Bethesda's Hampden Lane getting a new building

Last week I was walking along Hampden Lane between Arlington Road and Woodmont Avenue and I noticed they were tearing a house down. Today, it was totally gone. Intrigued, I went looking for information on what is going in there.

Initially, I thought it was related to plan #820070100, which is to build 60 condos (or apartments, I couldn't tell which) along the road, however, only one building was being demolished. I believe I have pieced together the story now.

There are 5 lots along Hampden lane that are connected. Lot 1 being on the corner of Hampden Ln and Arlington Rd. Originally, Lot 3 was transfered to the county for them to build Moderately Priced Dwelling Units on (this was to fulfill a the MPDU requirements for another project.) The owner of the rest of the lots said it will be much better to swap lot 3 for lot 5 so they could build a single building (this was in the 2005-2006 time frame). It looks like that was approved so lots 1-5 will have the 60 condos but construction hasn't started yet. Lot 5 will now have Transitional Housing, a single three-story building with six one-bedroom and six studio apartments, owned and operated by the Housing Opportunities commission (although they view the housing as "supportive" not "transitional", I don't know what the distinction is).

Looking on a Montgomery County Website I see Supportive Housing is defined as

for homeless adults who have experienced prolonged episodes of homelessness, have at least one disabling condition and possess other challenges that can contribute to difficulty housing them. Tenants of Home First are placed into a permanent home – through one-bedroom apartments or four-bedroom homes – and provided with wraparound services to ensure that they remain housed.

So, if you are one of the many working people who who would like to live within walking distance of Bethesda Metro Station but can't afford it, your best bet is to quit your job and become homeless!