New apartment community breaks ground in Bethesda

The Rae at Westlake, a contemporary style 343-unit multifamily community located in Bethesda’s urban core, has broken ground.

The five-story building is designed to create diverse housing options to meet the needs of young professionals in Bethesda seeking an amenity-rich community that promotes an active lifestyle. Forty-four of the units will be dedicated to Montgomery County’s Moderately Priced Housing program.

The Rae at Westlake exterior

The project will offer a mix of studio, one-bedroom, one-bedroom plus den, and two-bedroom floorpans ranging from 486 to 1,157 sf. Amenities will include a fitness center; a coworking lounge; a pet spa; a club room; a swimming pool; and a large courtyard with barbecue grills, hammocks, and an outdoor fireplace.

The Rae at Westlake will connect residential living to the urban setting in a highly commercialized area. The amenity and residential massing are rotated in opposite directions to contrast and create visual interest. Residential bars projecting lightly from the building base increase geometric folds toward the corner to take advantage of the site geometry and carry the triangular-shape motif.

The Rae at Westlake exterior at dusk

Light and dark color composition alternate on top of a warm tone wood-like base with large glass positioned uniquely on the angled amenity corner. Sustainable elements include over 7,000 sf of green room and 5,000 sf of bioretention around the building’s perimeter.

In addition to KTGY the build team also includes MSA Interiors (interior architect), LandDesign (landscape architect), Alliance Engineers (electrical and structural engineer), SSA (mechanical and plumbing engineer), and Vika (civil engineer). The project is slated to complete in Q3 of 2023.

The Rae at Westlake exterior green space

Across the country, multifamily rents have skyrocketed. Year-over-year rents are up by double digits in nine of the top 30 markets, while national YoY rent growth is up 6.3%. Emerging from the pandemic, a perfect storm of migration, enhanced government stimulus and a hot housing market, among other factors, has enabled this extremely strong growth.