INTERVIEW – Katya Marin, vice president of East Bethesda Citizens Association

INTERVIEW – Mary Flynn – Founder, Coalition of Bethesda Area Residents

Should Bethesda become a self-governing city? Some wonder whether it’s time. (Washington Post) — It doesn’t have the moral and political resonance of the District’s statehood fight, but some Bethesda residents are asking whether their prosperous suburban community should pursue its own form of self-determination — as a self-governing city. They are driven by recent frustration with the Montgomery County government, especially over a proposed land-use plan that could open the door to dramatically increased building heights along the Wisconsin Avenue corridor. Last week, the Montgomery Planning Board approved a proposal for a 29-story office and apartment complex at Wisconsin Avenue and Elm Street, just above the projected site of a Purple Line station. That project, and the rest of the Bethesda sector plan, are subject to County Council approval. The chatter about breaking away is loud enough that two community groups, the East Bethesda Citizens Association and the Coalition of Bethesda Area Residents, are co-sponsoring a meeting on the topic Thursday evening in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School cafeteria.