NEATO VENETO

A PHANTOM CONDO PROJECT

AND THE

MYSTERIOUS FUTURE OF

4901 CORDELL AVENUE

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!!

Cordell Avenue is a tale of two blocks.  The first block, between Old Georgetown Road and Norfolk Avenue, has a number of good restaurants like Tragara and Matuba, but - with the major exception of the Caddies on Cordell patio - can tend to be fairly dead at night.  Once you walk east of Caddies, there just isn't much energy or activity there.

Go to the second block, however, and you have Freddy's Lobster and Flanagan's Harp and Fiddle with outdoor patio buzz, and residents coming and going at Triangle Towers and The Palisades apartments.  It's a lot more welcoming at night.

One of the "dead spots" is a small building at 4901 Cordell.  Six years ago, it was to be demolished and replaced by a boutique, mixed-use luxury condo building, called The Veneto.

Now, before I go any further, I'd say that there's no reason the existing building couldn't be renovated into a nice set of restaurants and shops.

But the owner and developer was intent on knocking it down for The Veneto.

I had mixed feelings about the Veneto project.  You can check out a nifty little Adobe Flash presentation of The Veneto at the architect's website.

Certainly the design is a lot more upscale than the current structure.

What's nice about it?

Well, it certainly was ambitious for the lot size.  It would really bring the corner of Cordell and Norfolk to life, but only if it had the right restaurants.

It had a clever parking solution in its odd, underground garage configuration.

What don't I like?

The design is still fairly bland.  It's not unique in any way, shape or form despite the claims on the website.  This building could be in Rockville, New York City or Clarendon, and nobody would know the difference or even care.

My biggest beef with The Veneto was its lack of affordable housing.  In addition to getting a free pass from the Planning Board on public-use space and parking minimums, The Veneto was almost the poster child for the infamous Bethesda concept known as the "boutique condo building."

As you can read on the website, there were only going to be 2 condos per floor, and then a sumptuous penthouse atop the building.

According to the planning document I saw, there was not even one affordable unit in the building.  You would think the Planning Board could have insisted on at least dividing one unit into 2 or 3 smaller apartments as MPDUs.

So the bottom line on this project's "value-added" score is pretty low.

The Veneto would definitely improve the neighborhood, by activating at least the corner, and part of two blocks which are currently dead at night.  It would bring light, energy and activity, perhaps like that found on Norfolk near Rock Bottom, Hanaro and BlackFinn today.

But it would add nothing architecturally, nor would it address the need for affordable apartments and condos to attract younger residents to Bethesda.  Strictly for the Daddy Warbucks set.

The bigger question, though, is what is the fate of 4901?

While The Veneto seemed to sail through the Planning Board's cakewalk of an approval process, it was never built.

After years of delay, there are vacant and abandoned storefronts.

Now, even the jewelry store is closing for good.

A sign is offering the existing building for sale or lease, and even suggests the seller will assist in renovating and updating the building.

We can speculate that The Veneto was a casualty of the real estate bubble bursting, especially given its high-end, limited target demographic.  I don't think it's a tragedy, given its many shortcomings.

But having said that, the location could certainly use some life at night, whether it's the existing building, The Veneto, or a more architecturally-imaginative blend of restaurants, market rate apartments and luxury units.

Let's hope a grander yet more value-added concept prevails.