Bethesda Arts And Entertainment District Hearing Next Week

BETHESDA, MD — Two arts and entertainment districts are up for review this year in Montgomery County and hearings will be held this week and next for residents to share their thoughts and hopes for the districts.

"Every 10 years, the State requires a new application be submitted for review to be redesignated as a state Arts and Entertainment District," the county said in a news release. "This year, both Silver Spring and the Bethesda Urban Partnership are submitting applications to continue their work making the arts a viable and exciting part of Montgomery County."

The point of designating a district is to give arts and entertainment enterprises and qualifying resident artists tax and other financial benefits, the county said.

The district in Bethesda was designated in 2002, a district representative said.

"This year, the Bethesda Urban Partnership is submitting an application to continue their work making the arts a viable and exciting part of downtown Bethesda," said Stephanie Coppula, Director of Marketing & Communications at the Bethesda Urban Partnership, in an email to Patch.

"Additionally, the Arts & Entertainment District in Bethesda plans to continue its work of bringing more public art, more special events, more programming and awards for local artists, and more partnerships with developers and businesses to support the arts in our community," Coppula added.

The Bethesda Urban Partnership and Bethesda Arts and Entertainment District will talk about the success of their district during the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 21.

The Silver Spring Arts and Entertainment hearing will be during the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board Meeting 7 p.m. on Monday, March 14. During the meeting, district representatives will talk about the offerings in Silver Spring.