Holding signs reading “Save Friendship Heights” and “Stop Greed,” residents of the neighborhood on the D.C.-Montgomery County border staged a protest against the proposed redevelopment of the former GEICO headquarters on Western Avenue.
The protest was held Tuesday at the intersection of Willard Ave. and Friendship Blvd., down the street from a public planning board meeting at Wisconsin Place Recreation Center.
While some protesters attended the meeting, issues related to the GEICO redevelopment were not expected to be addressed.
Leadership of the Village of Friendship Heights filed suit in Montgomery County Circuit Court on May 13, saying the developer and county planners materially changed binding agreements reached in 1998.
“It’s really important that those binding elements be followed, and that’s why we’re suing,” said Francine Klein, who was involving in bringing the lawsuit.
A court will decide whether project elements, including an allowance for taller buildings and the conservation of certain trees on the site, should remain as part of the current plan.
“We woke up really one day to see that GEICO and EYA, two wealthy companies, made a deal to take over the area,” said Marvin, a protester who lives in Friendship Heights.
The lawsuit does not stop the project from moving forward, but the court’s decision could affect its progress.
The proposal would replace GEICO’s mid-century building with a new, transit-oriented development, transforming the current 26-acre campus and its surface parking lots with housing and retail.
According to from developer EYA, the plan includes up to 520 residential units along with added green space.
The lawsuit names the developer, known as Friendship Commons Partners, LLC, which include EYA and Bernstein Management Corp., as well as the Montgomery County Council and Planning Board, as defendants.
An answer to the suit is due June 18.
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