The massive, life sciences-centric mixed-use district planned next to the North Bethesda Metro station is set to be developed by Hines.

The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority Tuesday morning announced it selected the Houston-based developer to execute a vision for life sciences, retail and residential development on the 13.9-acre site.

The district is set to be anchored by a new campus for the University of Maryland ’s Institute for Health Computing, which has been planned since 2022.

Maryland elected leaders joined WMATA officials and representatives from Hines at an unveiling event Tuesday morning at the site of the future development.

“We are excited to participate in the conception of this vibrant mixed-use, transit-oriented campus that will create a platform for the next generation of innovation in the life science space, in addition to developing the new metro station entrance,” Hines Senior Managing Director Andrew McGeorge said in a release.

The North Bethesda project is part of WMATA's 10-year plan to develop up to 31M SF of mixed-use development across 550 acres of WMATA-owned land at 40 Metro stations.

WMATA put out a request for qualifications in July for a developer to take on the North Bethesda project, envisioning between 2M SF and 3.7M SF of office, retail, housing and public spaces.

It said Tuesday that it received six proposals in October, from which Hines was “competitively selected.”

Though it hasn't announced the full details of its plans, Hines’ conceptual renderings show three new multifamily buildings and three new life sciences buildings on the site alongside the existing Metro station, office building and parking garage.

The project is also receiving $36.6M in local, state and federal funding for infrastructure. And it is raising money for a new Metro entrance.

Hines still has to finalize the joint development agreement with Montgomery County. The parties plan to bring recommendations — including on development details and the timeline — to Metro’s Board of Directors, which needs to approve the agreement later this year.

“North Bethesda will be a model for life-sciences-anchored transit-oriented development around the world, creating new transit users and connecting people to economic opportunities,” WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke said in a release.

WMATA has delivered six joint development projects throughout the region totaling approximately 1,500 housing units and 325K SF of office, according to its release. Five more projects are set to start construction this year, totaling 1,300 units and 422K SF of office.

Also at the North Bethesda station, LCOR has developed four residential buildings over the last two decades through a partnership with WMATA.

In April, WMATA awarded development of 1.1 acres next to the Deanwood Metro station in Ward 7 to a joint venture between Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures and Nix Development Co. The partnership plans to build a 169-unit residential building with ground-floor retail next to a new public library.

Hines, one of the largest private real estate developers and owners, has $90.1B in assets under management, according to its website . Its portfolio consists of 290M SF of owned and managed properties worldwide, with 165 developments underway.

In D.C., Hines developed CityCenter , the 2.5M SF mixed-use development across 10 acres in the middle of downtown. It’s also one of a trio of master developers of the Parks at Walter Reed redevelopment in Northwest, set to be 3.1M SF at completion.

The company last month joined forces with Healthpeak Properties to develop the multifamily components of a 5M SF mixed-use development in Cambridge, Massachusetts.