Residents Frustrated About Plans for Bethesda Growth, Talk About Incorporation

Frustrated with the lack of representation from the Montgomery County Council, dozens of Bethesda residents turned out for an informational meeting on Thursday night to learn more about the process to incorporate Bethesda.
The meeting was hosted by two groups, the Coalition of Bethesda Area Residents and the East Bethesda Citizens Association.
“A number of residents have been concerned and frustrated over the Bethesda Downtown Plan and from that frustration and concern, a lot of questions have come like why don’t we have more control,” said Mary Flynn, founder, Coalition of Bethesda Area Residents.
The meeting included representatives from the Maryland Municipal League (MML) who talked about what it takes to incorporate.
Organizers say this meeting was the first attempt to understand their options and opportunities to get more representation.
“There’s nine council members and this county has one one million people,” said Flynn. “We have [County Council President] Roger Berliner who has been very helpful and accommodating with his time and very generous with his time, but he doesn’t live here. There are issues that we are fighting and concerned about that we don’t feel he understands in a way that he can advocate for us.”
One concern with the Bethesda Downtown Plan, for some residents, is additional overcrowding in schools. Another issue is traffic on the what they call an “already congested Wisconsin Avenue.”...

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