Bethesda is one step closer to a new hotel and business center, after the Montgomery County Planning Board unanimously approved a Dec. 15 bid to redevelop existing land between Wisconsin and Woodmont Avenues.

The plan, if fully approved by the County Council, would allow Bernstein Companies, a development company, to tear down the Bethesda Court Hotel, Japanese restaurant Tako Grill and the Connor Building, a two-story commercial office, on Wisconsin Avenue. A timeline for the demolition and full project is expected to be established at the next planning board meeting Jan. 5.

After the demolitions are complete, developers plan to build a 12-story Westin Hotel, an 11-story office building with retail space, a 760-space underground parking garage and a walkway connecting Woodmont and Wisconsin Avenues.

Montgomery County officials agree the project, called the “Bethesda Center,” will benefit Bethesda by providing what the community needs: more office space and hotel rooms.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce president Ginanne Italiano confirmed the Chamber’s support for the project in a Nov. 30 letter to the Planning Board.

“Bethesda Center represents exactly what is needed in this portion of the Woodmont triangle area of the Bethesda central business district,” Italiano wrote. “The project’s many uses will enliven the area, and help to ensure that it is activated beyond just the workday.”

But not all Bethesda landowners support the new addition. Owners of the commercial building Bethesda Place, located on the corner of Woodmont Avenue and Old Georgetown Road, said the new development would block their access to air, light and views.

Elliot Schnitzer, representing Bethesda Place’s owners, testified at the planning board meeting Dec. 15. The Bethesda Center will cause rent at Bethesda Place to decline 10 percent to 20 percent, resulting in a permanent loss in value of $20 million to $30 million, Schnitzer said.

“The shutting off of light, air, and views will make our building much less attractive to tenants in the future,” Schnitzer said.