Normandie Farm Restaurant on Falls Road wants to add a new building, but how big should it be allowed to be?
The Potomac Master Plan addresses the 6.47-acre Normandie Farm site specifically, recommending that it be rezoned to the “Country Inn Zone.”
The site is currently zoned RE-2, one house per two acres. According to state tax records, it is owned by Normandie Farms Joint Venture, care fo Eliezer Benbassat of Silver Spring and has an assessed value of approximately $2.2 million.
Normandie Farm restaurant opened in 1931 and is currently owned and operated by Cary Prokos.
The Master Plan states “The allowable density on the site shall not exceed 10,000 square feet in addition to the existing restaurant,” and says that it may, “provide a new structure not to exceed 10,000 square feet to accommodate a country inn.”
The plan filed calls for a new structure of approximately 11,000 square feet.
Phil Perrine, one of the people who developed the plan points out that an existing structure of approximately 1,200 square feet will be demolished. “The net increase will be 9,800 square feet,” Perrine said.
The 11,000 square foot number does not include a possible basement. “Basement is not counted in the gross floor area of the building,” said Jody Kline, attorney for Normandie Farms.
While a basement is indicated in some portions of the file, Kline thinks that may be an error. “I’m not sure that we have a basement,” he said. If there is a basement it would be used only for storage, Kline said.
A traffic study analyzing the potential impact of more cars going to the new facility will be done, said Kline.
While the zoning code allows for up to 12 guest rooms in a Country inn, this plan does not call for any guest rooms. “There are no guest rooms with it,” Kline said.
The building will connect with the current facility through a corridor which will allow it to share a kitchen with the current restaurant.
An outdoor courtyard area will be created and approximately 61 percent of the property will remain green.
New parking spaces will have to be added, but the exact number depends on the size of the building and has yet to be calculated.
Kline thinks that new facility will be used to house larger functions, such as weddings or the Rotary Club which meets at the restaurant weekly.
He does not think it will be used as an additional dining room on a regular basis. “It will probably be used for private parties, but not for regular dining,” Kline said.
The maximum occupancy was not available. Kline shied away from calling it a banquet hall, saying that the new facility will not have a commercial feel. “It will have a more refined dining area,” Kline said. “It’s a little bit more chateau.”
Kline said that the first public meetings about the project will likely be scheduled for this summer, but dates are not yet available.