1355 Piccard Drive, Suite 200
Rockville, Maryland 20850
PHONE (301) 770-0177
FAX (301) 330-3224
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Work session Notes
Project:
Work session Location:
Owner:
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
4301 East West Highway Bethesda, MD
Smolen  Emr  Ilkovitch Architects
Montgomery County Public Schools
Work Session #4
Work session Date: 11/28/2012
Architect’s Project No.: 12011
The following work session notes are a summary of our understanding of topics covered at this work session.
The information has been condensed into a summary and is not an exact transcript of this work session. If a
conflict is noted, please contact our office so that the item may be corrected in a timely fashion.
Attendees
Gary Mosesman (GM)
Jim Emr (JE)
Ina Kovacheva
Jason Levy
Karen Lockard (KL)
Michael Shpur (MS)
Bruce Crispell (BC)
Michelle Hainbach
Lynn Amano
Marcie Sandalow
Deborah Missal
Jim Tapley
Andrea Kelly
Peggy Schwartz
Craig Brown
Nancy Nantais
Greg Ip
Katrina Baum
Jane Ward
Lisa Loche
SEI
SEI
SEI
SEI
BCC Principal
MCPS
MCPS
BCC
Community
Community
BCC
BCC
Community
Community
Community
Community
Community
Community
BCC
Community
Dana Rice
Teddy Springer
Susan Kitt
Nicole Macon
Karen Jacob
Ricardo Hernandez
Steve Seidel
Mark Horton
Daniel Handwerker
Will McConarty
Christine Waltz
Jennifer Maged
Roger Paden
Gerd Fischer
Bridget Come
Patty Craver
Traci Zambolti
Tim Price
Shoshana Vequliart
Anne Lieberman
Community
Community
BCC
Chevy Chase Patch
Community
BCC
Community
Community
Community
Community
BCC
Community
Community
Community
BCC
Community
Community
Community
Community
Community
General
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5
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KL briefly discussed the feasibility study process and noted that the meetings will be an additive process. KL
noted that community and staff input during the meetings are very important. The notes from the meeting will
be posted on the MCPS website.
GM and JE explained that all concepts covered at the work sessions will be further developed in the schematic
design phase. The intent of the work session is to establish concepts that meet the program requirements.
KL explained that BCC will hold future work sessions to discuss logistics of dealing with a larger school.
MCPS provided a frequently asked questions document (see attached) to answer questions relating to
capacity, enrollment, and future growth.
BCC explained the funding process and moratorium; currently there is funding in place for a ten classroom
addition to keep BCC out of moratorium.
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rd
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GM reviewed circulation problems within the existing building. Stair A on the 2 , 3 , and 4 floors is a
congestion point and causes overcrowding in the area. All concepts will alleviate current congestion at stair A
Page 1 of 4 Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS
1355 PICCARD DRIVE ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND 20850 P: (301) 770-0177 F: (301) 330-3224 [email protected]
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
Work Session #4
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by re-directing traffic flow away from stair A. The concepts will redirect students to existing underutilized
corridors which will improve circulation in the existing building.
All concepts provide a raised tennis court structure to accommodate all 6 tennis courts and provide additional
surface parking below. Access to athletic fields is provided between raised tennis courts and addition.
Concept A:
(Area: 78,000GSF || Efficiency Factor: 61%)
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Concept A is anticipated to provide 90 additional parking spaces.
The stadium field and tennis courts will be required for construction staging.
The new addition is located on part of the existing tennis courts with a single loaded corridor loop
to the existing buildings on the main floor level.
The single loaded corridor will cover a portion of the bleachers and is on 2 levels; fire truck access
will be maintained via the existing fire lane and extend through to Pearl St.
Pros:
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Loop circulation on main level; connection to front of existing building entrance on two levels.
Minimum disturbance during construction to curriculum.
Smallest overall in GSF.
Minimal impact on existing façade.
Frames entrance.
New classrooms provide views over the stadium field.
Baseball field will not be affected during construction.
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Stadium field disturbance during construction.
Concern of building over stadium bleachers expressed. Columns supporting the single loaded
corridor will obstruct views to the field. Additional bleachers will be provided to compensate for the
seats with obstructed views.
Travel distance from existing educational core is longer compared to concept C.
Extends into existing tennis court area the most.
Cons:
Concept B:
(Area: 80,000GSF || Efficiency Factor: 59%)
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Concept B is anticipated to provide 110 additional parking spaces.
Concept B has three levels of circulation that can accommodate students during open lunch
periods.
The addition includes a single loaded corridor over the bleachers on 3 levels and 4 levels of
academic spaces over the existing tennis courts.
Circulation connection to the existing building on three levels.
Fire truck access will be maintained via the existing fire lane and extend through to Pearl St.
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Most amount of parking.
Loop circulation on main level; two connection points to existing.
Connection to front of existing building entrance on three levels.
Minimum disturbance during construction to curriculum.
Minimal overall site footprint.
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Pros:
Cons:
- 4 story spaces -requires more vertical circulation.
- Longest travel distance from existing educational core.
- Stadium field disturbance during construction.
Concept C:
(Area: 85,000GSF || Efficiency Factor: 55%)
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Former concept D has now become concept C.
Concept C investigates the option of raising the proposed addition in front of the existing building
to accommodate the existing bus loop.
The concept provides 2 stories of loop circulation and connection of the existing fourth floor.
Page 2 of 4 Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS
1355 PICCARD DRIVE ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND 20850 P: (301) 770-0177 F: (301) 330-3224 [email protected]
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
Work Session #4
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Additional 76 parking spaces are anticipated to be provided by this concept.
An exterior courtyard separates the existing building from the new addition.
Concept C provides a covered bus loop to main entrance.
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Loop circulation is tight to core of the existing building.
th
Creates additional classrooms on 4 floor creating a more viable classroom core.
Minimal disturbance to stadium field and physical education program (daily classes).
Potential to create continuous new façade.
Most cons for concept C occur only during the construction phase.
Pros:
Cons:
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Colonnade at bus loop obscures view to the entrance, creates security concerns, and provides no
visible access from the administration.
- Most difficult concept to phase.
- Most difficult constructability concept.
- Location of addition will prevent direct sunlight to existing rooms.
- Greatest possibility of disturbance of curriculum during construction.
- Temporarily relocates bus traffic and main entrance onto Chelton St.
- Most amount of parking lost during construction.
- Covered main entrance presents security concerns.
- Bus circulation space-greatest disturbance to neighbors during construction.
- Exhaust from buses (air quality concerns).
- BCC’s athletic program would not be able to hold events due to the lack of parking during
construction.
General Concerns and Comments:
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Construction will take between 18-24 months.
Earliest start of construction is summer 2015 with completion expected by August 2017.
All schemes provide the same amount of teaching spaces.
Minimize niches and blind corners.
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Unsupervised spaces within each concept present security concerns.
If the stadium field is disturbed during construction, it is MCPS’s responsibility to bring it back to
current condition; if Concept C is chosen, then no renovation of the existing field would be
required by MCPS.
- All concepts impact BCC’s athletic program; however, with concept A and B winter athletic
program can still continue during construction.
Q: How is the efficiency factor determined?
12 A: The efficiency factor is determined by dividing the net square footage by the gross square footage.
Q: Can the raised tennis courts cover another area of the existing parking lot?
13 A: Yes, however, it is preferred that the tennis courts are in proximity to the existing athletic fields. This can be
further explored in the schematic design process.
Q: Why is multi-level parking not considered?
14 A: Parking garages are prohibitively expensive and provide security concerns to MCPS.
Q: Has there been any consideration for a master plan that includes more than 2400 students?
15 A: 2400 is the maximum student enrollment allowed by MCPS at any school.
Q: Has MCPS considered acquiring the building adjacent to the existing school?
16 A: Additional land and shared parking was investigated with the modernization in 1999 and was not feasible.
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Q: Can we build a 5 story over the existing building?
A: The charge of the feasibility study is to investigate a new addition that will fulfill program objectives without
17 disturbing the existing school and keeping the facility in use during construction. A 5th floor over the existing
building is not feasible due to structural, phasing, and construction issues.
Q: Have the issues of stadium seating within concept A and B been addressed?
18 A: Several solutions have been considered, including removal of columns to be replaced by a free standing
box truss system. SEI will further explore options during the schematic design phase.
Page 3 of 4 Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS
1355 PICCARD DRIVE ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND 20850 P: (301) 770-0177 F: (301) 330-3224 [email protected]
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
Work Session #4
Q: Do concepts A and B maintain the existing building’s roofline?
19 A: The roofline of concepts A and B is not higher than that of the existing gymnasium.
Q: Will the covered bus plaza in concept C be undesirable space, as is Bethesda metro?
20 A: The addition will be raised higher than Bethesda metro, providing a much more open-atmosphere.
Future Work Sessions
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PTA Presentation on December 11 – 7:00 p.m.
Location for all work sessions to be at Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS cafeteria.
This concludes the notes of the work session as recorded by Smolen  Emr  Ilkovitch Architects.
Prepared by: Jason Levy
Reviewed by: Ina Kovacheva, LEED ®AP BD + C
ATTACHED:
Sign In Sheet 11-28-12.pdf
BCC FAQ 11-28.pdf
Page 4 of 4 Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS
1355 PICCARD DRIVE ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND 20850 P: (301) 770-0177 F: (301) 330-3224 [email protected]
WORK SESSION #4 ATTACHMENT
Frequently Asked Questions about Bethesda-Chevy Chase (B-CC) High School
Responses from Bruce Crispell, director, Division of Long-range Planning, MCPS
November 2012
I thought B-CC was just modernized recently. How did it get overcrowded so soon?
B-CC High School reopened as a modernized school in 2001. The planning for the
modernization, and capacity of the school, occurred several years before the reopening and was
based on projections that were developed in the late 1990's. Throughout the 1990’s enrollment
at the B-CC High School was quite stable, with 1,100 to 1,200 students enrolled each year
Enrollment projections developed in the fall of 1998, when enrollment was 1,123 students,
showed enrollment increasing to 1,362 students by the 2001 opening date of the modernization.
The modernization was planned for a capacity of 1,552 students. B-CC High School reopened
as a modernized school in 2001 with an enrollment of 1,338 students, a little less than the
forecast from 1998. In 2009, an area left unfinished after the modernization was converted to
five classrooms. These additional classrooms increased the capacity to the current 1,665
students.
Enrollment began trending higher at B-CC High School beginning in 2000, and especially
following the opening of the modernized school in 2001. Enrollment increases since 2000 can
be attributed to several factors including the increasingly positive reputation of the school, the
establishment of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in 1996, and perhaps even the
attraction of a newly modernized facility. The strength of the academic program and wide range
of scholastic and extra-curricular offerings at B-CC High School resulted in more families
choosing this public school where in the past they may have opted for a non-public school. In
addition, the strengths of the school may well have led to families moving into the high school
service area.
In more recent years, since 2007, a new factor developed that made enrollment forecasting more
challenging and resulted in higher enrollments than expected. This was the impact of the Great
Recession. This new factor has now been captured in updated enrollment forecasts. The latest
enrollment projections for B-CC High School incorporate students who are now beginning to
move up from the elementary schools and Westland Middle School. As these students are
reaching high school age, B-CC High School’s enrollment is increasing by a considerable
amount. This year official enrollment at B-CC High School is 1,835 and projected enrollment
for the 2018–19 school year is 2,191. Longer term, enrollment at the school is projected to top
out at 2,300 students in the next ten to fifteen years. This enrollment forecast is the basis for
planning a classroom addition that will increase the school’s capacity to 2,400 students in August
2017, when it is scheduled to open.
To what is the growth in enrollment attributed?
Total enrollment in MCPS has increased by 11,000 students since 2007, with 10,000 of this
increase at the elementary school level. This is a remarkable amount of enrollment increase in a
five year period. A large part of this increase is related to the loss of household wealth that
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occurred during the Great Recession and household decisions on where to live and where to send
children to school in its aftermath.
Systemwide, as well as in the B-CC Cluster, the Great Recession’s large impact on enrollment
can be explained by three main factors:

First, high unemployment and a lack of job opportunities in other parts of the nation
resulted in a reduction in the movement of households out of the county, and students out
of MCPS. In the past, out-migration of students has offset in-migration of students to a
degree, and tempered net gains in enrollment. The reduction in out-migration also is
attributed to the difficulty in selling homes, particularly properties that had seen a
reduction in value, and ones that were under water. In combination, these factors resulted
in more households than usual staying put in the county during the Great Recession and
in its aftermath.

Second, more households moved into the county due to better employment opportunities
here than in most parts of the nation. Some of these households doubled-up in housing
units or returned to reside in their parents’ homes. In some areas, the number of schoolage children increased well above past levels in school service areas.

Third, many households that previously had enrolled their children in non-public schools
enrolled them in public schools as household wealth and job security decreased.
The entry of more students into MCPS from non-public schools compounded increases that were
already occurring due to the expansion of full-day kindergarten to all elementary schools. This
expansion was completed in 2006. Prior to the institution of full-day kindergarten many
households chose non-public full-day kindergarten programs and many stayed with non-public
schools thereafter. In addition, the advent of full-day kindergarten in MCPS occurred during a
time of rising births in the county. County births increased through 2007, but have trended
downward since 2007.
How do we know there won’t be even more growth after the high school addition is built?
The latest enrollment projections for B-CC High School take account of the recent surge in
enrollment in B-CC Cluster schools and account for the additional students who will be reaching
high school age in the future. This growth has been at remarkable levels that are not anticipated
to repeat in the future, and was related to the fall-out of the Great Recession.
Current events in the nation and world demonstrate how much uncertainty continues to exist in
terms of our economy. The uncertainty about the economy, more than any other factor, makes
complete confidence in a school’s enrollment projection impossible to claim. However, an
economic downturn on the scale of the Great Recession is considered unlikely to recur in the
foreseeable future. Consequently, it is believed that the enrollment forecast for B-CC High
School appropriately factors in current demographic trends in the B-CC Cluster and their impact
on high school enrollment in the long-term.
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Are there other options to building an addition at B-CC High School?
MCPS facility planning always looks to non-capital solutions to over-utilization, such as
reassignment of students to schools with surplus capacity, before capital projects are
recommended. However, due to the widespread nature of enrollment growth in the county, there
are very few opportunities to relieve over-utilized schools through boundary changes. In regard
to B-CC High School, all of the high schools surrounding B-CC High School are projected to be
at, or over capacity in the next six years. This eliminates the option of reducing enrollment at BCC High School through boundary changes.
When space is not available to reduce over-utilization of a school through boundary changes,
capital improvements must be considered. Classroom additions are frequently the solution to
over-utilization at schools. In some cases, when enrollment deficits are particularly large at
several schools, a new school may be needed. In the case of B-CC High School the degree of
projected enrollment is not great enough to consider opening a new high school. In addition,
even adding projected enrollments at surrounding high schools, there still is not sufficient
enrollment to consider opening a new high school in the area.
Another consideration in evaluating whether a new high school would be a feasible solution has
to do with options for a high school site. The school system is finding that, with the county
approaching build-out, land for new school sites is becoming scarce, especially for secondary
schools. MCPS was fortunate to be able to identify a site for the new B-CC Cluster Middle
School #2. Finding a site for a new high school in this part of the county would be even more
challenging than the experience of the middle school site selection.
The addition now being planned for B-CC High School will bring the school’s capacity up to
2,400 students. High school capacities of 2,000 to 2,400 students are becoming the norm in
MCPS. School system planning today is focused on maximizing our facilities by expanding
their capacities when space shortages exist and additions are feasible.
How are new housing developments in Bethesda and Chevy Chase Lake factored into enrollment
projections?
One concern that is frequently voiced about enrollment projections in the B-CC Cluster schools
is the long-range impact of residential development being planned in the Chevy Chase Lake
Sector Plan, and the more near-term impact of multi-family housing projects in the Bethesda
Central Business District (CBD.)
The Chevy Chase Lake Sector Plan is currently under development and must to be approved by
the County Council before any subdivision plans can be presented. Scenarios ranging from
1,000 to 2,000 mostly multi-family units are being discussed. County planners indicate the
majority of housing units would be staged to follow funding of the Purple Line transit way. The
timing of funding for the Purple Line adds to uncertainty over the timeframe for construction of
the majority of the housing units.
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In the Bethesda CBD a total of approximately 2,000 multi-family high-rise units are either under
construction or planned. The expected numbers of students who will be generated by these
projects are incorporated in school enrollment forecasts. The forecasting process includes
regular consultation with county officials, developers and builders to obtain building and
occupancy schedules, and to learn about the target market for new housing.
In the fall of 2012, a survey of high-rise and mid-rise buildings in the Bethesda CBD was
conducted to help determine the impact of comparable new projects. It was found that high-rise
and mid-rise multi-family housing projects generate a relatively small number of students. This
is consistent with past surveys of this housing type. The fall survey examined 19 high-rise and
mid-rise buildings with a total of 3,632 units in the Bethesda CBD. It was found that a total of
74 elementary school, 43 middle school, and 54 high school students reside in these buildings
and attend MCPS schools.
Based on the survey information, the 2,000 units underway or planned in the Bethesda CBD, and
the 1,000 to 2,000 units that may ultimately be built in the Chevy Chase Lake area, are expected
to contribute a relatively minor share of the enrollment projected for B-CC High School.
Housing surveys like the recent one are repeated periodically to determine if occupancy trends
are changing. If they do, then enrollment forecasts can be adjusted accordingly. At this point it
is clear that the majority of enrollment growth in the B-CC Cluster is attributable to the changes
described previously that have occurred in the B-CC Cluster neighborhoods made up primarily
of single-family detached homes.
How is MCPS addressing the growth in other B-CC Cluster schools?
Over the past several years MCPS has worked with the B-CC Cluster community to
systematically develop plans to add school capacity and address enrollment growth. The
Montgomery County Council supports these plans and has provided funding for capital projects
at six of the seven B-CC Cluster elementary schools and for the new middle school. In addition,
the County Council has funded a ―down payment‖ for the high school addition by funding ten
classrooms so far.
At elementary schools in the B-CC Cluster a total of 1,251 elementary seats will be added in the
cluster by the 2015–16 school year. This includes an addition that opened at Somerset
Elementary School during the 2010–11 school year, an addition that will open at Westbrook
Elementary School in August 2013, and additions that will open at Bethesda, North Chevy Chase
and Rosemary Hills elementary schools in August 2015. Also adding elementary capacity in the
B-CC Cluster is the expansion of Rock Creek Forest Elementary School when its modernization
is completed in January 2015. Adopted elementary school boundary changes will better
distribute enrollments to schools with adequate capacity and planned additions when they are
implemented in 2013.
At the secondary school level the scheduled August 2017 opening of B-CC Middle School #2
will add 944 seats, and the scheduled August 2017 opening of the addition to B-CC High School
will add 735 seats. All totaled, by August 2017—when all capacity projects will be
implemented—an additional 2,930 seats, K-12, will be added in the B-CC Cluster.
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