Corso and Town Sign Redevelopment Agreement

On April 27, Corso Chevy Chase and the Town ratified an agreement related to redevelopment of the former 4-H property at 7100 Connecticut Avenue.

The agreement obligates Corso to execute a Declaration of Covenants, which memorializes commitments related to perpetual use of the land and improvements that are enforceable by the Town. These commitments, which will become effective when Corso obtains all building permits for the project, include limiting primary use of the property to a residential care facility; limiting vehicular access to Connecticut Avenue; establishing minimum building setbacks and maximum building heights; maintaining the 81-foot setback along Thornapple Street; defining and restricting locations of pathways; defining forest conservation areas and planting/screening areas; and providing permanent garage space for Town vehicles.

These commitments also are included in the rezoning application for the property and become effective upon County Council approval of the rezoning. However, the rezoning and related conditions represent an agreement only between the developer and the County. The Declaration of Covenants, which will be an agreement between the developer and the Town, ensures that the consent of the Town must be obtained for any future changes that this developer, or any succeeding owner, may wish to make.

The agreement also includes short-term requirements that the Town wants the developer to commit to but that do not need to be conditions in perpetuity. These requirements, which become effective immediately, include providing the Town with temporary garage space during construction; completing traffic and parking studies prior to submission of the preliminary plan; including the Town forester in development of the final forest conservation plan; and executing a construction management agreement with the Town prior to issuance of building permits.  

The agreement and draft Declaration of Covenants are available for review here. On April 26, the County Hearing Examiner recommended approval of Corso’s rezoning application, which will now be considered by the County Council within 60 days. If the County Council approves the rezoning, Corso will proceed to prepare a preliminary site plan and undertake traffic and parking studies. 

We will continue to keep residents informed as this project proceeds.