Douglas To Sell Building Across From Pike & Rose To County For New Park
Montgomery County has been looking for land around the massive Pike & Rose mixed-use development to use as a public park, and it found a parcel owned by one of the region's largest landowners.
Douglas Development has agreed to sell the 1-acre property at 11611 Old Georgetown Road to the county for $10.4M, Montgomery County planning officials revealed in a public filing ahead of a Thursday planning board vote on the sale.
The parties aim to close the sale by the end of this year, the filing says, and the county plans to demolish the building after its tenants vacate and turn it into a public green space.
The 23K SF building, constructed in 1969, is home to piano store Steinway & Sons, and the filing says it has a second tenant, Pacific Operating Co.
A sign atop the building names it the Norman Jemal Building, after Douglas' managing principal. Jemal didn't respond to a request for comment on the sale.
The county said adding a park on this site fits in with the master plan for the White Flint area and helps provide more outdoor amenities near the large developments in the neighborhood, led by Federal Realty's Pike & Rose across the street.
The county still needs to design the park, but it said it envisions a large central lawn that can be used for events, plus seating areas, shelters to provide shade and public art. It said it will keep the tenants in the building until the design is finalized, and the rent they pay will help finance the design and site cleanup.
