Kathleen Miller, The Examiner
2008-04-30 07:00:00.0
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WASHINGTON -

A homeless family may be moved into a county-owned, five-bedroom Bethesda house that was purchased as part of a park expansion project, sparking dissent at a Montgomery County Council meeting Tuesday.

The county spent $2.5 million last fall to buy 1.3 acres of space near Bethesda’s Hillmead Park, ending a multiyear dispute over the future of the site: The former landowner had sought to sell the property to a developer to build a four-home subdivision on the lot, but some neighbors objected, and the county swooped in to purchase the site to expand Hillmead Neighborhood Park. Council Member Roger Berliner, who represents the residents who live near the property, proposed razing the house.

“Our county’s $2.5 million investment in additional parkland can only be fully realized if the existing structure is taken down,” Berliner said.

Council Member George Leventhal, who chairs the council’s Health and Human Services Committee, wants to move in a needy family.

“I cannot in good conscience vote to demolish that home while there are so many people in need of housing in Montgomery County,” Leventhal said.

County planning board officials have recommended the house be demolished and the land it occupies be used to expand the park.

Council members will vote on the two proposals in mid-June.

kmiller@dcexaminer.com