wisconsin Avenue and East West Highway, which the board approved July 23.

Planning Board Chair Artie Harris called it an "attractive project" and pointed to the county's housing shortage before the vote.

"We have a housing crisis. So, I really appreciate you guys taking advantage of the expedited approval process to bring this project to the board," Harris said.

Hampden Lane Project, LLC, an affiliate of Bethesda-based Washington Property Company, is the developer. Washington Property Company previously used 4719 Hampden Lane as its headquarters. The other building housed the American Occupational Therapy Association. Both were less than half occupied, meeting the threshold for the county's Commercial-to-Residential Reconstruction program.

That program was created by a Montgomery County Council zoning text amendment in April 2025 as part of the More Housing N.O.W. package. It replaces the traditional sketch plan and site plan process with an expedited track. The Planning Board must hold a hearing within 60 days of accepting an application. Montgomery Planning accepted this one May 27.

The tower will include 44 affordable units under the county's Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) program, or 17.6% of all units. That exceeds the standard 15% MPDU requirement for downtown Bethesda. The extra affordability earned the developer a bonus floor, pushing the maximum height from 250 feet to 262 feet.

The combined site is just 0.35 acres. It will also include a below-grade parking garage capped at 68 spaces, 100 bicycle parking spaces and 1,453 square feet of required public open space. Developers have not decided whether the apartments will be rentals or condominiums. Attorney Matthew Gordon told the board the decision will depend on market conditions.

Vice Chair Shawn Bartley, appointed to his new role the same day, said he looks forward to the building's construction and to "future buildings that continue to add to the skyline of Bethesda."

No construction or demolition timeline was announced at the hearing. No community correspondence had been received as of the staff report, which was published before the vote.