Report: Zoning Review Expedited for Vacant Aspen Hill Office Building

A zoning review of the vacant office BAE Systems building—an Aspen Hill location desired by Walmart—has been expedited by the Montgomery County Council, The Gazette reports.

The measure passed in a 5-4 vote Monday, The Gazette reports. Bruce Lee, president of Lee Development Group that owns the site, told the newspaper he was pleased with the outcome:

“I am really pleased that the majority of the county council recognized what the community wants, and I’m proud that they came to the right conclusion,” said Bruce Lee, president of Lee Development Group, owner of the Vitro site. “I think that the community has spoken and the community wants retail at that location. And that’s what we are going to pursue.”

Read the full story at Gazette.net.

BAE systems site has been vacant since 2010. Business owners and local elected officials agree that the empty building is an eyesore, but the site was zoned for office use and not retail.

What should happen to the site has been a source of conflict.

Business owners have said bringing Walmart to Aspen Hill would have a positive impact on their businesses, citing what they noted as a positive change when Kohl’s arrived in 2012.

Council members Marc Elrich and George Leventhal opposed expediting the zoning review and argued that doing so failed to take into account the impact on the broader commercial area, Patch has reported.