Montgomery County planning staff want to limit building heights to 45 and 60 feet along the edges of the former Saks Fifth Avenue site and The Collection in Friendship Heights, add dedicated bus lanes on Wisconsin Avenue and create a new "civic green" between the two properties.
The recommendations, summarized in a July 2 update from Chevy Chase Village, reflect the latest round of site-specific proposals for the revised Friendship Heights Sector Plan. Planning staff first released preliminary recommendations in February 2026, then presented refined details at two community meetings in June.
What the plan proposes
For both The Collection and the former Saks property, staff recommend a CR 3.0 density, a commercial-residential zoning designation that allows a mix of uses. Along the east and north borders of the properties, building heights would be capped at 45 feet on the Saks site and 60 feet on The Collection site, with a greenspace buffer along those edges.
The exact starting point for those height limits, whether measured from the right-of-way line or the property line, and how deep into the properties they extend remain unresolved. The Village's summary notes those details are "anticipated" as "plan details are further negotiated."
Other key elements:
- A civic green between the two properties, along Montgomery Street west of the Buffer Area
- A two-sided street concept on Oliver Street and Belmont Avenue, with housing fronting those streets on the Saks property
- Permanent dedicated bus lanes, one in each direction, on Wisconsin Avenue between Oliver Street and Western Avenue
- Closing Wisconsin Circle (vacating the public right-of-way) to create a larger block incorporating the southern portion of The Collection and 2 Wisconsin Circle, while preserving the existing WMATA bus facility
- New pedestrian connections between the Buffer Area, Western Grove Park and The Collection
What happens next
The Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers will discuss the recommendations at its regular meeting on Monday at 7:30 p.m. The Village Board and its ad hoc Friendship Heights Sector Plan Committee have been reviewing the staff proposals since June. The Board submitted a formal letter to planning staff in May, responding to the earlier preliminary recommendations, though the letter's specific positions have not been made public.
On July 16, lead planner Atara Margolies will present the Working Draft to the Montgomery County Planning Board, chaired by Artie Harris. Staff are recommending the Board approve the draft as the Public Hearing Draft and set a date for public testimony.
If the Planning Board approves, it must provide at least 30 days' notice before holding a public hearing where residents can submit written comments or testify in person or virtually. After that, the plan goes to the Montgomery County Council for its own hearing and formal adoption. The Village's update indicates the plan would reach the Council after the new Council is seated following the fall 2026 election.
How to weigh in
Residents can attend the Monday, July 13 Village Board meeting or the Thursday, July 16 Planning Board session. Written comments can be sent to Planning Board Chair Artie Harris at [email protected] or mailed to 2425 Reedie Drive, 14th Floor, Wheaton, MD 20902. The Village directs residents to also copy lead planner Atara Margolies at [email protected] and Village Manager Shana Davis-Cook at [email protected].
