A representative for the developer of the Bethesda Shell station site at 7628 Old Georgetown Road says a Stormwater Management Plan has been filed with Montgomery County. They are waiting to hear back from the county to move forward in the development process.
Once the county officially accepts their stormwater plan, they can file a site plan. Once the site plan is filed, groundbreaking on the new TD Bank branch building will take place approximately 15 months later, the representative said Tuesday.
Rendering courtesy Core/Bohler, All rights reserved:
That seems like a pretty big waste of space that close to a Metro station.
ReplyDeleteYes, and the site is surrounded by high-rise buildings. We need gas stations, but if one is sold at this spot, it should be a higher density redevelopment at Metro.
DeleteIt is odd, considering they're squeezing a high rise condo onto the old BP station at Old Georgetown/Fairmont (almost across the street from the Shell)
ReplyDeleteArlington has a gas station *under* a church. Maybe that couldn't happen today.
ReplyDeleteAny idea if the new apartments/condos under construction have electric car chargers in their garages?
ReplyDeleteBethesda has to be one of the top zip codes for Tesla ownership on the east coast.
In fact, I just saw a Tesla coming out of the Bethesda Row garage at lunchtime today!
DeleteCan anything be done to stop this low density building from going into this spot?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, NYC has gas stations on the first floor of buildings in a lot of places. Pretty neat.
Brad, that is an interesting point. I was not aware of that, and perhaps that is a possible solution to our "gas shortage" in downtown Bethesda, if they have figured out a way to deal with the fumes.
DeleteAny zoning or other experts know if there are any *minimum* density requirements in that space? Or other things that can fight this block killing, non activating, location wasting, Bethesda Row / Woodmont Triangle dividing, waste of prime real estate?
ReplyDeleteThe current Bethesda master plan (which is almost 20 years old) puts that lot at the southern end of the 'Old Georgetown Road Corridor', which supposed to have low-density development.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Matt. I wonder how the Lionsgate, Christopher, Bethesda Place and Metropolitan got built under those guidelines. The irony is that the Shell site has become the "odd one out," and would be a tiny bank surrounded by high-rise buildings.
DeleteAgreed about this stretch of woodmont (pretty much brick walls of the metropolitan and christopher for an entire block)
ReplyDeleteIt's not activated at all at night and a bank certainly won't help. Even a burger joint would be better.
Yes, it is totally dead at night. A different world from Bethesda Row, or even the evolving Woodmont Triangle.
DeleteThat dead zone between Bethesda Row and Woodmont Triangle is partially what's keeping the area from becoming one large singular Bethesda. Nothing around the metro. Woodmont Triangle and Bethesda Row a good long walk in either direction.
ReplyDeleteThey should pull a Montgomery Mall type renovation and expand outwards with the buildings along the way. Take the County garage under The Metropolitan and modify the street front to become retail. The Christopher has that nice long set of brick retaining walls... demo that and put street retail in along the edge. Those two would make a huge effort to activate Woodmont.
Add to that retail frontage along Edgemoor right by the Metro. And what's with those two small houses/offices on the Northwest and southwest corners? Someone needs to make them an offer they can't refuse!
We've got to do something to stop this low-rise development that's only going to bring 9-5 traffic to the site. I really find it absurd that this is going through.
ReplyDelete"And what's with those two small houses/offices on the Northwest and southwest corners?"
ReplyDeleteWhat's "up" with them is that this was a SFH residential neighborhood before the wrecking balls started swinging. Props to them for sticking it out.
Some of the remaining small houses in that are will be gone shortly.
ReplyDeleteThe one at Montgomery Lane/Edgemoor will be eaten up by The Lauren luxury condo.
Others on West Lane/Montgomery will be demolished for the apartment building going in there.
Some trivia: The Chase on Woodmont had to build around a hold out house back in the late 1980. So, you'll see a small house next to their swimming pool and tennis courts.
Steve D.:
ReplyDeleteChange will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. - Obama
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. - Darwin
To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often. - Churchill