BTS Advisory Committee Welcomes Brian Goldblatt
Brian Goldblatt sees downtown Bethesda through two lenses: as a resident and as an employer representative (he’s director of tax at Bethesda-based Donohoe).
That dual perspective makes him a prized addition to the BTS Advisory Committee. He began his first term in December 2022 as an appointee of Bethesda Urban Partnership to represent a Bethesda employer with 50 or more employees. Donohoe has approximately 1,400 employees, about 200 of which are located at its Bethesda headquarters.
While Brian has lived in Bethesda for two years, he’s been in the DMV for 25, and his parents and two siblings also live in the area. So, he is well acquainted with the challenges of traffic congestion around the region and is enthusiastic about encouraging the use of alternatives to solo driving.
Brian literally walks that talk, as an ardent cyclist and walker himself. And he is a member of Donohoe’s Green Team employee resource group, which was formed in 2018 to educate and support Donohoe employees in fostering a culture of environmental stewardship across the company’s five service divisions.
“I love that everything is very walkable here in Bethesda, with grocery stores and restaurants and parks nearby,” said Brian. “The Capital Crescent trail is close by, and Metro provides easy access to downtown D.C.”
He’s excited to see more bike lanes not only being built, but also getting connected together for a more seamless cycling system serving Bethesda. And he noted that the Advisory Committee was briefed at its last meeting about the Montgomery County Complete Streets program, which will help make multimodal transportation in Bethesda even safer and more sustainable.
Brian is also a fan of the downtown Bethesda Streetery, which he said is hopefully expanding from its current one-block footprint to two blocks featuring permanent street furniture that will make this popular venue a more inviting, user-friendly experience.
“I hope we can get more people out this spring using our bike lanes and other great outdoor facilities,” Brian said. “Through my work on the BTS Advisory Committee as well as Donohoe’s Green Team, I’m looking forward to helping reduce downtown Bethesda’s carbon footprint.”
Editor’s Note: Look for more Advisory Committee profiles coming in future newsletter issues.
